[INTERVIEW] Bae Soo Bin Brightens Up Brilliant Legacy

by javabeans | May 30, 2009

SBS’s weekend drama Brilliant Legacy continues to perform well. No, I’m still not following it — I just don’t think it’s for me — but by all accounts it’s zipping along nicely.

The leads are the fresh-faced and cute Lee Seung-gi and Han Hyo-joo; but although he’s not the lead character, actor Bae Soo-bin is attracting a lot of attention for his portrayal of his character Jun-sae. Below is a recent interview with the 32-year-old (also of dramas Painter of the Wind, Jumong) about his current role.

The response to Brilliant Legacy is very good.
I have a lot of affection for this drama. I look forward to it, and every time I go to the film set, I feel a positive energy. Because I get such a good feeling from viewers toward the role I’m playing, I enjoy every day.
Because the drama has 26 episodes, I think the writer is letting the plot unfold quickly. When I look at the scripts at first, even I feel it’s rather hectic. [Laughs] These days, I’ve gotten used to the speed of developments. The actors are all doing a good job, so it makes it fun for me. Although I already know what happens, when I watch the broadcasts, I’m entertained. This is the first time I’ve watched my own drama again on the internet. Haha.

People really love the character of Park Jun-sae.
I hope Jun-sae can receive even more love and support in the future. No, I’d like for him to steal all the hearts of the women in Korea. [Laughs] Whether or not the female viewers are married , I’d like to embody the ideal man whom all women would like to marry or date.
Jun-sae has an image of a caregiver, but what about in reality?
He’s a character who appeals to women’s fantasies. Even as a man myself, I think it would be nice if there was really a guy like Jun-sae who existed in real life. [He thinks intently for a moment] He has some similarities with me, but there are differences too. [Laughs] I can’t study or fight as well as Jun-sae, but I think his nature is similar to mine. [Laughs] On a basic level, Jun-sae is bright person. I tend to be influenced by my roles, and after doing this drama, I think my own personality has brightened.
The focus of the drama is on Lee Seung-gi.
I think that’s natural, since Seung-gi has a higher public profile than me. Of course, I think that as I keep going in my acting career, at some point I’ll receive the focus of attention and carry the responsibility. Until that day comes, I’ll have to prepare as much as possible.
Last year, you took on a serious character in the role of Jung-jo in SBS’s Painter of the Wind.
In a sageuk, I’m acting as a real-life historical figure, so I have to convey the role properly. When I was working on Painter of the Wind, I kept the a spirit of respect for the man as I acted. I did my best to act without harming his image.
However, maybe it’s because this is a contemporary drama, but I’ve lightened up. I deliver my dialogue in an upbeat tone because I want to spread the happiness to the viewers. [Laughs] I’d like for viewers to say that they feel better when they see me come onscreen.
Do you have your own particular criteria for choosing projects?
First, I read the script. When I see the cast, I can determine whether I’ll be able to do this or not. If I think I can create an appealing character, I’m the type who makes up my mind and dives right in. But I’m not someone who insists stubbornly that I absolutely have to take on a certain role. I just have to jump into the project and be fully invested.
I’ll continue doing that in my acting career in the future. Although a drama’s story gets told to others through me, I don’t feel like I should overly exert myself to present a packaged image. That doesn’t suit me. When acting, I have to immerse myself into a role and transform, but I can’t do that for my everyday life.

Via Now News

[INTERVIEW] Kim Joon Lives Life From The Center

by javabeans | March 26, 2009 

After putting up that Jung Il-woo interview yesterday, I realized what a fantastic netmagazine 10 Asia is (which is where the interview came from). That site is a trove of great interviews, and I’m eager to go through their archives and perhaps post up some older interviews (the site seems fairly young, so they aren’t any truly “old” articles).

First up is this 10 Asia profile on Kim Joon, which was published back in January, after he had first attracted notice for playing Woo-bin in Boys Before Flowers.

SONG OF THE DAY

T-Max – “Blooming” [ Download ]

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Kim Joon: My Name Is…

My name is: Kim Joon. Birth name Kim Hyung-joon. When I started as an actor, I changed my name a little; not a big change, but something to make it easier to remember. I grew accustomed to it right away because my T-Max bandmates always call me “Joon!”
I was born on February 2, 1984. In Boys Before Flowers, I appear in a lot of scenes with [Kim] Bum, and we’re five years apart in age. I’ve always been the youngest, but all of a sudden I became the eldest, which was awkward. [Laughs]

About T-Max, rapping, and training for a kpop music career —

I recall my stage debut as a singer vividly. It was July of 2007, and the first performance was a live broadcast. I was in the middle, and the choreography started, but I was so nervous I lost my rhythm. Thinking of all the practice I’d put in till that point, I did cry a little offstage.
To become a singer, I was a trainee for about four or five years. There were lots of times when (Shin) Min-chul hyung and I rehearsed together and did guide recordings [demo recordings] for the songs written by the songwriter hyungs in the office. That experience really helped a lot. After (Park) Yoon-hwa joined, the three of us debuted about two years later as T-Max. Maybe it’s because we went through tough times together, but the three of us are as close as blood brothers.
Because I don’t have an optimistic personality, it’s difficult for me to take charge proactively. I became a singer after going to a songwriter hyung’s office and learning from him, and I auditioned for the drama on my management’s encouragement. However, when I decide to do something, I think of what I have to do to achieve that.
The other members knew I had auditioned for Boys Before Flowers, but we found out about my being cast in a newspaper report. I didn’t want to tell them when it wasn’t confirmed, so throughout the process I didn’t say anything.
I’m called an old soul a lot. I can’t do this now that I’m so busy, but when I was younger I read a lot of books, and I’ve always been an overthinker. [Laughs]
Through writing rap lyrics myself, within the limited time and restrictions, I tend to choose words to convey as much as possible. It’s also a habit of mine to pay close attention to the words and expressions I use.
My voice is low, and combined with a bit of a nasal tone, my enunciation isn’t that good. But as I practiced rapping, I’ve learned to cover up the worst parts of my enunciation, by accentuating certain parts or emphasizing others. That kind of work as a singer also helps with acting.

