Actor Nam Joo Hyuk talks about overcoming challenges when performing, telling someone he likes them, and more in a recent interview with Esquire.

Nam Joo Hyuk is currently acting in the tvN drama "Twenty Five, Twenty One," which is set in 1998 and stars Kim Tae Ri as Na Hee Do, a promising fencing athlete, and Nam Joo Hyuk as Baek Yi Jin, whose family was shattered by the 1997 financial crisis.

Nam Joo Hyuk spoke candidly about the challenges of acting. "When I'm performing, I get very agitated." I consider how I can bring the script's potential to at least 80% of its full potential. On set, I have a lot of fun, but when I come home and start thinking about the direction I'm going with acting, I feel stressed. It's challenging to create a scene that expresses powerful emotions or a peaceful scene. It's just extremely difficult. This time it hit me like a ton of bricks. On set, I talked about it a lot with the director and the other actors, and we acted while attempting to figure out a solution."

The actor also discussed how he prepares for his roles. "I've been working on projecting and enunciating my voice on a daily basis for a few years now. I don't do this for long periods of time, but it serves as a warm-up. If [these techniques] continue, I'm hoping that one day somebody will tell me that I have a good voice."

He also discussed how his athletic background aided him in his acting career. "I enjoy sports that need physical contact. I enjoy the competitiveness that arises as a result of it. "When I think about it, I guess I appreciate doing activities where there's a clear winner," he continued, "There are bruises all over my body when I play a game [of basketball]." I had to know over 20 routines as a basketball player. We had no idea what plan the coach would announce throughout a game. If they said, 'No.' If I couldn't carry out the order because I couldn't remember what it was, then the entire team's pattern would be broken. There was a strong sense of obligation.  I think all this really helps with acting. Even small things help with acting.”

"There is no way I couldn't have," Nam Joo Hyuk stated when asked if he had ever expressed his love to someone. When I was in preschool and elementary school, I did so. When I was in preschool, I believe I confessed all the time. I admitted if I liked someone, and I've also gotten confessions from people who liked me. If you like someone, I believe you should tell them. Take a look at Hee Do, for example. She doesn't hide her emotions in her heart. She simply declares her love without even realizing what is going on. The key thing to remember is that you must try in order to succeed. This holds true for a variety of other situations. If I didn’t try acting, I wouldn’t even be here.”

Finally, Nam Joo Hyuk emphasized the aspects of his acting that he wants to accentuate. "When it comes to acting, I'm always thinking about how not to go beyond. I'm not sure how I'll keep myself from going beyond and acting as if that person is actually alive. To be honest, I believe that if I overact, the audience would be more involved, but I want my acting to be natural, like the way water flows. I want people to be able to look at my acting and feel as if they're watching water flow down a river."