[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] “I want to work on the projects I’d like to see myself.”

Actor Ryu Jun-yeol shared details about the production process and behind-the-scenes stories during an interview for the Netflix series *The Field Mouse*, held on the 1st at a café in Samcheong-dong, Seoul.
“Field Mouse” is a chase thriller that follows novelist Moon Jae (played by Ryu Jun-yeol)—who has had his name, face, and entire life stolen by a mysterious entity known as “Field Mouse”—along with loan shark No Ja (played by Seol Kyung-gu), who is trying to recover his lost money, and detective Sun-yong (played by Lee Kyu-hyung) as they hunt down Field Mouse’s true identity.
Ryu Jun-yeol said, “Compared to other projects, I received noticeably more messages than usual.” He continued, “The dominant reaction from those around me was, ‘I can’t go to work because of you.’ Many people said they stayed up all night watching it,” adding, “I felt a sense of pride knowing that the show lived up to its reputation as a ‘master of great endings.’”

He starred alongside Seol Kyung-gu, with whom he had worked at his former agency. Ryu Jun-yeol said, “Even though we had opportunities to work together while at the same agency, we couldn’t make it happen, but we were able to after I switched agencies. I even thought, ‘I guess I couldn’t do it before because I was meant to be in this project.’”
Ryu Jun-yeol recently moved to Galaxy Corporation. Various speculations arose, including rumors of a massive signing bonus. He stated, “It has nothing to do with a massive signing bonus.”
He continued, “I’ve also become interested in film distribution and production,” explaining, “There were many aspects that were difficult to handle on my own. Since my current agency produces a wide range of content, from variety shows to other productions, and has a well-established infrastructure, I felt I could actively seek their support.”
Ryu Jun-yeol also noted, “I’m actually working on scripts and attending meetings,” adding, “I don’t have any plans to direct yet. But I do have the ambition to bring together good concepts, ideas, staff, and actors to create the kind of movies I want to see.”

In *The Field Mouse*, Ryu Jun-yeol took on the challenge of playing dual roles for the first time in his filmography. “It wasn’t difficult despite the large amount of screen time,” he said, drawing attention by noting, “I remember having to change my makeup as many as four times.”
In portraying the two characters, Ryu Jun-yeol focused on “pacing.” He said, “I tried to distribute the emotions that any person should naturally have fairly between the two roles, but I aimed to express, choose, and decide on those emotions differently for each character.”
Regarding his collaboration with Park Yoon-ho, he shared a behind-the-scenes story: “On days when we weren’t filming, Yoon-ho would come by to ask me questions, and I’d also call him to ask things,” adding, “We even used digital effects to blend Yoon-ho’s and my voices together.”
For makeup, he reunited with the staff he had worked with on *Revelation*. Ryu Jun-yeol noted that he put a lot of effort into the makeup, saying, “I changed the shape of my ears and wore contact lenses with spots on the whites of my eyes.” He added, “This is something I had overlooked, but when I was playing the field mouse, the makeup team even removed the real moles on my face.”

“Field Mouse” is a story inspired by the folktale “The Field Mouse Who Ate Its Own Nails.” The premise—that someone has stolen a person’s entire life—added tension to the work. Moon Jae, played by Ryu Jun-yeol, had to constantly prove his very existence. How does Ryu Jun-yeol prove himself? He joked, “I’m in the process of establishing my identity, and once I’m done, I’ll let you know.”
He explained, “I find myself constantly pondering these things. Whether I’m holding a photo exhibition or working on a project, I feel like I’m constantly learning about what it means to be human,” adding, “I’m still doing my homework, and it never ends. Every time I do something, my thoughts change, and I find myself wanting to take back things I’ve said in the past—it’s a cycle that keeps repeating, but I’m finding my own answers along the way.”
Ryu Jun-yeol, who consistently takes on challenging roles, said, “The greatest compliment I’ve been receiving lately is, ‘I don’t think anyone else could have done that but you.’ I think that’s the kind of acting I’m striving for.”
He then fell deep in thought, adding, “I want to do what others can’t. I feel I have to approach it with the determination that it simply can’t be done by anyone but me.” Ryu Jun-yeol drew attention by adding, “I try not to do predictable or easy acting. If I did, there’d be no point in me working so hard, right? I make an effort to avoid taking the easy way out.”