After more than a decade in the entertainment industry, Japanese actor Kentaro Sakaguchi is making his Korean drama debut with "What Comes After Love" — and he’s hoping to win over Korean audiences not just with his acting but by becoming someone they see as a "comfortable person."

"It's nice and exciting if people think, 'Wow, this person is such a great actor' or 'This person is really cool,' at first,” the actor said. “But more than that, I hope they simply consider me a comfortable presence."

Coupang Play’s upcoming melodrama, “What Comes After Love,” will be released on Sept. 27. It is an adaptation of the 2005 Korean and Japanese collaboration novel of the same name written by Gong Ji-young and Hitonari Tsuji. The series centers on the love story between Korean and Japanese lovers who reunite after five years of separation.

Directed by Moon Hyun-sung, the drama features actors Lee Se-young, Sakaguchi, Hong Jong-hyun and Anne Nakamura. Sakaguchi took the role of Jungo Aoki, Lee of Jungo’s lover Choi Hong, while actor Hong plays Choi Hong’s old friend and current lover Song Min-jun and Nakamura as Kana Kobayashi, Jungo’s ex-girlfriend.

The actor sat down with local reporters on Friday, ahead of its release, at a cafe in Jongno District, central Seoul, to discuss the drama, his role and his experience participating in a Korean series.

Sakaguchi, mainly based in Japan, has been on the acting scene for over a decade and has appeared in numerous romance pieces, such as the series “Only Just Married” (2021) and the films “The Last 10 Years” (2022) and “The 100th Love with You” (2017). He pointed out that the series' focus on love and affection was one of the main factors in his decision to take the role.

“I thought this series was interesting because it explores what affection means from different angles and shows it in various ways,” Sakaguchi said.

“In the series, the characters’ encounter does not simply end as them just meeting, but also includes separation,” he added. “While they had happy times, there were also certain moments when they felt distant.”

The series was the actor’s first Korean project, and Sakaguchi revealed that he was initially worried, especially because of the language barrier.

“I was worried about overcoming the language barrier as it was my first time working on a Korean project with all the staff members being Koreans,” the actor said.

Director Moon helped reduce that worry, giving him the belief to move on with the project, according to the actor.

“I had an opportunity to listen to director Moon’s deep thoughts on my character Jungo,” Sakaguchi said. “After hearing them, the anxiety definitely lessened, and I thought that the series would come out well if I worked with director Moon, which was also why I chose to participate.”

For the actor, Jungo’s longstanding feelings toward Choi Hong are what he acknowledged the most, as the character is filled with regret at leaving Choi Hong's side even after five years.

“I deeply admire the powerful affection he has, holding on to his feelings for someone for five years and keeping that love alive in his heart,” the actor said.

“When I first read the script, I asked myself if I could continue to love her for five years, and the answer was that it was impossible,” he added.

The series being a romance piece, the chemistry between the actors is a very important source for such a genre. The actor said he and Lee had a “pleasant kind of tension.”

“For the acting to come out well, there needs to be an appropriate sense of distance and emotional space between the two people. In that sense, I thought that we matched in that area, thinking our chemistry really worked out well.”

Collaboration between Korea and Japan is becoming a trend in the entertainment world, especially recently, as content from both countries is being released, such as the Japanese series "Eye Love You," starring Korean actor Chae Jong-Hyub, or set for release like a new Netflix romance series featuring Japanese actor Shun Oguri and Korean actor Han Joo.

Sakaguchi looked forward to this trend.

“Most of the collaborative works are focused on love stories that are universally understandable and is something that everyone has experienced at least once, as of now,” he said. “However, as time passes, the trend will evolve, leading us to see more diverse exchanges across various genres.”

Despite “What Comes After Love” being the actor’s Korean debut, Sakaguchi seems ready for the next step, showing his enthusiasm for appearing in more Korean projects.

“I had a very happy and enjoyable time on set,” he said. “If I have the opportunity, I hope to work on more Korean projects.”


BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]