An interview with Dan Davis - Golden Bridge / Song Chang UI

It all started when we got an email from a Youtube user asking if we know which scenes Vick was in, so he can send links from a site in English to his family back home so they can watch his scenes in ‘Golden Bride’. What caught our eyes was when he mentioned “I actually played that role.” It’s good to have a Yo[u]tube account sometimes. And so the rest is history as we present to you Bimbibap interview with Dan Davis…

1. How did you get the role of Vick in ‘Golden Bride’?

I work for a foreign casting agency and they sent me to do the role, but first I translated the script and met Junoo to teach him his lines in English. Initially it was only a 1-time role, but they liked me so much that they asked me to keep coming out! I was honored and surprised at the same time~

2. Are you in Korea to pursue an acting career?

Yes, I initially came as an exchange student to Korea University when I did an audition for the movie My Father. I took the next semester off and signed with a casting agency, intending to just shoot the movie and go home, but I really enjoy living in Korea and can make a living off acting for now so I plan on going as far as I can.

3. Golden Bride is a successful drama holding 2nd & 3rd position in the rating most of the time. What has it done for your own fame?

It’s the biggest role I’ve had so far and I had a great time shooting it. As for fame… usually people don’t recognize me from the show unless I tell them first, but my friends always call me to tell me how I did. I think I have a long way to go before being called famous!

There is a group of us trying to write a GB season 2: fan fiction, would you like us to incorporate so you finally get to have a girlfriend. Would you like a Korean, Vietnamese or Westerner? 

Hahaha, in real life I tend to only date Korean girls. I think it would be fun if Vick followed in Junoo’s footsteps and dated a Vietnamese girl though.

4. You mentioned that you came as an exchanged student. Why Korea? Could your roots be half Korean just like it is with Daniel Henny and Dennis Oh? You mentioned that your friends told you how you did in the drama, can you share with us some comments they made on your performance?

Initially I learned Korean in the military but never got a chance to go to Korea. After I got out I went on vacation and really enjoyed it, so while I was attending college in Buffalo, NY I decided to go to Korea University as an exchange student. While attending classes there my friend set me up for an audition for the movie My Father and when I heard that I got the role of Andrew I decided to try acting instead of returning home right away. I’ve been here ever since and have lots of close friends that are like family, but none of my ancestors are from Asia. Usually my friends tell me that seeing me on TV is like hanging out with me, so I guess that means I come across naturally on screen. One time one friend said “Hey, you work at an investment company? I thought you were an actor or something?” so I told him “Do you really think Johnny Depp is a pirate?”

5. How simliar or different is your own personality with your character Vick? You mentioned you normally date Korean women, is there any particular quality you like about them? You know Jin Joo and In Kyung (Vick’s colleague that fancied Jun Woo), between these two women who would you have pick?

Honestly, Vick and I have very similar personalities. I’m very confident and like to joke around and keep a light atmosphere at work, so long as everything gets done. As for Korean girls it’s hard to pinpoint what it is I like so much about them, they just have a lot more charm to me than Western girls. Inkyoung (Hyunju) is probably the most stunningly beautiful girl I’ve ever met in person so part of me would say I would date her, but the other part of me would say she’s out of my league.

6. We first notice that you gave Jin Joo the definition of ‘Kid Wife’ which ended in Jun Woo calling Jin Joo ‘Kid President’ when she finally established her rice cake business, what is your best scene or line from Golden Bride?

I think my best line was when I handed him a coffee and asked why he looked so serious. I don’t remember which episode it was, but it was shot in the C&P hallway. Junwoo would often say “Let’s practice our lines” and start right from his, whether my line was first or not. That day when I arrived he did just that, then looked back down at his script when I said the first line, teasing him for skipping my line. But then he started explaining the situation behind it when I stopped him and said “I was just rehearsing my first line, bro” to which he was surprised and said “What? Why did you say it so naturally? I thought you were asking for real!” That made me feel really good about myself as an actor.

7. I did a dipstick of you from our pool of commentors and I got the majority line saying that ‘he is cute’. Do you get that comment of you a lot? How would you describe your appearance?

Well, by American standards I’m ‘pretty average looking’, but by Korean standards I’m ‘really cute’. Of course I like the Korean standards more~

8. You said that you taught Song Chang Ui’s to speak his lines in English but unfortunately his English is not very clear to those outside the TV. What was your relationship with Song Chang Ui like since the your major screen time is spend in his company? Which other cast members could managed to speak English?

I try not to criticize people for not being good at a particular language. Even though Koreans spend several years studying English in grade school, they don’t usually have any need for it in real life. I spent 7 years studying French throughout middle and high school but haven’t used it in about 6 years, and even though I got straight A’s that whole time I can’t even introduce myself in French now! Changui was great, he’s really nice and funny. He was like a brother to me on the set. There were a few times I almost called him Hyung instead of Junoo while we were shooting, haha. On the set I used Korean 99.9% of the time so I don’t know about the English skills of most of the staff. I believe [Choi] Yeojin said she spent some time in Canada so her English is really good.

9. Did you get a chance to mix with the other cast members but we do gathered that the shooting schedule in a Korean drama is somewhat tight? Which cast member did you managed to strike a good friendship with?

Shooting on location doesn’t leave much time to mingle but shooting in the studio does. Everyone shows up for rehearsal in the morning but you could be there all if you shoot a later scene. There’s not much else to do other than mingle with the other staff in the dressing room. Every scene I was in Changui was also in, so I would say that I got closest with him.

Since everyone has their busy schedule, would you think you will be meeting up with anyone from the Golden bride cast again?

The whole cast and staff were great, I would love to work with any or all of them again!

10. Do you have a next project in process?

There have been a lot of problems between me and the agency I’ve been working with until now, so I’m signing with a different agency. Once that all gets straightened out hopefully I’ll be able to answer that question.

http://dramatomy.com/2008/02/an-interview-with-dan-davis-junwoos-colleague-aka-vick-in-golden-bride/