<#10LOGO#> No matter how skilled one may be, nothing beats being sincere. Don't you feel any pressure from the fact that you'll always be compared to when you did "Mozart!"?
Kim Junsu: I rather prefer that. I can take on "Elisabeth" because I did "Mozart!" I made it despite the hard times I was going through and I have not given up on musicals amidst the other activities I pursue. That's why I'm worried about pulling off my character well but don't feel any pressure about getting compared.

Kim Junsu [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

<#10LOGO#> I heard that Todd's appearance will be fancy.
Kim: I'll appear when six actors, playing characters called the angels of death, create an air of death. There'll also be a lot of lights, wires and bridges involved with my character because he's transcendental. I basically won't ever step on the first floor of the stage.

<#10LOGO#> You must be more used to hanging off wires than other actors since you've held a lot of major concerts.
Kim: I went on wires a few days ago but it was quite high up. [silence for three seconds] I'll just have to have faith. [all laugh] Thankfully, I'm not scared of heights and I'm used to it because I've been on them often but it's still scary. I think it's the same with Park Eun-tae too. [laughs]

<#10LOGO#> You'll make a brief appearance but play a character with many implications. I'm curious to how you went about playing him because there must be quite a gap between you and Ryu Jung-han and Song Chang-eui, cast to rotate your role, in terms of experience and acting.
Kim: If I had to describe myself, I'd say Hyde with a bit of sweetness added? But I haven't played such a role before so I'm sure it's hard for people to picture what I'll be like. And then there is no answer to what a transcendental presence should be like so in terms of that, I think I'll have more freedom. I think I'll be more active than the other actors, dancing more. We're Death so we can all give off different vibes and that's why we were told we don't necessarily have to wear the same hair or clothes.

<#10LOGO#> It's also a must that there's a homme fatale vibe about Todd because he's always seducing Sissi. [laughs]
Kim: I'm studying into him in my own way. [laughs] And my manager is worried I'll get hurt but I play soccer often. It has helped me lose weight, make my skin healthy and increase my physical strength. I also think my choreography will become the focus to my character.

<#10LOGO#> The public knows of you as a good singer so it doesn't quite hit me when you say that your dancing will be the focus to your character.
Kim: Since I was young, I've liked to both sing and dance. And when I was a trainee, there were some kids that were better than me at singing but I think I was the best at dancing. [laughs] When I was with SM and Japanese guests came over, they made some of the trainees that were good at singing and dancing perform for them and I did both. I could also imitate the dancing I saw on television, after about two to three times watching it, to a certain extent. I still like to dance. And I miss dancing on stage.

<#10LOGO#> Then how did you come to start singing?
Kim: My mom was great at singing so she influenced me a lot. At first, I think I wondered why other kids can't sing, rather than thinking that I'm good. [laughs] Since I was in elementary school, I sang even the Korean national anthem in Korean using vibration while everyone else sang like they were singing children's songs. So a lot of kids then said I sing like an old man. [laughs] Anyway, that's what I felt was cool but I don't know starting when I used vibration.

Kim Junsu [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

<#10LOGO#> But a lot of the time, vibration gets in the way for musicals. It must not be easy trying to find the balance between pop and musical numbers.
Kim: In musicals, lyrics are the lines so diction is extremely important. But with pop, singing your words accurately rather makes the song unfashionable so it becomes important to pronounce your words in a cool way. So I think the two are different from the start. We also use a lot of bending, where you push up notes, with pop songs but not with musicals. And you just use a lot of different methods to sing the two.

<#10LOGO#> Had you received vocal lessons when starting on musicals?
Kim: I've rehearsed with the musical director before but never received lessons. Yet I haven't been able to let go of the way I sing as a singer so I think it's limiting the roles I can play. And that's why I've been thinking that I should take lessons. Not doing something versus not being able to do something are different things.

<#10LOGO#> The reason I asked is because your low notes, which I thought were your weak spots when you worked on “Mozart!” and “Tears in Heaven,” have improved a lot.
Kim: The low notes to “Elisabeth” are actually lower than the ones in my previous works. I’m sure I had a hard time with some parts because I had always been strong with the high notes. But I think of a lot of things these days… how I’d sound as a singer versus a musical actor. And I’m in the process of getting to know about those.

<#10LOGO#> I’m sure that musicals have now become something that you don’t want to let go of since you had that much harder of a time getting a hold on them. And your strength lies in how you express your emotions through your singing. So will you work on your strength more or take up a new challenge?
Kim: Each production is appealing in its own way so I’d like to try all of them. [laughs] I still prefer sad endings. And the ones I worked on till now have been a bit like that too. What I’m really confident of being good at is something funny like “Guys and Dolls” [laughs] And I think that’s why I want to challenge myself with sad endings. But there are things you want to do but aren’t suited for while there are things you can do but don’t want to. I think that for now, what’s important is that I act in a way that the audience knows that I’m doing musicals because I really love them rather than focus on bringing out my strengths or take on new challenges.

<#10LOGO#> It seems that the members of your group found what's best for you amidst the hard time you were having.
Kim: It is tough. While other people have ten weapons, we're choosing from about two to three. And I think that's why we try harder when we have one. That's also what makes me try harder.

※ Any copying, republication or redistribution of 10Asia's content is expressly prohibited without prior consent of 10Asia. Copyright infringement is subject to criminal and civil penalties.

10 아시아 Reporter : Jang Kyung-Jin three@
10 아시아 Reporter : Choi Ji-Eun five@
10 아시아 Photographer : Lee Jin-hyuk eleven@
10 아시아 Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@
<ⓒ즐거움의 공장 "10 아시아" (10.asiae.co.kr) 무단전재 배포금지>