T.O.P for "W Magazine Korea: Running on Empty"
As I was looking at the synopsis, it reminded me of some other characters. Won Bin from <The Man from Nowhere> and Kang Dongwon from <Secret Reunion>.
They’re completely different from mine. The topic and the genre might have some similarities. A young man that was sent from North Korea could be similar to <Secret Reunion> and the action part of trying to save a girl could be similar to <The man from nowhere>. But if you think of it like that, you can make endless connections. You could even say that it’s similar to <Taken>. In similar topic, genre and setting, it’s up to the audience to evaluate how the story changes and how the director makes out the story. I tried to change the character’s characteristics a little and I wanted to show a character that wasn’t too South Korean. I chose the clothes and paid attention to even the tiniest details.
When I watched the trailer, you looked like a Hong Kong movie character. Young, beautiful but insecure and tragic.
You said it was hard to get out of the movie and many actors say that it’s hard to get out of a character after acting like an intense, emotional scene.
I suddenly became lethargic after the movie shooting ended so from January to May of this year, I didn’t do anything and I was lying in my bed the whole day. During the filming of the movie, I also had a BIGBANG world tour to do and the schedule was killing me. I filmed Monday through Thursday, staying up all night and then on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, I had to go overseas and do a concert and I would sleep in the planes and then get back on schedule again. I think I was mentally confused and my identity was being shaken back then.
In the morning I was filming scenes where I was killing people and I saw blood and then in the weekends I had to show a strong performance in front of thousands of people. The splendor of the stage, and the situation of falling in to a bottomless pit in the movie were crossing and it was so frustrating and I became sensitive. And when the world tour and the movie filming ended at the same time, I couldn’t do anything afterwards. I just stopped and sat down for a while.
Did time help you to get back on track?
I was lying in bed for 4~5 months and I felt like I would be ruined if I stayed like this. It was a time that I had to prepare for a solo album but I couldn’t think of anything and I couldn’t do anything at all. Slowly I forced myself to go outside and eat with people on the weekends and that’s when I started to really wake up. At that time, I could feel that I was turning into an unsociable person.
When people hear that a singer is acting and signing, they wouldn’t really think about all these difficulties.
One of the reasons why I don’t appear on lots of TV shows or release a bunch of songs at once is because I’m someone who has to focus solely on something that I’m working on. When I’m doing something, I work very hard and I dedicate everything. So after doing that, I am like worn out. When someone is completely worn out of energy I don’t think that his/her work, whether it’s music or a movie, will be energetic so there’s no point in working at that point. I think you should rest at times like this and that’s why I evaluate myself strictly.
Because it’s a job that shows yourself. But you can’t always stay in bed for 4~5 months every time you film a new movie (laughs). You’ll have to change the way if you continue to work as a singer and an actor or at least arrange the schedule.
Even when BIGBANG is resting and I have the time to film a movie, I can’t unless I have a movie that I like. So I have to sort of rely on fate and wait. Honestly, I’m kind of the dangerous type. When I’m deciding something, I go by my instincts. ‘Let’s choose this path because this is what I need now’, I don’t analyze and think like that.
I guess all singers who perform have those sides, but you look like you’re acting out a character called ‘TOP’ on stage. Isn’t it hard to show ‘TOP’ instead of showing your natural self?
I try to do that. I think you should do that. I think people will get easily sick of me if I show too much of myself. So I always think about change and I try to show the better ‘TOP’. It’s like a trick in a way.
You said you want to do teenage roles as much as you can. And is that because you didn’t get to enjoy a normal school life when you were a teenager since you were a trainee?
Not really. To be honest, I was a trainee for just 1 year. I went to YG a year before BIGBANG debuted and I was an underground rapper who performed at underground clubs since I was little. I was like a hyung who communicated with Jiyong and Taeyang in music. I don’t really obsess over teenage roles because I didn’t get to enjoy my youth but it’s like this. Rappers spend a lot of time sitting alone, thinking and writing lyrics. From that I was always insecure and unstable. My ego was too big and it was hard to handle it by myself. And that’s why I’m attracted to characters that are boys and have those insecurities. When someone who knows the power of that insecurity and the feelings acts out that character, it could transfer the tension to the audience more efficiently.
You said you want to act as a 20 year old in your thirties.
That was a joke (laughs). Now I want to dress and act as an old grandpa if I can. But I can’t so I don’t.
Do you have a different attitude now?
I try to control things a little more and I try to polish a little more. I think that’s what’s called skill. Instead of showing all the skills you have at once, cutting them and showing them well is what skill is. Everyone can do excessive things, and once you start doing something for too much, there’s no end to it. I have learned that so I tried hard not to do that.
That’s something you learn after many experiences and after undergoing trial and error, do you think you can apply that in acting as well?
