Getting Into Kdrama Characters—And Then Letting Go

Lee Jun Ki's recent statements about the depression he experienced after wrapping up the fast-paced emotional drama "Two Weeks" have focused new attention on how involved an actor gets in a role. And how difficult it can be to let a character go.

"I was fine after the drama ended, and I was actually proud after all the news articles praising my acting," said Lee Jun Ki. "But after a while, I started feeling sad and it eventually escalated to depression."

He wondered if he might have avoided that depression if he had immediately taken on another project,

"I opted out of schedules so that I could rest after the drama, but now I think it was a mistake," said Lee Jun Ki. "Maybe I would not be so overcome by emotions had I been preoccupied with work."

After actress Ha Ji Won finished playing Cha Hae Joon in the film "Spector 7,"she needed professional counseling.

 "I could not break away from the character I played," said Ha. "In 'Sector 7,' the monster dies, and all the people I love die and I am the only one left alive. For some reason, I could not break away from the pain for quite some time."

Therapy eventually helped her realize that because an actor puts so much emotional energy into playing a role it's easy to feel empty when filming ends. Ha Ji Won learned that it was important to counter that empty feeling.

"So, now when I am between projects, I know to expect it and work hard to stay busy," she said.

To prepare for a role, actors sometimes have to do more than learn skills such as horseback riding or martial arts. They often have to distance themselves from the interactions that make up their daily life.

For example, when BigBang's T.O.P. was getting ready for his role in the film "Commitment," he had to avoid some social interactions and disengage from his idol life.

 "I isolated myself from outside communications for practically a year in order to put my entire focus on the character of Myung Hoon," said T.O.P. "I devoted a lot of thought into choosing this movie, and as much as I did, I found out that I needed to be serious about it."

And convincingly playing someone in love can also be hard to move past. According to actress Gong Hyo Jin many actresses lie when they say they don't feel anything for the actor they play a romantic scene with.

"It's not like we meet each other once or twice," said Gong. "We work with them for months."

But having feelings for your co-star doesn't mean the relationship will survive.

"It is true that feelings do form, but those feelings usually fade away in the span of a few weeks after the drama ends," said Gong.