Regarding acting and Boys Before Flowers —

Song Woo-bin’s rap-talk and English lines were created after I was cast. Because we couldn’t have all four F4 members be too similar, each of us were given distinctive character traits. In real life, it’s not like I’ve studied abroad and I’m still very awkward with acting, so I’m very glad that there are people who enjoy watching.
In terms of difficulty, it’s that I have to match up to the standard of F4. These guys take on unique activities as their hobbies. I usually just exercise and do simple sports like basketball or soccer, so it was difficult trying things I’d never done before, like golf, tennis, horseback riding.
On location in New Caledonia, our schedules were so tight, it was a struggle. There were a lot more restrictions than when filming in Korea, and because we were overseas, even little problems would come up, like with the food. However, because of the overseas shoots, the actors really bonded. Even when we weren’t filming, we had to stick together. [Laughs] That’s why if you look at the scenes that were shot before then, you can see that we were still awkward around each other. At that point, the extent of our relationships were merely knowing each other’s phone numbers.
I think F4 is likable because of their particular kind of naivete. In real life, they might feel embarrassed or pressured, but because they can be simple-hearted and sometimes make mistakes, viewers see them as cute and feel for them. If you try to act arrogant in real life, you’ll definitely stir animosity. Their appeal is that although they possess a lot of things, they all have their dumb sides too.
A lot of people ask what I’ll do in the future, whether I’ll choose between being a singer and actor. I always have the same response. I want to do both. I think it’s a little ambitious of me to say that when I haven’t yet proven myself in either, but even if it’s difficult, I don’t think it’s impossible. They are both appealing fields. Oh, I think T-Max will appear on a music program soon. I’m looking forward to standing onstage with the other members after so long.

Things are getting more and more interesting

Everyone pays attention at the edge. And that someone on the edge, for the time that he shines in front of the camera, is fully immersed in the role he is playing. Song Woo-bin of KBS’s Boys Before Flowers, played by Kim Joon, is on the other side of Gu Jun-pyo (Lee Min-ho)’s shoulder, trailing a step behind Yoon Ji-hoo (Kim Hyun-joong) surveying the situation while pushing the edge of his lip and displaying his characteristic smile. Even when he shows amusement while their constant companion So Yi-jung (Kim Bum) is involved in a problem, rather than raising his voice or getting worked up, he merely says one or two words in his low voice. Aside from the amusing “bad hip-hop English” he tosses out occasionally, you could almost see him as F4′s “internal leader.” He might not draw everybody’s attention, but once you do take notice, he makes you look twice. His appeal isn’t that he shines brightly from the center, but that he gently guards the corner of Boys Before Flowers.

A 26-year-old young man who judges himself objectively

However, the Kim Joon I met in real life isn’t soft or refined. A short-sleeved shirt reveals a slim body underneath, and slightly tired-looking eyes appear rather sensitive. Whatever question is tossed at him, he replies with words that seem as though they’ve been written down very carefully, and he listens to analysis of himself so objectively, almost to the point of coldness, that I feel the need to check that this young man is really twenty-six. However, his sharp points don’t make others uncomfortable, unlike the prickly thorns others can have. Rather, it’s like he has a finely tuned antenna that he uses to read his own feelings clearly. Perhaps that’s why there’s no apparent sense of discontent when he says, “I may be the least experienced in terms of my acting career, but ultimately all four members of F4 are friends. That’s why when we’re on set, we even call each other by our characters’ names.” ** That’s because what this young man needs most right now isn’t a friendly hyung to take care of him, but a sunbae [senior] from whom he can watch and learn.

(** The implication here is that Kim Joon, as the eldest cast member — minus Gu Hye-sun, who is his age — normally would command respect purely based on age/seniority, even though he’s the least experienced. Someone who is several years older than his co-stars would expect to be called hyung or sunbae in a tone of respect, but it appears that Kim Joon does not want that and encourages them to speak “on the same level,” so to speak. In a separate interview — perhaps it was the F4 Talk Show Special — he explained that he started to accidentally refer to Gu Hye-sun as noona, because all the other actors are younger and called her that. However, that’s technically wrong, since they’re the same age, and she started to call him oppa in retaliation.)

“Watching my acting is still extremely embarrassing”

However, no matter how well the end of that antenna is polished, as someone acting for the first time in his life, what he portrays in front of the camera must be difficult. Furthermore, this is different from taking the stage once to perform something one has been preparing for a long while. It’s a whole new world for him, adapting and becoming familiar with a drama character in a process that exposes oneself gradually.
“When you’re onstage, the audience’s reaction comes immediately. But when I’m standing in front of a camera, I have no idea how my actions will appear and that makes me even more nervous.” Even when watching the monitor, when he’s not watching to catch a mistake in pronunciation or the angle of a hand but rather to get a grasp of a subtle expression or action, he says he’s extremely embarrassed to watch his acting. “I’m sure everyone’s like that, but the more I see, the more the flaws seem to stand out in relief. Like when you look in a mirror and only see the ugly parts.” It’s refreshing to hear his bashful admission, in a world that’s filled with people who disregard their flaws. Furthermore, the sensitive look on his face is cleared by his clean, laughing expression.
He calls himself “an ordinary guy just like others my age,” but Kim Joon’s energy isn’t by any means ordinary. He says, “I’ve never borrowed a manhwa book before. I first read one for the Boys Before Flowers audition. But even though it was kind of uncomfortable, I found it had an appeal, in that it made me curious to know what was going to happen next. I found it fresh and entertaining to see how the male lead character meets a nice girl and his feelings undergo a change.”
However he may have gotten his start, Kim has a strength that sends him searching for the answers he wants. And that strength won’t take him to the edge, but right to the center of a drama himself. No, it’s as though he’s already living his life at the center of his world, as a music-loving rapper, and also as someone who won’t stop in his desire to become an actor. The future looks more and more interesting for this young man, who lives life from the center.
Published January 21, 2009
Written by Yoon Hee-sung

Via 10 Asia

[INTERVIEW] Kang Ji Hwan Is Still Thirsty for Success

by javabeans | April 16, 2009

With the new romantic-comedy spy movie Level 7 Civil Servant (aka Secret Couple) about to come out — it’s in theaters April 23 — both stars have been heavily promoting the movie, which is earning favorable buzz and, in my opinion, looks pretty zippy and fun.

Thanks to all the press they’re doing, here’s a new interview out with my man (mine!) Kang Ji-hwan.

“I’m not a top star or top actor. That’s why I’m still thirsty.”

