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Kim
Jeong-hoon, second from left, stars in “Catch Me If You Can” along with other
leading stars, from left, Kyuhyun of Super Junior, musical theater veteran Um
Ki-joon, Key of SHINee and actor Park Kwang-hyun.
/ Courtesy of M Musical
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By
Kwaak Je-yup
There is plenty of running away involved in the story of
“Catch Me If You Can,” the musical based on the 2002 detective-chase film by
Steven Spielberg and opening today in Seoul as the first licensed show outside
the United States.
As one of the men who does most of the running and
dancing during the performance, Kim Jeong-hoon sounded genuinely impressed by
his character’s lifestyle, especially the panache his character, con artist
Frank Abagnale Jr., displays in full glory when dodging the police by assuming
several fake identities.
Kim, a former singer with the group U.N. and an
actor with a flourishing career here and abroad, even sounded envious at times,
though he denied it.
“He’s a crook, definitely,” he said in an interview
Friday, after the rehearsal. “But from a man’s perspective, he is a cool cat.
His life didn’t have a single dull moment. To live that dangerously, you need
guts and talent.”
And the 32-year-old found those two qualities to make
his musical theater debut. He alternates the role of Frank Jr. with musical
theater veteran Um Ki-joon, actor Park Kwang-hyun and K-pop idols Kyuhyun of
Super Junior and Key of SHINee.
Lee Gun-myung and Kim Beom-rae, seasoned
actors with extensive musical theater credits, play the detective. The role of
Frank’s love interest Brenda has gone to girl-group members Sunny (Girls’
Generation) and Dana (The Grace) as well as up-and-coming actress Choi
Woo-ri.
“Musical theater was never in my cards,” he said, adding that the
production team had approached him first months ago. “The rehearsals are long,
and I had many other projects running parallel to them.”
Since the end of
his two-year obligatory military service early last year, he has worked
non-stop, releasing an album and starring in a TV series in Japan. He is also
signed up for drama productions both in China and Korea this
year.
Because of the overlap in schedules, Kim joined the “Catch”
rehearsals around two weeks later than the rest of the cast.
“There were
times I wanted to run away by myself,” he said half-jokingly, “because I was
under so much pressure to do well.”
He likened the level of desperation
after the first run-through to “a student with 15 different tests in a week.”
Most of this stress, however, seemed self-imposed.
Even with the creative
team’s compliments, he was not satisfied, he said. He had to do
better.
“When I was doing military service, I had so much I wanted to
pursue. I’m doing that now,” he said, eyes on fire. “I don’t even have the
desire to date these days.”
Other wishes and aspirations will come back
once he achieves his goals, he claimed.
“I remember a line from a
Japanese film,” without citing its title, “that said, ‘You can succeed with luck
but you cannot fail because of it.’ ”
And the 32-year-old is betting his
fortune on his career wholeheartedly. Like Frank Jr. on stage, Kim sounded as if
he did not have a split second to waste, though looking conspicuously —
pitifully — tired. There did not seem to be one minute reserved for some rest or
even reflection.
The interview ended with him recalling such a moment,
once again back on an army base, where time was aplenty. He did not seem
100-percent sure of the meaning, but he recounted the experience with child-like
candor.
“I’m not much of a literary person,” he said, having instead
shown exceptional talent in mathematics and science during his years in school
and had been enrolled at Seoul National University before his career in
entertainment.
The jolt of inspiration struck one day when he was
stationed in Cheorlwon in Gangwon Province, observing a full moon.
“The
sun gives its all at all times and will explode in a few billion years, but the
moon just reflects that light without having to force it. It’s a really smart
way of living, isn’t it?
“I know it sounds corny now, but at that moment
it felt like science and philosophy were meeting at one point.”
The
musical “Catch Me If You Can” opens today at the Blue Square Samsung Card Hall
in Itaewon, central Seoul. It will run through June 10. Visit
www.catchmeifyoucan.co.kr for more information.
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