Seoul — K-drama fans all over the world took notice of Tang Jun Sang when he starred in last year’s hit series Crash Landing On You. It was then revealed that Tang’s father is a Malaysian. Tang told Korean media that his father is Malaysian Chinese while his mother is a Korean born in a multi-cultural family. Fans can look forward to the 17-year-old’s latest appearance in the 10-episode Netflix series Move To Heaven, alongside popular actor Lee Je-hoon (currently starring in Taxi Driver).
Move To Heaven is set to premiere on May 14. It is a heartwarming drama about Geu-ru (Tang) – a young man with Asperger’s syndrome – and ex-convict Sang-gu (Lee) who ends up as Geu-ru’s guardian. The two of them must find a way to co-exist as a family and work as “trauma cleaners” — people who clear out the last possessions of a person who had died alone, reported The Star.
Tang spoke to StarLifestyle during a virtual press conference held in South Korea. He said he discussed with director Kim Sung-ho and writer Yoon Ji-ryun how to play the complex character Geu-ru. Tang explained: “Geu-ru has difficulties in showing emotions. He experiences different emotions, but he’s unable to express them.”
Tang watched K-drama Good Doctor, which had actor Joo Won playing a doctor with autism, to get a better understanding of how to portray Geu-ru. Director Kim and actor Lee took the opportunity to share why they think Tang is a brilliant actor.
Referring to a five-minute scene in the series where Geu-ru names all the aquatic animals in a public aquarium, director Kim said: “He made no mistake and we filmed that scene in just one take. He is a genius actor.”
Lee concurred: “The lines were long and difficult. If it was me, I don’t think I could have done it. When I saw Jun-sang doing it, I was in awe.”
Speaking about Tang, Lee said: “I was really looking forward to working with him because I saw his other work and thought he’s a very good actor although he’s so young.
“I knew we would make a good team and he would be a good acting partner. And that really was the case, ” said Lee, 36.
Tang shared that he felt honoured and happy to be cast in a leading role in a series despite it not being an easy character to play.
“I did feel a little bit of pressure,” confessed Tang.
“But when we were filming, I learned a lot from Lee Je-hoon and I had conversations with (co-star) Hong Seung-hee, so I could let go of that pressure.”
Tang said: “I learned a lot from shooting Move To Heaven, and felt there was a personal growth.”/TISG