The young man began acting at the age of 25 and told himself he would quit if he wasn’t able to succeed by the age of 30. He pounded on the door of the musical world and stood onstage with a minor part. But the spotlight only shined on the lead.
Then, he was going to appear in a television drama series. To see their son, his parents sat in front of the television all day. The young man was cast in the role of the main character’s dead son, appearing as a sticker photo on a cell phone.
The frustrated young man finally got his break at the age of 29. His face didn’t start to be known to the public until he appeared on the daily drama Be Strong, Geum-soon. But that was just briefly, as all the dramas he appeared in were crushed by competing dramas Hwang Jini, War of Money, New Heart and others.
That young man at last earned a “new actor” award at the age of 32, then took on the film role of top star Kim Haneul‘s love interest. This is Kang Ji-hwan.

(I think the intro’s rather dramatic, because while Kang Ji-hwan’s dramas all faced stiff competition, he wasn’t quite the forgotten star it sounds like. He had a few flops like 90 Days’ Time to Love and Fireworks, but he definitely gained notice with Capital Scandal and Hong Gil Dong, and by the time he won the new actor award for Rough Cut, he was already pretty popular, if not a household name. For what it’s worth.)

Your comic side in Level 7 Civil Servant resembles your role in Hong Gil Dong more than in Rough Cut.
Even so, I think Rough Cut was more influential in getting me cast for this. They say that people in film don’t watch television dramas very much.
Do you tend to avoid the press? It’s been a long time since you made your debut, but you haven’t done many interviews, and you haven’t revealed much to the public. It was like that for Rough Cut as well.
When I start working on a project, I can’t really worry about other things. I didn’t learn acting formally, and I didn’t really know why my audition for Be Strong, Geum-soon was successful. At the time, the priority was to survive on a day-by-day basis. I didn’t know any older sunbae actors so I had nobody to learn from, and I could only dig into the scripts. If I let my attention wander elsewhere even for a short while, it was impossible to immerse myself fully in the emotions.
Maybe that turned into a habit, but I continued to study the scripts in that way. I didn’t even have a chance to look around me. And when doing Rough Cut, we were supposed to have some promotional events in Japan, but the release date was moved up so that didn’t happen.
You were an unknown for a long while, and even after you took on lead roles, for a while your dramas faltered in the ratings to competitor dramas.
I had decided that after starting to act at age 25, if I hadn’t succeeded by age 30 I would give up. Even aside from that, I’m the kind of person who’s sensitive anyway and feels pressure keenly. With Capital Scandal, all I could think was what would happen if it failed because of me, and what I could do to turn that around. I just tried to survive.

Having gone through such tough times, why did you not quit acting?
At first, when things didn’t work out, I would feel this stubbornness develop. When I started with musicals, I figured I would first need to make some money, so I worked for a year. Then, I rehearsed like crazy, but the real applause was only for the leads. Truthfully, that’s obvious, but at that age, I didn’t get it.
In the drama More Beautiful Than a Flower, I played Go Du-shim’s dead son, and came out only as a sticker photo on a cell phone. But because their son was going to be on, my parents sat in front of the television waiting to see me. Seeing that made me suddenly well up with tears. I decided I had to make it as a lead.
I auditioned for the musical Grease and got the lead part, and brought my parents to see it.
Your dramas like 90 Days’ Time to Love, Capital Scandal, and Hong Gil Dong suffered in the ratings due to competing dramas.
They were all good, award-worthy dramas. There was some mania fandom, but not much response. There were many dark days when I would drink to leave those characters behind. But I couldn’t shake off the addictive thoughts that things might improve if I just work a little harder. And then I met Hong Gil Dong, even if that did get pushed back in the ratings from New Heart.
And after that you did Rough Cut.
As I was working on Hong Gil Dong, I wanted to do a more masculine project. Plus, it was my first commercial film. With Rough Cut, I would naturally be compared to So Ji-sub, so my foremost thought was that I’d better not forget how to act.
If there’s anything to feel disappointed about, it was that I had thought that a film set would provide more space and time than a drama to immerse myself in the emotions, but that wasn’t possible. As you know, it was a low-budget film, so we were pressed for time, and we had to use film sparingly. When I would hear that we spent a lot of money on film, my back actually broke out in a cold sweat. The result was good, but I felt a little disappointed that I couldn’t let myself go as much as I wanted.
Did you feel that with Level 7 Civil Servant?
It’ll be up to the audience to judge if it came out well, but I put everything into it, like I’d burned myself into ashes. Director Shin Tae-ra told me that he’d be behind me, so I could try anything I wanted. It was like putting fire to a volcano that was about to erupt.
Every day after filming ended, I asked my manager, “Wasn’t I good today?” The director and Kim Haneul enabled me to indulge myself as much as I wanted. I wasn’t left wanting on this movie, to say the least.
Were you friends with Kim Haneul when you worked on your drama together? [90 Days' Time to Love]
At that time, we weren’t really close. I was preoccupied just with my own acting. This time, we were totally in tune with each other, and even ad-libbed lines. She was always ready to react, and made me step it up.

Your first film is actually the indie movie Host & Guest. Did the experience help you?
When I was mostly working in minor roles, if someone offered me a lead part I took it no matter what. All I recall is being cold, hungry, and having to be sparing with film. Because we had to conserve film, I couldn’t mess up even a syllable of dialogue. Still, those memories of being cold and hungry helped me successfully audition for Be Strong, Geum-soon. At the time, the writer said I was very lacking, but she could see my thirst in my eyes, which is why they picked me.
Are you still thirsty?
Of course. I’m not a top star, or a top actor. You have to rise one step at a time to make it up the mountain. I can see the peak, but it’s so steep that it does feel endless. I hope for a project that will be my rope so I can climb up. But for now I’ve started the path, and rising to the top is my primary goal. Since I haven’t made it there yet, I don’t know what my next goal is after that.
You often show a cheerful side to you, but it seems like your true personality is different.
Actually, I’m not the cheerful type, and I don’t make friends easily. It’s just that now, I’m aware of a responsibility to set the mood as the lead actor.
The more a person succeeds, the more one is subject to interfering noises.
I think so. With a bigger role, I need to focus even more, but then people say I’ve become arrogant. So when there are crew dinners, I’m the first at the table. Because I hear various negative comments, my thoughts of opening up disappear and I shrink back even more.
I think I am on my way up, but I end up staying in my room, wondering, “What am I doing?” Actually, I started having those kinds of thoughts from Hong Gil Dong on, and went into a slight depression. I think that’s the dilemma I have these days.
Now when you focus on your script and are unable to look around, do you feel freer?
To show a different side to me from Level 7 Civil Servant, I’m going to dive into the script even more. But I am going to try to create some space for myself, even if I don’t change drastically.

