Moon Sang Min, currently starring in the Coupang Play original series Cinderella at 2 AM,’ recently participated in a roundtable interview in Seoul, where he discussed his latest work and shared various insights into his acting journey.
Cinderella at 2 AM, directed by Seo Min-jung, is an office romantic comedy that follows the story of a highly capable and realistic woman who decides to break up with a seemingly perfect chaebol man. In the drama, Moon portrays Seo Joo-won, an employee on the AL Card brand marketing team and the son of the AL Card president.
During the interview, Moon Sang Min expressed his gratitude for being offered the role in Cinderella at 2 AM, despite not having planned to take on another romantic comedy so soon after his previous work on tvN’s Wedding Impossible. He revealed that he was initially drawn to the script and enjoyed it immensely, leading him to accept the role even though he hadn’t intended to appear in back-to-back romantic comedies.
He shared, “I’m grateful that I was offered a role. I really enjoyed the script, and I didn’t intend to do two romantic comedies in a row, but somehow I ended up doing them.”
Moon Sang Min also discussed his approach to character development in the series. He mentioned that he didn’t focus on building his character, Seo Joo-won, from the very beginning but instead chose to develop him scene by scene, in line with the script. He noted that the development of the first episode felt fast-paced, but he believed the story needed to be convincing.
“I approached (Shin Hyun-bin) a lot, but I thought that the development of the first episode was too fast. But I also thought that it had to be convincing, so I tried to change the new employee, Joo-won who was notified of a breakup, and Joo-won, the headquarters manager,” he explained.
Reflecting on his preparation for the role, Moon mentioned that he referred to the original webtoon after being cast in the drama. He wanted to familiarize himself with the drawing style and key scenes to better understand the character and the story’s tone.
He said, “I wanted to see the drawing style in the webtoon, but as I looked at it, the key scenes and exciting scenes were better implemented when I saw them in the drawings. I thought, ‘This is an important scene,’ so I decided to do a good job with that scene.”
Despite the four-year age gap between their characters in the drama and a 14-year age difference in real life, Moon Sang-min and his co-star, Shin Hyun-bin, did not find the age difference to be a significant factor in their on-screen chemistry. Moon humorously addressed this by asking the reporters, “I don’t seem to give off a youthful vibe, do I?” He then added, “I like talking to my older brothers and sisters. And I can talk well with people of my mother and father’s generation.”
In addition to his character preparation, Moon shared that he found inspiration from other romantic comedies. He expressed his enjoyment of Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha and confessed that he cried while watching the final episode of What’s Wrong with Secretary Kim. He also mentioned that Park Seo Jun, a senior actor at his agency, didn’t directly give him advice but suggested watching clips from his acting scenes, which Moon found helpful.
He noted that director Park Joon-hwa, who was involved in the creation of Cinderella at 2 AM, recommended that he observe Park Seo Jun’s acting for inspiration. “In the case of senior Lee Jun Ho of King the Land, my mother is such a fan that I naturally watched it,” he shared, adding a humorous anecdote, “I asked her if our drama is good, and I think my mother found it fun. However, she is definitely not someone who would say that I am cooler than senior Lee Jun Ho,” which elicited laughter from those present.
Moon Sang Min also spoke fondly of his relationship with Yoon Park, who plays his brother in the drama. He described Yoon Park as someone with bright energy who reached out to him first, making their interactions on set more comfortable and enjoyable. Moon shared that they bonded over their mutual love for baseball, which served as an icebreaker before filming.
“Hyung has such bright energy. I’m so thankful that he approached me first, so we went to the baseball stadium together, and he keeps in touch with me a lot, and we live close by, so we see each other often. He approached me much more often, so it was comfortable when we filmed, and I was happy when he said that our chemistry was good,” Moon recalled.
He also expressed his enthusiasm for baseball, stating, “Before filming, we didn’t talk about anything related to the work, but only talked about baseball, and that was an icebreaker,” adding with a smile, “My brother and I both love baseball, and we are all LG Twins fans. If you call, I would be willing to throw the first pitch.”
Reflecting on his rising stardom following the success of the 2022 drama Under The Queen’s Umbrella, Moon Sang Min noted that while his life hasn’t changed drastically, he often contemplates whether his mindset has remained the same since he first started acting.
He admitted, “It doesn’t seem like much has changed since then, but time flies so fast. That’s why I sometimes wonder if my mindset is the same now as when I first started. I think looking back on myself is the hardest.”
Moon shared that he revisits his past works to gain new perspectives on his growth as an actor, saying, “I watch the works I’ve done before. When I face my old self, I see a side of me that I haven’t seen before and it brings back memories. I think it’s a really good method.”
Regarding the lower-than-expected viewership ratings for some of his recent projects, Moon expressed a sense of personal responsibility rather than disappointment over the ratings themselves. “Ratings and reactions aren’t the top priority, and I feel regretful about myself. It’s regrettable that I only feel that way after finishing a project. I think it’s homework that I have to continuously work on in that regard,” he reflected. “I think I have to accept feedback and grow, so I’m trying to do that.”
Looking ahead, Moon hinted at showing a different side of himself in the upcoming movie which contrasts with the roles he has taken on so far. As for Cinderella at 2 AM, he teased that the introduction of Lee Hyun Woo’s character will bring a new dynamic to the story, particularly with the love triangle and Seo Joo-won’s cute jealousy.
He encouraged viewers to pay attention to this development, saying, “A love triangle is drawn with the appearance of senior Lee Hyun Woo, and Joo-won’s jealousy is cute, and I think the story gains strength as senior Hyun-woo’s mysterious past is revealed. I hope you watch that part well.”
Cinderella at 2 AM airs on Coupang Play every Saturday and Sunday at 9 PM, with an additional broadcast on Channel A 20 minutes later at 9:20 PM.
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