[Edaily Starin Gim Ga Yeong Reporter] “Nude scenes and bed scenes are bound to be a burden. However, I was able to find the courage through the project itself and my conversations with Director Jeong Ji-woo.”

Actor Ji Chang-wook opened up about the Netflix Original series “Scandal,” which premiered on the 19th. In an interview held on the afternoon of the 22nd at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Ji Chang-wook said, “I think bed scenes are something that inevitably make actors nervous and sensitive,” adding, “There was a subtle tension, but working with Nana, we naturally built a bond, and I think that helped.”
Ji Chang-wook is a leading global star with a broad fan base. He may have been concerned about how fans would react while filming explicit scenes. However, he demonstrated a serious attitude toward his work, stating, “I don’t know how fans will judge it, but I don’t think it’s the right attitude toward a project to prioritize my fans first.” He continued, “If I were to think, ‘Fans like this, so I have to do it this way,’ and act intentionally based on that, I believe that would actually be a bad attitude.”
He revealed that he didn’t focus heavily on his appearance for the nude scenes, saying, “I don’t think I did any special workouts or anything like that just because there were nude scenes. I personally wondered, ‘If my body looked good in the nude scenes, would that have matched the tone of this project?’ and I think I gave it a lot of thought.”
“Scandal” tells the story of a daring and dangerous love wager between “Lady Jo”—a woman with exceptional talent who feels confined by her role as a woman in the Joseon Dynasty—and “Jo Won,” the greatest womanizer in Joseon, as well as the story of “Hee-yeon,” a woman entangled in that wager. It is a series remake of the 2003 film *Scandal: The Passion of Joseon Men and Women*, starring Jeon Do-yeon, Bae Yong-joon, and Lee Mi-sook.
Regarding the fact that the series is based on the original “Scandal,” he stated, “Since such outstanding senior actors had already portrayed these roles, I knew comparisons were inevitable,” adding, “I thought I should just create a work and character that are uniquely Jeong Ji-woo’s and Ji Chang-wook’s.”
Through this process, Ji Chang-wook created his own version of Jo Won—a character entirely different from the one portrayed by Bae Yong-joon in the 2003 “Scandal.” He revealed, “I think Jo Won was a complex character,” adding, “When developing the character, I started with the idea of a man who loves two women. Since he was such a complex character, I decided it was worth the effort.”
He continued, “I tried very hard to understand Jo Won’s inner world,” adding, “Even during filming, the emotions that arose in each moment were different from those I felt when I turned away. I don’t think I approached my acting with a predetermined ‘right answer.’ There were moments in each scene where I felt like I’d ‘cleared a mission,’ and other times when my emotions wavered in an instant—‘Scandal’ is the final product that emerged from editing all those various elements together.” He remarked, “Watching the show, I find myself feeling things I’ve never felt before,” adding, “It’s a work that leaves a lot of room for interpretation, and it’s difficult to express my feelings about it in just one sentence.”
He also shared his impressions of the actors he worked with. Regarding Nana, he revealed, “Rather than giving advice, I think I focused a lot on encouraging her as a colleague and helping her find the strength to carry on,” adding, “The same goes for Senior Son Ye-jin, and Director Jeong Ji-woo also thought deeply about how he could inspire my partner on set.” He continued, “I tried to create a gentle atmosphere on set so that Nana could feel at ease, and I’d occasionally make lighthearted, trivial remarks to help her focus on her emotions.”
Speaking about his co-star Nana, he said, “She’s an actress with incredibly instinctive, animal-like intuition. She’s someone for whom emotion is paramount. Nana’s acting is truly fascinating. She seems to be the kind of actress who wants to explore and portray the essence of things.” He added, “This is just my personal opinion, but I worked hard to find authenticity in this project.”
His chemistry with Son Ye-jin was another highlight to watch for. As their love line was teased, netizens even joked about “the whole nation watching Hyun Bin’s every move.” He quipped, “I wasn’t watching Senior Hyun Bin’s every move. My only crime was loving Mrs. Jo.”
He continued, “The very fact that I was working with Son Ye-jin created a bit of tension. I thought the drama would turn out best if our confrontations were well-defined, so I prepared meticulously to ensure I wouldn’t be outdone by her.”
He continued, “On set, my approach with Son Ye-jin was different from how I interacted with Nana. The scenes with Mrs. Jo were all long takes, but the director prefers to shoot them in one go,” adding, “So I felt I had to stay focused and prepare thoroughly. It was a nerve-wracking set.”
Since its release, *Scandal* has been gaining popularity, ranking No. 1 in South Korea’s Top 10 and No. 7 globally (according to Netflix and FlixPatrol), but it has also been met with harsh criticism. “I can’t help but feel some regret,” he said. “Receiving harsh criticism is both sad and regrettable. I can’t exactly enjoy the negative reviews,” he continued. “However, these are reactions I had anticipated. “I don’t think it’s a project that will receive nothing but praise, but it was worth the effort. It was a project worth trying, and personally, I really loved it. I’d like to believe it wasn’t the wrong choice,” he said, expressing his affection for the project.