Sometimes you can really see the skills of some great actors in movies. At the worst situation possible, their faces look emotionless, but they can make the audience feel the tension. Like that, I want to be someone who can control and play with the situation. I don’t want myself to go out of the screen towards the audience, but I want the audience to come towards the screen because they’re curious and they want to see ‘What is he thinking about?’ Like, I want to move people’s heart even by just acting normally and then stopping. In that angle, I could like scream or cry but I try to control it. So my favorite actor right now is Ryan Gosling. He doesn’t have many lines in the movie <Drive> but his controlled acting was very powerful.
Are you a pervert? Ah, just kidding.
I guess I have some perverted sides so that’s why I’m doing those kinds of work? But my sexual preferences are not like that at all. (Laughs)
There were many interviews you did with BIGBANG members but honestly you didn’t look that mature even though you were the oldest.
I try to stay more comfortable when I’m with my members. I think my members liked that better since they were little and since the atmosphere is filled with tension when we’re working, it really helps if someone jokes and tries to cheer everyone up. I think it’s good for the oldest to do that job.
I heard that BIGBANG is coming back soon.
It’s time to work on our new song but we still haven’t done that since we’re all so busy. The date is undecided.
Recently you featured in Diplo (Major lazer)’s song ‘Bubble Butt’…
Without any specific topic or a guide audio, they asked me to do whatever I want to do. Since I’m Korean, I always have that Korean pride whenever I go overseas to do something. Foreigners say that Korean sounds stiff but I wanted to show how sexy Korean rap could sound by writing the lyrics.
But to be honest, I’ve worked on that and finished that 2 years ago and it just came out.
I feel like you would have this thing where you want to do music when you act, and then you want to do acting when you do music.
I really do feel like that. The reason why I don’t get lazy is because when I’m working on music, I want to work on a movie and then when I’m working on a movie, I want to work on music… I think it’s that energy that changes every time. But sometimes I feel like I use that strength the wrong way.
They you must feel the need to be on stage as soon as possible.
I want to meet my fans with music as soon as possible.
I feel sorry for those who have been waiting and for those who had faith in my musical sides and my talents. So I want to prepare well and comeback like I’m giving a gift to them.
How are the other BIGBANG members doing now?
GD is busy as always doing many things and Taeyangie’s album is coming out soon. Daesungie also did many concerts in Japan and Seungri became the MC on a Japanese broadcasting channel. I think fans know more than I do about what my members are up to.
What are you interested in right now other than working?
There’s not really anything now. I used to collect art toys but I graduated from doing that. My mom said there’s nowhere to put them so she put them all in my storage room and told me to stop. I’ve liked collecting furnitures since long time ago and I’ll keep collecting them. I really like the modern chairs of the 60s designed by Antonio Citerrio, an Italian industrial designer. I like it because it looks brave and bold. I think it gives me inspiration. It’s like BIGBANG. It reminds me of young BIGBANG’s brave, bold characteristics and I try to get inspirations from it. I also try to get energy from it. I think I graduated from Ettore Sottsass’ style. I like something that’s more classy now. Long time ago, I used to want to try many different fashion styles but I kind of ended up wearing them for only once or twice. So I think it’s a common change for people in their thirties to go back to the basics and wear something simple. I guess the age thirty is approaching me now. I think it’s because I’m the type that gets sick of things easily. When I like something, I see the end of it and that’s why I get sick of it so easily.
In <71: Into the Fire>, you had an opposing character to Kwon Sangwoo’s and it worked out well for both of you guys. In this movie, how was it to work with other actors?
I think we all had positive relationships. Every actor in this movie has a similar amount of scenes where they meet with me. The biggest pathos of the movie will be my relationship with Yoo Jeong but the amount of scenes I meet with Yoo Jeong in the movie is the same as the amount of scenes I meet senior Yoon Jemoon, so it’s not too much or too less but unique. But it was a hard to act out the character since the character had to form an ensemble with all the other actors. When I’m with different actors, the different sides of the character show. I think it’ll especially be good on the scenes where I’m with Han Yeri.
You said you’ll go back to basics and stay classy with fashion but are you going to stop tying out new bold hair colors?
I want the fit of my clothes and the style to be classic but I’m going to go for more primary colors for my hair. Just like my hair,
I want to look young and sophisticated while being classic instead of looking too neat and tidy. I think I came to not really like avant-garde fashion style.
Favorite designers are?
I like Tomford. I love Saint Laurent but I don’t think it suits my body type. I think Hedi Slimane is good too but I really loved the designer Yves Saing Laurent. When I become an old granpa in the future, I want to be someone like Laurent. I want to play a specific role for public culture and I want to be left in people’s memories.
TOP you work so hard. I will patiently await your movie and expect your album whenever it may release
But seriously 4-5 months of doing nothing. nnnn
