Yoon Shi-yoon on K-drama Train and alternate universes

If you’ve been keeping up with Korean dramas, you’d know that apart from the recently-concluded It’s Okay To Not Be Okay, there’s another drama airing in the same period that also looks promising: Train.

The K-drama, starring Yoon Shi-yoon, follows his character as a detective who gets embroiled in the string of murders across universes. Sounds confusing? You might get confused while watching the first episodes, but it’s so engaging that you’ll keep coming back for more.

In fact, the drama already started serving plot twists in the first two episodes, so you know you’re in for a ride.

CLEO managed to get some time from the lead actor, Yoon Shi-yoon, who acts as Seo Do-won, for an email interview to find out about the drama, how he has grown as an actor and what he would do if he met his other self in an alternative universe.

1. Both Psychopath's Diary and Train are crime/detective shows. Aren't you worried about working on too similar a genre back-to-back? 

As the genre of crime is a universal genre, I don’t think both would come across as similar. Despite the genres being the same, the method of approach is different.

Psychopath’s Diary was about an ordinary civilian who got mistaken as a murder, while Train is about the unravelling of the truth behind a serial murder case through the crossing of universes. Because of that, I don’t think both will give off a similar feeling to the audience.

2. You act as a detective in the drama. If you were a detective in real life, what kind of detective do you think you'll be?

It probably would be a detective who lives up to his principles because justice holds power among the rules set by the majority. I guess I would put my job aside and carry out justice if mandatory evil social rules exist.

3. It's been slightly more than 10 years since you debuted. What has been the biggest lesson you've learnt from your years as an actor? 

The production will never be in control of the actor’s hands. It is an art pieced together by the combined efforts of everyone. Due to that, I have to respect and trust the others and divide our responsibilities and burdens among each other. That is the more beautiful lesson I have learned.

4. Looking back, do you ever think you moved from a supporting role to a lead role too fast? 

Since everything happened so fast, I have always been an unsteady lead role. I have always been putting in effort to become an actor right for his (lead) role and even now, it is still the biggest thing I have to work on in my career as an actor.

5. Has your attitude towards acting changed since you were discharged from the army? 

What changed for me was my fear of taking on new challenges. When it comes to selecting a production to be part of, as long as there is one good thing I see about it, all other risks wouldn’t matter to me and I will take it up. That is a part of my mind that has changed.

6. Train is about crossing universes. What was your first thought when you read the scenario? 

It was a very smart and meticulous drama. Once we get pass the first half of the drama, which features a serial murder that was accomplished by using simple tricks, we can see that clues about the case exists in the parallel word and there are mysterious elements that connect them together.

It was a pretty fresh and unique memory for me.

7. The concept of crossing universes is common in comics like DC. Were you aware of this whole multiverse concept and did you do anything to prepare for the role? 

I feel that in order to have a good grasp of a multiverse concept, it is important to focus on the concept of each universe separately. That is because when one crosses to another universe and chaos befall, they have to be fully immersed in their own universes.

8. If you met a version of yourself in an alternate universe, what would you say to him? 

It is basically what I would like to say to myself now: “Press on and don’t give up. I’ll always have your back.”

9. What was your chemistry like with Kyung Soo-jin? Did you do anything together to prepare for the role? 

We did take some time of our own during our day-offs to practise our lines together. I am always thankful for how she would always take time off for me and she really is a unique actress. Also, for someone like me who has a lot of passion for acting, she was a partner who was strong in camaraderie.

10. When you're filming a drama, do you read people's comments on how the reception is like? How do you deal with negative comments? 

I gain strength from the fans’ one-way support. There are also viewers out there who have a difficult time understanding the content of the drama and while reading the comments they have left, I told myself that I have to do much better at expressing my character and such harsh reminders have humbled me.

Catch the finale of Train on Viu on Aug 16 and 17!

This article was first published in CLEO Singapore.