Eric Nam Spills On How He Prepared For His First Acting Role In Psychological Thriller

To say Eric Nam has had a busy year is an understatement. In the middle of his There and Back Again World Tour, which he is still in the midst of, he took a short break in shows to film his first movie, Transplant. He took his preparations to the next level for his first acting role.

Eric Nam joined Get Real hosts Ladies’ Code‘s Ashley Choi and BTOB‘s Peniel to catch up on life and speak about his recent venture into acting for the first time.

Although this is his first role, it’s not the first role Eric has been offered. He shared he was cast in a movie with the talented late actor Chadwick Boseman years ago but had to cancel because he had music promotions in Korea at the time.

He was then approached with offers to audition for romantic comedies. Eric felt the right step for him was to embrace a more serious role for his first acting gig to showcase his acting skills before venturing into more light-hearted projects so as not to be typecast into comedic roles.

Eric shared he had always been a little insecure about acting because it was something he had yet to try. While going through the audition process for Transplant, he took acting classes over Zoom and gained confidence when the director and producer saw potential in his skills.

Though he had initial insecurities about acting, Eric surprised Ashley and Peniel when he revealed he submitted his self-tape audition before participating in any acting lessons.

Clearly, he demonstrated talent in acting, as he landed the role in the psychological thriller Transplant, which follows a young Korean American surgical resident Jonah Yoon, played by Eric Nam, “who is driven to succeed by his mentor, renowned heart surgeon Dr. Edward Harmon.”

In preparation for his role, Eric shared that he watched videos on surgeries, interviewed doctors, and met medical residents who taught him how to hold surgical tools and properly perform sutures.

After his preparations, when the first day he was due on set arrived, he was connected to his character and felt like he appeared as Jonah Yoon.

Check out the full interview below!