Via Star News

[INTERVIEW] The Dilemma of Kang Ji Hwan

by javabeans | April 7, 2008

Kang Ji Hwan, the dilemma of an actor four years into his debut
Coming off his role in the KBS 2TV Wednesday-Thursday drama Hong Gil Dong, which received favorable reviews for its fresh approach, Kang Ji Hwan appears wearing a goldenrod-yellow jacket. This was approximately a week after the drama ended, the impression of the series not yet faded.
Like he’s taken off the clothes of Hong Gil Dong, it feels like he’s taken off the character and returned to Kang Ji Hwan. He revealed, “At the start of Hong Gil Dong, I’d be in the mountains and wonder what I was supposed to do, but now that it’s over, it’s strange to be up in the morning without a schedule to meet. The week has passed slowly.”

Only about a month after finishing KBS2′s Capital Scandal, Kang Ji Hwan went right into filming Hong Gil Dong. And just a few months prior to Capital Scandal, he’d shot MBC’s 90 Days’ Time to Love. Preceding that was MBC’s Fireworks; between those two dramas, he had about five months off. He’s an actor who’s charged along without rest.

It’s said that nothing makes an actor happier than having more work, but ever since he struck good fortune appearing in 2005′s Be Strong, Geum Soon, his sharp rise after starring in five or six projects in three years has also proved tiring. His acting experience is too short to call him a veteran, but he’s already cast off the signs of a new actor; he’s worked in many projects but it’s too early to call him a national actor. These are the dilemmas of an actor four years after his screen debut.

Hong Gil Dong

Viewer ratings, or project quality?
“This is a profession where the work is done on behalf of audiences, so naturally it’s great if many people watch” is his concise response. No matter how one may claim not to be attached to the industry, it would be a lie for an actor — and a leading actor, at that — to say that viewership ratings aren’t on his mind. But a project’s quality is too valuable for an actor to disregard on account of ratings.
He’d made light remarks at the press day for Capital Scandal, saying, “This time my management people and I chose a project based on ratings potential,” talking a lot about the topic behind the scenes. Thus is Kang Ji Hwan’s relationship to ratings.
After jumping to stardom in MBC’s Be Strong, Geum Soon, Kang Ji Hwan had a disappointing run when projects like Capital Scandal went up against War of Money and 90 Days’ Time to Love took the backseat against Hwang Jini and Lovers. And although KBS’s Hong Gil Dong‘s ratings came as a welcome rain, it then met a strong rival in New Heart and never quite saw the sunlight.
“Because the ratings gap between us and the rivals were so large, I felt discouraged,” Kang Ji Hwan said, showing that he still feels the kick of ratings disappointment. But now he’s realized there are more important things than ratings.
He explained, “When reading scripts, I’ve had times when I’ve thought them to be uninteresting. But I found the scripts for Capital Scandal and Hong Gil Dong so entertaining. It was a blessing to read my scripts with interest and then act them. If I ever feel that the viewers aren’t into it as much as I am, or when a lot of people can’t share in it, I think to myself, ‘This is my good fortune.’”

Be Strong, Geum Soon; Fireworks

Shot to fame, or “long run”?
When a singer bursts onto the world scene with one hit song, or when an actor makes his mark by appearing in a drama nearly the entire country is watching, we say they’ve burst on the scene. Kang Ji Hwan appeared in Be Strong, Geum Soon and more or less shot to fame.
But it’s almost impossible to find actors who shot to fame, then stayed in for the long run. Most fall into one category or the other. Kang Ji Hwan may have burst onto the scene in one drama, but he’s preparing to stay for the long haul.
When asked, “Would you rather shoot to fame or be a gradual, long-run actor?” he answers straight-forwardly, “I’d love to shoot to fame!” But more than anyone, he’s demonstrated his preparation for staying put for a long while.
He talked of using the time after completing a project as opportunity for self-improvement: “When I’m not working, if I don’t do something right away, I start feeling like my chances for a long career are dwindling, so I want to learn lots of various things. Last week, I enrolled in lessons for learning piano and classical guitar.”
He explained why he feels that continuing to learn is important: “I start feeling I should learn something. Looking at other actors, there are many who can do lots of things… The more I learn, the more I can cover in my breadth of acting, the more I can show. If I don’t do that, even if I continually take on different kinds of characters, there’s one less thing I’m capable of showing.”
When asked if he thinks he’s thus far been an actor who’s shot to fame, he said, “I don’t feel I have. But I feel progress stretching out ahead of me, little by little. If I can continue as now to advance bit by bit, I think I can eventually become an actor who combines ratings with project quality, popularity with acting ability.”

Capital Scandal, 90 Days’ Time to Love

Via My Daily

[INTERVIEW] Yoon Eun Hye Sheds Tears At Acting Criticism

by javabeans | September 13, 2009 

Yoon Eun-hye was much-loved for her spunky portrayals of characters in dramas Goong and Coffee Prince, and has a solid track record of picking hit projects. So it’s no surprise that anticipation was sky-high for her comeback drama, KBS’s My Fair Lady — and while it’s performing decently with ratings around 14%-15%, it’s nowhere near the smash hit expected of her. Furthermore, her acting has been harshly criticized, as it seemed she’d regressed in her skills since her last role, which makes My Fair Lady a modest project tinged with disappointment.

She’s always been known for her friendly, easygoing personality, and I suspect that Yoon’s fiercely loyal following was amassed as much (or more) for her likable personality as it was for her acting. In the following interview, I find it easy to like her — although that doesn’t blind me to what (in my opinion) are glaring acting flaws in her latest role. I figure I can like Yoon Eun-hye and respect her while still finding her acting inadequate, but still, she has a charm that draws me (and, I’d guess, many others) into her character.

NOTE: Let’s keep this discussion civil, shall we? Yoon Eun-hye discussions often erupt into heated flame wars, and I hope we can avoid that here.

“It was really upsetting, I thought I’d go crazy”
Underneath her sharply drawn eyeliner, her eyes start to redden with tears. This is actress Yoon Eun-hye, who plays the immature chaebol and corporation heir Kang Hae-na in KBS 2TV’s Wednesday-Thursday drama My Fair Lady. She had transformed dramatically from the easy-going girl dressed as a boy (Coffee Prince) to a conceited, snobby “princess complex” character, but can this reaction be because of the public’s chilly response? After I asked her about the criticism she has received for her acting when I met her in a cafe on the 9th, the tears started flowing.
“If I didn’t have to film, I would have cried all day in my room… but I couldn’t do that. I thought of how upset my parents would feel to read all those articles slamming my acting, and I felt like going crazy. There were a lot of times when I endured through it and smiled as I filmed, only to end up with tears trickling out. Now, I’m afraid of making transformations. Each time, people grow familiar with the character, but if it takes a long time and hurts me every time, I don’t know what to do, and I feel afraid.”

