[Sportschosun Reporter Jo Ji-young] Ryu Jun-yeol, 40, an actor who refuses to settle, has presented a new vision.
Ryu Jun-yeol, who plays Moon Jae—a man who loses everything overnight and has his identity stolen—in the Netflix series 'Mousetrap' (written by Lee Jae-gon and directed by Kim Hong-sun), met with Sportschosun on the morning of the 1st in Samcheong-dong, Jongno District, Seoul. He spoke about his return with 'Mousetrap' and the passion he poured into the project.
'Mousetrap' is a pursuit thriller about a novelist whose name, face, and entire life are stolen by a mysterious entity called Mousetrap; a loan shark trying to recover lost money; and a detective who pursue Mousetrap's identity. The series is based on the webtoon of the same name by artist Ludovico, which was inspired by the folktale 'The Rat That Eats Fingernails.' It offers fresh, immersive suspense by making the desperation of becoming a fake in a modern society, where proof of identity is paramount, the central driving force of its mystery.
The series is particularly notable for Ryu Jun-yeol's striking transformation. He takes on his first dual role since debut, playing both a reclusive novelist whose identity has been stolen and Mousetrap, the avenger who has swallowed his life. Through dense, nuanced acting, he portrays the protagonist's confused inner struggle as he fights to prove who he is.
Speaking about the reactions around him immediately after 'Mousetrap' was released, Ryu Jun-yeol stated, "Compared with my other projects, I received noticeably more calls from people around me. I was contacted directly a lot." He continued, "The dominant reaction was, 'I have to go to work, but I can't go to work because of you.' People said things like, 'I have to go to work tomorrow, so I forced myself to stop watching.' The reactions were very enthusiastic, and I also heard many people call it a place for great endings. I think this was a project where I could feel people's reactions directly. Fellow actors have also been contacting friends they hadn't spoken to in a while, or receiving DMs. They said, 'I watched you in it, and I was completely absorbed,' and 'I'm rooting for you.' My colleagues responded positively as well. Even when it's my own work, I tend to enjoy the parts where I don't appear. While watching 'Mousetrap,' everyone kept telling me, 'You must have worked so hard.' But I didn't think I had suffered that much or appeared that often, so those reactions felt fresh."
Reflecting on the original work, he said, "I was offered this project before the entire original story had been completed, so I was very curious about what would happen in the latter half. If a work only lays out clues and fails to resolve them, you can't make the project. The original was excellent, and it contained many of the stories I wanted to tell. I strongly felt its human story and the emotions we might have experienced in our own lives. Some people say that because it is different from the original, there's no need to watch it. But I felt I had to watch it out of curiosity before I could do the project. Of course, the ending of the original and 'Mousetrap' was different, but the original was truly enjoyable as well."
Discussing 'Mousetrap,' which deals with a man whose life has been stolen, he answered, "When you read books about philosophy, they pose the question, 'How should I define myself?' That aspect made me think a lot. I can't define myself simply as an actor, nor can I define myself as someone's son. When I tried to define who I am and stripped away the philosophical aspects as well as surface-level markers such as an ID card and a bank account, there was nothing left. There was fear in that. When I am no longer myself in this world, I feel a subtle sense of terror. Many people know me as an actor now, but if I stopped working on projects at some point, wouldn't they stop recognizing me as one? When I consider that, I think I keep asking myself how I should define who I am." He added, "Whether I'm holding a photo exhibition or working on a project, I feel that I continue learning through my work—what a human being is, what a person is, and what distinguishes us from animals. I still have homework, and I don't think it will ever be finished. Of course, there are times when I wish I could take back things I said in the past. I think I'm someone who is constantly learning."
He said, "These days, the greatest compliment I can imagine is, 'I don't think anyone but you could do it.' That's also the kind of acting I pursue. In that sense, I felt good when people praised my acting as 'naturalistic.' But as time goes by, when I ask myself why I should do a project, I find myself declining it if it is something someone else could do instead of me. I want to do things others cannot, and I still choose projects and act with that resolve. I don't think I should take an overly obvious or easy approach, so I try not to choose the easier path."
