Jin Sun-kyu plays Sato Shinichi, the Political Affairs Director-General of the Government-General of Korea, in the tvN drama ‘100 Days of Lies.’
The goal he mentioned was to create an impression different from Wi Seol-rak in ‘The Outlaws.’
How he prepared his Japanese and the character’s desires for the new role is a key point of interest in this work.
3-Line Summary
1. Jin Sun-kyu plays the role of Sato Shinichi.
2. He memorized the script for two months in Japan.
3. He stated that he would not glorify the villain.
Sato Shinichi, Both Adoptive Father and Political Affairs Director-General
Jin Sun-kyu introduced the role of Sato Shinichi at the production presentation for ‘100 Days of Lies’ held on September 29. Sato Shinichi is the adoptive father of interpreter Sato Hideo, played by Park Jin-young, and is a character established as the Political Affairs Director-General of the Government-General of Korea.
According to a Newsis report, this character is an ambitious man who will do anything to gain recognition, overcoming the limitation of his status as a Japanese man born in Joseon. In the drama, he is also a target of assassination by the anti-Japanese organization Gukgukdan, placing him on the opposing side of the operations carried out by the protagonists.
Set in Gyeongseong during the Japanese occupation in 1932, the drama is a spy romance about a pickpocket who becomes a spy for an anti-Japanese organization and an interpreter for the Government-General of Korea. Sato Shinichi was presented as a character who drives not only the conflict surrounding the relationship between the two figures but also the tension of the work.
“I Wanted to Erase Wi Seol-rak a Little”
Jin Sun-kyu said that, when beginning the work, he “wanted to erase a little” the image of Wi Seol-rak from ‘The Outlaws’ attached to him. He also stated that he developed the role of Sato Shinichi through many conversations with the director.
The core of the character, as he explained it, lies in the direction of his desires. He said that Shinichi’s attitude—wanting to gain recognition through wartime circumstances and the weak—was difficult to understand. Therefore, he said he viewed the character as an unforgivable villain and made no effort to glorify him.
This statement reflects the actor’s interpretation that Sato Shinichi will be portrayed not simply as a powerful antagonist, but as a character whose desire for recognition emerges in a distorted form. However, this was the acting direction he described at the production presentation, and the expression in the actual broadcast can be confirmed after the first episode airs.
Two Months in Japan and 7 Hours of Script Practice a Day
Jin Sun-kyu stated that he stayed in Japan for two months starting in January in order to portray the character’s Japanese background. Carrying the script for 12 episodes, he memorized it for 7 hours a day, explaining that he felt it would be difficult to keep up with the role without doing so.
Starting without even knowing hiragana or katakana, he took video lessons with Japanese language teachers and practiced to learn the speech patterns of Japanese people. In other words, he placed the linguistic expressions required by the work’s period and character settings at the center of his role preparation.
‘100 Days of Lies’ was produced as a 16-episode series, with its first broadcast scheduled for 10:10 p.m. on October 10. For Jin Sun-kyu, the work involves both breaking away from the strong impression left by his previous role and convincingly portraying the villain Sato Shinichi without glorifying him.
References
Tags #JinSun-kyu #100DaysofLies #SatoShinichi #tvNDrama #KimYou-jung #ParkJin-young #DirectorYooIn-sik #TheOutlaws #WiSeol-rak #SpyRomance #JapaneseOccupationDrama #DramaProductionPresentation