However, “The longer I do this, there are more voices joining in to encourage and praise me. I took the viewers’ criticism in the beginning to mean that I shouldn’t be arrogant,” she says with a wide smile.
In the beginning part of the drama, the issue that was pointed out the most regarding her acting was her unnatural speech and accent. Yoon Eun-hye says, “Actually, there was criticism of my speech when I shot Coffee Prince too. I think it may have been more of a problem in this drama because Hae-na is someone who speaks bluntly, and people expect a certain image of a chaebol. But my teachers tell me that Hae-na’s character comes across as more personal when she talks in an unlikable way.”
Every episode, Kang Hae-na wears flashy clothing and makeup that would be difficult to pull off in real life. In order to reinvent herself into a polished, glamorous image out of her former plucky one, Yoon Eun-hye is treading a difficult path. She says, “I feel how difficult it is for a woman to work at being pretty. When I was doing Coffee Prince, I just washed my face and applied lotion and skin cream and I was ready to film. But compared to back then, now I have to get up two hours earlier to do my makeup.” The high-heeled shoes are another burden: “I wear high heels that are about 12 to 13 cm high, and after filming for a long time, my legs are swollen like an elephant’s.”
However, in her mind, Hae-na isn’t a feminine type of woman. “She always acts forceful, but she has such a pure heart that she makes a lot of mistakes. That’s why she can’t regulate her own feelings that well, and she can also seem like a dumb child. You can’t see her as perfectly feminine.”

As a result of her successful transformation to actor, there is one fact that is largely forgotten: that she started out as a pop singer in the idol group Baby VOX. Considering that she participated in recording a track, “I Love You,” last year with the hip-hop group Mighty Mouth, it seems she still has a lingering attachment to singing. She says, “I stood onstage for six years. Even now, my heart races when I see singers passionately performing. But the younger singers coming out these days receive a lot of training and have a lot of talent, so I wonder if I’d be able to live up to that. In any case, I’ve always felt disappointed that I was a singer back when I couldn’t sing that well and wasn’t very skilled.”
Following Coffee Prince, she took a two-year hiatus. At the time, she immersed herself in drawing and painting. Prior to her debut, she deliberated very seriously between whether she should be an entertainer or painter. She says, “I draw abstract paintings that show the state of my feelings as they are.” Only a completed painting merits full points. She adds, “When I have amassed a lot of paintings done under the same theme, I’d like to hold an art exhibit.”
She says of herself, “I’m reaching that age where I mature as an actor and as a woman. I’d like to show my talents little by little, but the unfortunate thing is that a lot of people don’t want to give me time for failure. I’d like to learn more as I experience failure too. I wish people would not brand an actor as a failure through one mistake.”

Via Chosun

CREDITS: Dramabeans

[INTERVIEW] Lee Dong Wook: “I Want To Conquer The Universe”

by javabeans | September 12, 2011

With Scent of a Woman having wrapped up over the weekend, it’s managed to raise the profiles of its two stars — or, should I say, re-raise, since Kim Sun-ah and Lee Dong-wook were successful leading actors before as well. But as is the case with many a well-received, heart-warming TV series, what we’re left with isn’t just the warm fuzzies over the drama plot, but also newer, fresher impressions of the actors who played the characters we laughed and cried over. (Although in this case, it was probably more crying than laughs.)

The following is taken from multiple interviews with Scent’s leading man Lee Dong-wook given over the past few weeks, as he was shooting and wrapping the show.

Scent of a Woman is Lee’s first project after being released from military service, and he wasted no time getting to work; he headed to the drama’s poster shoot on the day he was discharged.

Lee laughed about seeing an article while he was still in the army (his hair stylist sent a camera-phone picture of the story), which listed Can You Hear My Heart’s Kim Jae-won as number 1 pick for the actor who’d do the best in his post-army project, and Lee Dong-wook as number 2. He joked, “It was my goal to beat Kim Jae-won.”

But he can say that, he explains, because they’re both good friends, having worked the same army radio DJ gig together for eight months. “We call each other frequently now, too. When I said I’d beat him, hyung just laughed.” (Also: Can you believe Kim Jae-won is the hyung? That seems odd to me, since Lee Dong-wook looks mature for his age and Kim Jae-won’s still rocking the baby face.)

Other entertainers he became close with in the army: Dynamic Duo, Lee Jin-wook, Andy, and Boom, who are “just like brothers to me.”

He’s considering what role he’ll take after Scent of a Woman, wondering if it’s best to go with a film, or try a different character. He said, “Personally, I want to do another drama. And I’ve never done a sageuk, so I’d like to film one of those, too. But everyone tells me my face isn’t right for sageuk. [Laughs]”

In a recent interview given while he was still shooting Scent, he talked about the toll the all-night shoots were taking on his body: “What stresses me out the most is hearing people tell me to stop losing weight. I’m not trying to lose it, it’s just coming off. Shooting this drama, I’ve stayed up for ten nights. I’ve never gone to sleep in a bed, I’ve only slept in brief spurts while traveling from here to there. For instance, this team might finish shooting at 4 am, and another team goes on standby at 6 am. Can you imagine how doing this for ten days straight would be tough?”

Uh, yikes. And we wonder why the big A-list stars tend to shy away from dramas. Maybe it’s not because films bring them greater fame, or global reach, or artistic freedom. Maybe they’re just tired.

His Ji-wook character has received a number of comparisons to Hyun Bin’s kka-do-nam (uptight city man) in Secret Garden, another SBS weekend drama where the male lead was a chaebol who falls for an ordinary woman and gets in touch with his emotional side. Asked about being called “the next Hyun Bin,” Lee quipped, “I’d rather be the first Lee Dong-wook.” Score 1 for the actor, 0 for the dim reporter who thought that was a clever question.

Lee added, “Actually after My Girl [where Lee played another chaebol], I got a lot of offers for dramas in this genre. But if you pump out all the water in stream, it dries up. When I received the script for Scent of a Woman, I felt I could do it now, when the water level was full. He is a chaebol, but he’s not a kka-do-nam or a cha-do-nam [cold city man], which I liked. And while he is at odds with the Yeon-jae character, they are able to support and depend on each other when they’re in pain, which I also liked.”

