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'PASSION' CAST HAS AN INTERVIEW WITH SCOOPS! POST PRODUCTION
[TUNE IN TO HEAR ALL YOUR BURNING QUESTIONS ABOUT YOUR FAVORITE ACTORS ANSWERED]
The interviewer smiled broadly, welcoming the eight actors on stage with a wave of her hand. The camera was already live-streaming; it had been from the moment she had stepped on stage to introduce them as the main cast and characters of the 'Passion' series. 1k to 2k, 2k to 40k, the numbers kept increasing exponentially with every second the camera was recording. The live stream chat feature was blowing up as well, with messages ranging from loving cheers to lewd fawning.
Ilay and Taeui sat first, on the chairs furthest left; then Jaeui and Rahman, Xinlu and Yuri, and finally Christoph and Richard, on the furthest right. Adjacent to them, on the right side of the stage, was the interviewer.
"What a pleasure it is to have you guys in our studio today!" She began, then turning to the camera as she continued, "And welcome back our lovely viewers to another fresh Scoop!"
"Well, to begin, and my, it's quite a strong beginning, we'll go straight to your fans' most asked questions!" she said, rifling through a box with folded papers to pick the kick-off query. Giving a triumphant exclamation, she pulled out one and read it.
"So Richard, one of the fans' major questions for you is, what is it like playing such a diabolical character?"
Richard smiled awkwardly, straightening up in his chair. "Well, it was definitely a struggle at first, after all, trying to fit a personality that's the opposite of yours is always a challenge. But over time, especially as I kept reading the novel, I think I began to understand the intricacies of acting that way. I'm not entirely sure how to explain it, but I most certainly need to take a moment for myself in particular scenes to stay in character."
Chris suddenly burst out laughing at this, drawing attention to himself as he snorted, "That's downplaying it, didn't I catch you literally ripping out all of your character's pages from the script and burning them?"
"Oh, yes! I remember that!" Taeui chimed in, giggling as well. It had been quite a surprise to him; he hadn't been in the industry for long, but to see a respected sunbae defame the script so fiercely came as a shock. Then again, if you were stuck playing a manipulative, conniving asshole, who wouldn't take such drastic measures?
The interviewer chuckled at the cast's antics before turning her focus to Taeui. "So, Taeui? What's it like working with these actors, and even your own brother?"
Ah. There it was. The subtle shot at the rumours of nepotism floating in the media channels. Taeui didn't blink twice at the jab, instead leaning in as if sharing a secret with the audience to whisper, "It's actually a nightmare. I woke up yesterday to Christoph and Jaeui trying to salvage some lamp they dropped in the hotel room while Xinlu was casting Harry Potter spells on it...I don't know what was up with that."
Cheeks flushed from embarrassment, Xinlu reached over and slapped Taeui on the head, groaning as he spoke, "I gave you my last Pocky box, and this is how you thank me?"
Taeui merely beamed at him with that ridiculous sunshine smile that the entire staff, cast, and fans were in love with, before replying a little more seriously to the question. "No, it's quite wonderful to be honest. They've been extremely kind to me the whole time, and I appreciate it a lot."
"Now that's more like it, Taeui, you out me again and I'll never share my snacks with you."
"It seems there's a lot of camaraderie on and off set. The fans are curious, have there ever been moments where you clash?"
A low growl escaped from Jaeui's throat as he slammed his fist down on the armrest and pointed accusingly at Ilay, "Oh yes, there has. So Rick...if I ask you live on TV, will you finally tell me where the hell you put my 1669 edition of Paradise Lost?"
"Ha, Jaeui, I would just love to, but for the nth time, I didn't take it! You need to swallow that ego of yours and accept that you lost it. Personally, I could never; mine is safe back in Berlin." Ilay shot back, narrowing his eyes.
"Oh, haha, that's hilarious, you don't say...Paradise Lost, huh? Uhm, hyung, I may or may not have borrowed that...." Taeui sheepishly admitted, rubbing his nape. "I didn't realise you wanted it back," he continued, mumbling under his breath.
Jaeui immediately tore his eyes away from Ilay, glare softening into mild surprise as he registered what his brother just said. "...You...had it...?"
"Sorry, Ilay, I didn't realise, otherwise I would've said something earlier."
"No, Taeui, it's not your fault; it looks like your brother needed a little bit of humbling. Getting cocky after working with me for so long? My, my, Jeong Jaeui, I expected more from you," he teased, narrowly dodging the cushion thrown at him.
The rest of the cast and staff, witnessing the little tiff, could hardly hold back their amused laughter, especially as Taeui skeptically glanced between the two, his movement in sync with Christoph. Fans, viewers, and really anyone with access to the internet were all aware of the ongoing rivalry between Ilay and Jaeui; some actors forced to sit through interviews without getting a single word in through the non-stop bickering.
It had stopped being concerning around 2 years into their careers and had merely become another source of entertainment. One of which Xinlu, Yuri, Taeui, Rahman, Richard and Christoph were all subjected to, even in their after-hours.
Only after a pinch to their ears from Rahman and Taeui, respectively, did Jaeui and Ilay shut up. The interviewer smiled, nodding her head towards the couples seated next to each other. "Has there ever been difficulty acting with your partner? Considering the amount of chemistry you all have on set, your fans have never once stopped to question it."
Xinlu patted Yuri's leg, coolly smiling in response, "I think when there's mutual respect, it definitely makes the job easier. Of course, it helps when you are friends in real life since there's already established trust and comfort."
The others nodded, agreeing with the professional words, all while exchanging small smiles with each other. Well, there was much more than just friendship in said relationships, but there was no need to mention that.
"Alright, well, next question is for you, Rahman," she began, unfolding the paper, then added, "Oh, and you, Taeui! Let's see...it's clear that Jaeui and Rick have their own rivalry, but do you two have a similar kind of conflict that mirrors your characters?"
Rahman, for the first time in the interview, spoke up with a warm, fond kind of tonality. "Not at all. Taeui's one of the most endearing rookies I've ever worked with; he reminds me of my little brother, to be honest."
"Yeah! Rahman is super sweet to me. I wish I could trade Jaeui for him." Taeui joked, evading the rough punch Jaeui tossed.
"What the hell, Taeui! What'd I do??"
Taeui sniffled, a faux sulk stuck to his lips like taffy, "When you take me out for random lunch hangouts and buy me beer, we can talk."
The interviewer nodded apprehensively while digging out the last question. "Last one, guys!" She turned to the camera and brandished the crisply folded paper.
"Hmm, perfect, this is directed to all of you. In all your time of 'Passion', have you ever felt any kind of more-than friendship feeling towards a fellow cast member?"
Taeui's hand shot up as he closed his eyes and nodded gravely, as if confessing a sin. "I fell in love with Chris at first sight; he's too beautiful for his own good."
"Oh, Taeui, I'm in love with you too!" Chris grinned, playing along, even reaching out from the other side to him.
The rest of them merely rolled their eyes, used to the usual larks.
"Alright, then, as much as we would adore seeing your admission of love, time is unfortunately up. It has been my greatest pleasure getting to interview you guys, and we hope to see you soon with more 'Passion' content."
"Goodbye!" they all sang, waving to the camera.