Ryu Jun-yeol also discussed working with Sul Kyung-gu for the first time through 'Mousetrap.' Ryu Jun-yeol and Sul Kyung-gu had built a close relationship after spending many years at their former agency, C-JeS Entertainment. Ryu Jun-yeol said, "When we began this project, both my agency and his had changed from our previous agencies. So we talked a bit about our agencies on set as well. Interestingly, there had been several opportunities for me to work with Sul Kyung-gu. Perhaps the timing simply wasn't right, because those opportunities never came through. But after we both changed agencies, I was able to meet Sul Kyung-gu in 'Mousetrap,' almost as if I had caught the last train. Sometimes I think we hadn't met until then because we were meant to meet through this project."
He expressed his affection, saying, "I learned a great deal from Sul Kyung-gu through this project. In fact, if we had met earlier, I might not have been able to learn as much. As I worked, my perspective broadened, and meeting him at this point allowed me to learn many sides of him as an actor and as a person." He continued, "Everyone on set likes Sul Kyung-gu. I know it's impossible for everyone in the public to like me, but I do hope that everyone on set will like me. I wanted everyone to be happy working with me and on the project, and I think I learned a lot about that through Sul Kyung-gu."
Ryu Jun-yeol, who signed an exclusive contract with physical AI entertainment-tech company Galaxy Corporation last July, also spoke about the change. Asked about joining Galaxy Corporation, known as the agency of BigBang member G-Dragon, he laughed and said, "To keep pace with the AI era." He continued, "I am making and loving a lot of Korean films right now, but as I worked on these projects, I also became interested in importing and distributing other good films from overseas. I have also become interested in producing Korean films. I had a lot of concerns in that area. Since last year, I've been going to theaters more diligently, and I've found many films I want to see, as well as other films I want to watch. That's probably why I recently started attending overseas film festivals. I'm learning by holding meetings for acquisitions and by having partners actually buy good films. As I became interested in production as well, I began looking for a place that could support me in that area, and I started talking with Galaxy Corporation. I felt it would be burdensome to establish a film company myself, but I thought Galaxy Corporation could help me. I am currently working on writing with the agency, learning through meetings with various people, and seeking advice from representatives of other production companies."
He added, "The huge signing bonus people talk about had nothing to do with my decision to choose an agency. Galaxy Corporation is actually doing a lot of production work and already has the infrastructure in place. I thought it could help me as I actively pursue production. It's not yet time to reveal the details, but a partner recently acquired a film, and we are preparing its distribution. I'm also considering a YouTube channel that introduces films, and the company is helping me with various aspects of the process."
Regarding his desire to direct, he said, "When I offer various ideas on set, directors sometimes ask me, 'Are you interested in directing too?' But I'm not interested in directing yet. I want to create good work by developing strong ideas and concepts, and I want to make the films I want to see." He continued, "I want to see good films in theaters often. I still watch films in theaters whenever I have the chance. Maybe it's because I majored in film, but I still want to make films and immerse myself in them. I experience many emotions when I meet different filmmakers at film festivals. Sitting in a theater gives me a strange feeling. I watch as many as five films a day. Sometimes I even fall asleep in the theater, but I feel happy even when I wake up from dozing off. Feeling that way made me think I should make films."
'Mousetrap' stars Ryu Jun-yeol, Sul Kyung-gu, and Lee Kyu-hyung. Lee Jae-gon, who wrote 'Special Affairs Team TEN' and 'A Model Family,' wrote the screenplay, while Kim Hong-sun, who directed 'Voice,' 'The Guest,' 'Money Heist: Korea – Joint Economic Area,' and 'Dear Hongrang,' directed the series.
Reporter Jo Ji-young soulhn1220@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