The drama has its share of obvious setups and predictable characters, but one of its strengths has been in playing out the scenarios in ways that defy the obvious chaebol-in-love-with-terminal-cancer-patient storyline. Lee said, “On one hand, it can be seen as conventional and obvious. It’s the terminal patient and the chaebol, and Cinderella on top of that. What was important was in making that less conventional. There’s something different about Ji-wook from other romantic comedy men, with his indifferent eyes and his lack of will to do anything. In the first half of the drama, I heard a lot of comments like, ‘Why the heck is the hero like that?’ But as time went on, people began to understand Ji-wook.”

Lee considers his current popularity “just good luck.” He added, “What’s funny is that I feel like I was acting the same in La Dolce Vita and Partner as in this drama, but it seems like the viewer’s perception has changed.”

He explained that initially, his first thought upon choosing this project was that he hoped viewers would watch comfortably, since he’s heard that they had trouble with La Dolce Vita and Partner. But: “I keep hearing from people that the response to the drama is good and that a lot of people have favorable reactions to me, but nobody says that to me directly so I almost want to ask where I can go to hear all his.” Ha! Although it makes sense that if you’re in a bubble where you aren’t as privy to the popular sentiment as normal folk, it can all feel like a lie, or at least a fantasy.

Lee described meeting Kim Sun-ah following their shoot for Episode 11, when Ji-wook finds out about Yeon-jae’s diagnosis: “She and I were both in the same state — the moment we saw each other’s faces, we started tearing up, thinking, ‘What happens with us now?’ We’d developed a sense of compassion for each other. Because I was crying, I couldn’t act. [Laughs]”

Asked about his similarities with Ji-wook, Lee said, “I think we’re similar in not wanting to trouble ourselves with bothersome things. My mother was even surprised at how I changed, because if I’m not working, I don’t leave the house much. There’s a separate study in the house, where I’ll read manhwa books, use the computer, listen to music, and even drink by myself.”

He said of Kim, “When I heard she was cast as my co-star, I thought that she could help me out a lot. Kim Sun-ah is thoughtful and looks after people when we’re on set, and has a way of making things fun for her co-star. That’s why I could film the bicycle date and the tent kiss scenes while smiling. [Laughs]”

Lee has a lot of ambitions about his future, and when asked about his own bucket list, he said, “If I were to write one like Yeon-jae did, I’d like to conquer the universe with my acting. Before I die, I want to be recognized for my acting. I’d also like to be a good father, a good husband, and keep my body in this shape till I’m ninety.”

Rawr.

Via Joy News, TV Report

CREDITS: Dramabeans

[PHOTO&INTERVIEW] Park Shin Hye & Jang Keun Suk on MBC Section TV's 'Entertainment Communication'

On today's episode of MBC Section TV's , the crew visits Park Shin Hye and Jang Keun Suk on a photoshoot set. The two friends are seen doing a photoshoot for Korean fashion label 'Codes Combine Haiker Fall/Winter Collection 2011'.

The two Hallyu stars complete their photoshoot efficiently and sit down for an interview. The interviewer cheekily says "Park Shin Hye-ssi, we hear that Jang Keun Suk's mother likes you a lot.'

To that, Shin Hye replies 'Yes Jang Keun Suk's mother likes me a lot. When we first met, she held my hand and said that she hoped I could be her daughter-in-law.' Shin Hye holds Jang Keun Suk's hand to demonstrate how his mother previously held hers. The interviewer gave them king and queen crowns and told them to pose together.

'However, my ideal man is actor Won Bin,' Park Shin Hye says earnestly.

Upon hearing this, Jang Keun Suk rebukes 'It's ok, I think Kim Ha Neul noona is the prettiest.'

 

CREDITS: Park Shin Hye's International Fan Club

[INTERVIEW] Heartstring's Star, Park Shin Hye's Interview

 

PART I 
During the interview, Park Shinhye kept giving out happy virus with her cute way of speaking and expressive faces. She showed her bright and healthy appeals with the role of Go Minam in the drama “You're Beautiful”, and also as “Gyu Won” in the drama “Heartstrings”. Lee Gyu Won is a college girl who suffers for the future path between gayageum and musical, and also experiences her first love. Park Shinhye provided a sense of affinity to Gyu Won. Park Shinhye plays her roles perfectly and adds her individuality to her roles. We interviewed Park Shinhye who grew up from a child actor to “the next generation Hallyu queen”. 

Interviewer (I): I had an interview with Jung Yonghwa ssi yesterday, and he complimented about you. 
PSH: He actually said the interview was fun, and he also told me that he had complimented about me. So I complained to him saying “why did you do that!? I was gonna tell your secrets!”Lol.

I: Do you often call him? 
PSH: Not on the phone but on the Kakaotalk. Jung Yonghwa ssi is a normal boy who talks on the Kakaotalk with the iPad. LOL

I: You seemed to be busy after the drama “Heartstrings”. You went to Ghana for KFHI volunteer work, right?
PSH: I think it’s after “You are beautiful”, I lose my strength after I finish filming each work. I feel like dragging on the role. (It’s like I’m still in that role.) Actors often travel after they finish their filming, don’t they? I also thought I would go traveling, but then I got opportunities of doing volunteers, so I chose volunteers instead of traveling. I went to Nepal after “You are beautiful”, and this time was Ghana. After I became an honorary ambassador for the non-profit organization, 'KFHI' (Korean Food for the Hungry International), I learned once again that there are so many children who suffer from hunger. That’s why I thought I should go. 

I: That must have been a precious experiment.
PSH: Children in Ghana are very good children. The time when I went to Ghana was the rainy season and the most affluent season that comes only twice a year. And during the other dry season, they have nothing… This time I could see children running in the green. Even though every child is so skinny without enough food, they are so bright. Seeing those children, I received big courage, and I also handed them my warm feelings.

I: You said “dragging on the role.” How is it like? 
PSH: Both Minam and Gyuwon are very cheerful and bright. And these parts are very similar to me. That’s why I often get confused if I was Minam or Park Shinhye. Besides, when I played Gyuwon, I worked with same aged co-actors (same situation when I was Minam), so that made me more confused and dragged me on the role after a while, I guess. 

I: Minam’s character was like a character from a comic. In contradiction to Minam, Gyuwon was close to the reality. Did that part also appeal to you? 
PSH: Yes, that’s right. Minam is an ideal character, like everyone’s dream. Her job is a talent too. In the other hand, Gyuwon has a charm that people can think “Ah, there are this kind of girls. I know someone like her!” I wanted to make Gyuwon to be thought “I wanna go out that kind of girl”, “I want a younger sister like her” or “I want to be her friend”. So I tried to add a human touch to Gyuwon, and was satisfied with the character too.

I: Did you reflect your personalities and habits to the character? 
PSH: Well, Gyuwon walks very lively… I do that sometimes and I have a virile face too…
 

I: Was that your usual way to walk? 
PSH: A… That’s not true. LOL. But I didn’t overstrain myself to walk like that. I used to get nervous in front of cameras, but I can relax these days. I became more natural than before. I think I have many ways of reaction and face expressions from the beginning, so I can naturally show reactions that fit cast mates’ acting. And that is similar to Gyuwon. 

 

PART II
I: Gyuwon often falls or slips and she’s scatterbrain. Are these parts similar to you too? I imagined that you are a meticulous person because your blood type is A. 
PSH: No, I’m not meticulous. Hahaha. Since I’m so naughty, so my male co-actors often tell me I’m tomboyish. I have a girlish face too, but I always bob and weave, walk around alone and bump. So people often say “you are originally feminine, so please, please stay still”. Lol I think I have both faces.

I: Gyuwon has good relationships with her father and grandfather. How about you as a daughter or a granddaughter? 
PSH: Same as the drama. When I went to my hometown, Gwangju, I always watched TV sitting on my grandpa’s knee and said “Grandpa～, hurry. It’s time for dinner”. When I was a child, I often placed myself between dad and mom, and let my father carry me in his arms. I still do it, not as much as in the past though. I still often follow (stick) my father. He’s very tall. When I have fights with my mother, I sometimes tell about it to my father. 

I: Gyuwon is the girl who majors in the Korean traditional instrument- gayageum. I heard you’ve learned how to play and got blisters on your fingers from the gayageum practices. 
PSH: I started learning it one month before the filming started. I practiced it three times a week. I got blisters on my fingers in the beginning, so I wore a bandage. But I took it away, since it broke the mood. 

I: Do you always prepare eagerly for your roles?
PSH: Yes. Whatever it is, I do them thoroughly. It doesn’t matter if it’s a week, a month or year. I do it until I get fed up, and when I think it’s enough, I challenge something new. 

I: Did you get interests in the Korean traditional music and gayageum from this drama? 
PSH: I’ve always loved samulnoli (사물놀이) and traditional Korean music. On the set of “Heartstrings”, I often asked one of my seonbae in 風花("The Windflower"-Gyuwon's band) who played the gayageum with 25 strings (usually gayageum has 12 strings) to play gayageum and listened to it. I used to learn ballet before, and at that time, I wanted to learn traditional Korean dance. Everyone suggested I learn ballet, so I couldn’t learn at that time though. 

I: There was a scene of Gyuwon singing from the first episode. Was it a lot of pressure for you?
PSH: I’d already finished recording before the filming, and at the filming the song recorded was played. So I wasn’t pressured. Besides, I did it a lot in “You are beautiful.”

I: This time you sang for the OST again with the song called “The day we fall in love”. Was there enough time for practice? 
PSH: There was little time for practice. Maybe one or two days… ? But since the production of the OST was the same as “You are beautiful” (=FNC MUSIC), and the CEO Han Seung Ho ssi knew my favorite type and style of music well, so recording went well. We also did sound check when I had vocal training. Well, I think I’m linked to FNC MUSIC by fate. The song has a good mood, but I had a hard time recording because I had a cold at that time. It’s a pity I would have done better… maybe.. 

I: How did you feel when you heard the recorded song? 
PSH: Ah～ That’s my voice. Lol 

I: It was your second time co-acting with Jung Yonghwa ssi. Did he change? 
PSH: I thought “He has grown up” in a good sense. “You are beautiful” was the first work for Yonghwa, and he was a real freshman. He had a difficult time not knowing what and how to do at that time, but this time he did easily what he used to struggle. So I thought “he’s totally different from that time”. Maybe since he’s been appearing on many variety programs and shows as a singer, he has now an instantaneous force, so I thought “well, I should learn from him”. I don’t appear on variety programs at all, so I don’t have so many instantaneous forces. His attitude about analyzing and learning act have also changed a lot. 

I: How about his human qualities? Did they change? 
PSH: No, I don’t think so. Same as before. Gentle, bright and a mood-maker. 

I: The relationship not only with Yonghwa ssi but with Jang Keunsuk ssi and Lee Hongki ssi is still good, isn’t it? 
PSH: Yes. They are all my precious company. Not only I do think so, but the others think the same, I believe. At that time, we really worked as one, so we have a special relationship. Of course “Heartstrings” is the same. 

I: I watched NG scenes (BTS). You and Yonghwa ssi were awkward while you were filming romantic scenes. Was it hard because you two are very good friends? 
PSH: Yes, it’s true. Actually it’s weird that we filmed that kind of scenes. We usually joke with each other. When I say “hey～, stop it～” in a dialect of Busan on purpose, he responses “what are you～? (너뭐야～？)” in a dialect too. Our relationship is like that. So, it’s of course awkward that we shyly held hands in front of the camera! I even once said “Yonghwa, this scene is impossible!” 

I: In which romantic love scene did you make NGs most? 
PSH: I think it was the scene when Yonghwa said the line “you’ve fallen for me, haven’t you?” When the director said “cut”, every staff’s reaction was like “gah (goose-bumpy)” … 

I: The scene when you two ate Ramen was very natural. Was it an improvisation (ad-lib)? 
PSH: Yes, it was an improvisation. There were lines in the first half, but the director didn’t say “cut” after we’d finished our lines. The camera was still filming us too. So I made him eat an egg saying “ok, you eat this egg”, and we kept acting. 

I: I got touched by the scene you sang crying behind the stage of the 100th anniversary performance. 
PSH: At that time I was feeling emotionally overwrought, and couldn’t think about other things. When I was filming tears dropped naturally. 

PART III
I: When I was on the set, I saw Shinhye ssi started crying as soon as the filming started. You can cry so well, but you say “I’m not good at crying act”. 
PSH: I started acting when I was a child, but at that time I didn’t know how to express emotional scenes well. It didn’t matter if I did how directors told me or considered by myself, I could not do well. I tended to play roles that were older than my actual age, but I didn’t know wistfulness of love or sadness of losing a loved one at all. Besides, actors have to cry beautifully, so that was hard too. I was often scolded by directors about that, so it became the trauma for me. The mental pressure like “I have to cry well”, I guess. It is recently said that “Shinhye is good at crying”, but I actually have very hard time thinking all day about that scene on the shooting day. Even Yonghwa who is always playful, doesn’t tease me on those days. 

I: At first Gyuwon disliked Shin, then she started liking him after she’d seen him singing. Do you also instantaneously fall in love or find someone’s appeal? 
PSH: It happens when I look into someone’s eyes. I think. It might be the look in one's eyes? I’m now talking facing with you (the interviewer) too, and I think it is very important. It is difficult to empathize with each other, isn’t it? I think there are surprisingly many people who talk not looking into people’s eyes. I think they are not shy (embarrassed) but not used to it. But I like to talk looking into the other person’s eyes, so for me eyes are important. 

I: I think normal early 20’s girls do care appearances. 
PSH: I like people (men) who smile with eyes and whose smiles are beautiful. I want to meet men like that. Well, I think I’ve grown up enough for that, but I haven’t met…

I: The communication among the band “wind flowers” looked very natural. Are you girls close in the real life too? 
PSH: Seonbaes of “wind flowers” are older than me, so they treated me kindly. They supported and cared about me a lot. I still keep in touch with Im Se Mi seonbae (the role of Bowoon), and we decided to go to a zoo with lunch boxes～!

I: Gyuowon’s college-girl-fashion with long skirts, sneakers and backpacks became popular. Did you provide your ideas of styling? 
PSH: Stylists provided ideas, but I also joined. Our goal was “let’s make styling that are seen among real college girls!” So, I didn’t wear high heels. It’s impossible to run with gayageum in high heels, right? When I told them instead of high heels, I prefer long skirts, sneakers or loafers and backpack. I was told “girls nowadays don’t wear like that”. In the half beginning of the drama, people wondered “why is Shinhye wearing those kinds of clothes”. However, it slowly got interests and college girls imitated Gyuwon’s fashion at the end. 

I: You appeared with long hair late in the drama, and that was your idea, right?
PSH: I wanted to show the time passage, so I thought I’d better change my hair style. Well, Gyuwon in the beginning was cheerful with wavy bobbed hair, but I wanted to make Gyuwon one year later mature. There were wistful feelings for Shin and time passages during that one year, so I decided to change the length of my hair. 

I: I was very worried that you had an accident during the drama filming. You returned to the set a few days after the accident, but I believe that was very hard. 
PSH: I felt “Oh, it’s different from how I was before the accident”. I had a hard time, because I got easily pain after I moved a bit, and my body got exhausted so fast. Since I was sitting cross-legged, I got all the impacts on my knees. So after that my feet get swollen easily if I keep standing for a long time or if I overwork. Bruises didn’t go away for a while too. That’s why I had to wear long skirts. Gyuwon’s fashions’ basic item was a long skirt, but before the accident I sometimes wore one-piece. People who didn’t know about the accident wondered “why does she always wear long skirts in such a hot summer?”. 

I: I believe cheers from fans encouraged you. 
PSH: I got lots of cheers from viewers and fans. And I was encouraged by staffs a lot. People whom I contact directly are the director and staffs at the set. They cared about me so much, so I’m still very grateful. The number of scenes of crying got increased in the late of drama. There was a day I had to film crying scenes all day on the set, and staffs prepared so well not to take long for me. 

I: You must have been suffered from hotness. 
PSH: The dramas and movies which I worked tended to start filming in winters and end in springs or start in falls and end in winters. “Cyrano Agency” (’10) started shooting in March and ended in May, so that means it had ended before the hot summer came. So it was my first time filming in the hot summer, and I thought “summer is also hard!”. It was good that we could film the day scenes for a long time in the summer, but it was sooooo hot! 

I: I heard the mood of the set was really good. What were the reasons? 
PSH: There was no one who thinks only about themselves. Things don’t go well if people think about their pros and cons a lot, but everyone from this drama was thinking others more than about themselves. Even when we made personal statements, we tried not to make troubles for others. Since the center of this drama was young casts, if we hadn’t had seonbaes’ cooperation, the situation must have been more difficult. Song Chang Ui seonbae, So Yi Hun seonbae and every other cast and staff backed up us and lead us. I think it was very hard for seonbaes too, but they worked hard silently. All the staffs were very friendly from the very first day of shooting. It’s usually awkward at the first meets. But for my surprise, when I said “good morning” on the first day of shooting, the friendly reply saying “ hi～, good morning!” came back. So at that moment, I thought “the mood of this drama is different!”. 

I: Would you tell us the appeals of the drama?
PSH: First of all, it’s very fresh and balmy. It differs from “You are beautifull” that this drama is more realistic, and it makes you more imagine and more excited. I think everyone has memories of first love, and this story could happen to anyone. I think this drama is the drama that makes viewers totally absorbed in. There is an expression often used “viewers possess the characters (viewers start thinking themselves as if they are the characters of dramas)”. I think this drama is certainly that kind of drama, and it’s also my wish. 

I: After “You are beautiful”, your popularity in Asia has grown so much that you are now called “Next generation Hallyu queen”. Do you feel your popularity by yourself?
PSH: To be honest, I don’t have actual feeling yet. Because, I haven’t held my own fan meetings or something like that yet. However, when I went to Ghana for the volunteer, I went there by way of Dubai, and there were some people who recognized me. That was wondering for me. By using twitter, etc, I had known there were fans in Singapore, but never imagined there were in Dubai. I realized how big the influence of “You are beautiful” is.

I: You have transformed a lot since your debut. What kind of figures do you want to show in the future?
PSH: Well, I feel a bit strange hearing that kind of questions. I don’t have any specific direction (category). I just let it be, and I want to show my natural figures. I’m very glad being told that I transformed naturally from a child actor to a matured actress. I think it made better that I didn’t try too hard to act grown-up. I want to continue to choose works that fit me. I want to try action, suspense and heavy soap operas too, but it’s not that easy. So I’ll take time and challenge.

I: Would you give greetings for Japanese fans who cheer you?
PSH: I receive many letters from Japanese fans, and messages on twitter too. I sometimes tweet in Japanese. But I haven’t had chances to talk face to face. I want to see each other soon. If it’s possible during my drama (“Heartstrings”) is being broadcasted… Please, wait a bit! I will continue to appear in works without stopping, so please look forward. Please give a lot of love to “Heartstrings” too! 

CREDITS: Park Shin Hye's International Fan Club