Interview 2012: Action star, Part 2

Interview with action movie actor Park Sihoo, Part 2

Q: Do you show different aspects (Nance: of yourself) depending on the gender of the reporter?

PSH: Not really, but some male journalists try to find out something about me sometimes. I have to careful when they do that. Other than that, I tend to speak frankly. It is good to be honest and not to hide anything. In addition, most of the reporters I have met in interviews have been female reporters.

Q: Maybe there are quite a few female reporters who want to interview Park Sihoo. (Laugh). By the way, you said earlier they were “trying to find out something from you”. What do you mean by that?

PSH: There are many things. There is also the acting part. Oh, there are people who will ask why Sihoo is so popular with women. When I get such a question, I don’t really know how to answer. What should I say? (Laugh)

He performed all the actions like a pro

Q: Do you want to be an actor who gets more support from men?

PSH: I am sure there are also male fans. Hahaha. It is a matter of taste. My appearance itself is not so masculine. Men seem to prefer a really masculine man. I like Jaeyoung’s style.

Q: Is he interesting and comfortable? (Nance: Maybe the question should be “Is Jung Jaeyoung interesting and comfortable to communicate with?”)

PSH: Yeah! Hahaha. If you are with me, the male reporters will ask senior Jaeyoung, and the female reporters will ask me me questions.

Q: Let us talk about dramas for a while. Starting with “Prosecutor Princess” which gave birth to the “Seo Byun Syndrome” to “Queen of Reversals” and “The Princess Man” where the works were related to “Princess” or “Queen” (Nance: meaning they were related to the female characters).

PSH: I’ve never thought about the titles, but you are right. This upcoming drama is also called “Cheongdamdong Alice”.

It is no exaggeration to say that I changed my image through “Confession of Murder” but I think I am a little late in trying to change my image. After “Princess Prosecutor” and “Queen of Reversals” I chose the historical dram “The Princess Man.” I was worried that my melo image may be solidified so I seek to take on something different.

“The Princess’s Man” has the distinction of being a historical drama. If it weren’t a historical drama, I wouldn’t have done it. I also find it unproductive to present the same image and at some point in time, it will become stale. It would no longer be refreshing. “The Princess Man” came at an opportune time. I liked the fact that it was a historical genre and the script was solid, and the character Kim Seungyu also looked attractive. At first, he was like a quiet intellectual, but later he became a revengeful person. I thought I could show you different aspects.

In the meantime, I received a proposal to appear in this movie, but I didn’t intend to do it at first. Two days after the drama “The Princess Man” ends its filming, the movie will start filming. It is not easy to get into another work two days after finishing the current work. By the way, the character is that of a murderer. Even though he was a murderer, there was a drama in it.

I was greedy. I didn’t want to miss another good piece of work. It took me a long time to get to this position after I started acting. And it took me 10 years to take on a lead role, so I have a lot of desire to work. This is an opportunity. If I miss this, I will regret it, so I decided to appear even though it was an impossible schedule.

PSH: At that time, I would have felt frozen to the bones. (Nance: he probably meant “highly worried”) A movie is a work that should not be half-baked. I was cast as soon as my dramas “Let’s Get Married” and “Which Star Are You From?” were finished. At that time, there were many proposals for dramas. I chose a movie when I could do more dramas.

I did many months of preparation but was suddenly replaced just before the shooting started. I was resigned because my name (Nance: reputation) was of not much value and I couldn’t draw investors. The movie world is really cold. Even though you can spend time together like a family, the situation can change at a moment’s notice. 

After that, I had one year of blank slate. Even if I wanted to do a drama, I couldn’t do it immediately because I have missed the timing. In the meantime, another piece of  work came by chance, but after a few days, the role was also changed to another actor.

Q: Were you impatient?

PSH: I have an overly optimistic personality. I quickly forget the bad things, thinking that I can exorcise them. I have confidence that someday it will all work out, even in the most elusive situation. If the casting is overturned, I will wait thinking a better piece of work will come along.

Actually, the next day I got in contact with another PD. He wanted to cast me, but he had to give up because he had cast someone else first. He contacted me as soon as he heard that I was available. As a result, I played a more important role in the drama than that one. My progress had been step by step since then.

His image in transformation

Q: The beginning of acting for Park Sihoo was in the theater. I can’t really imagine you standing on the stage in a live theater.

PSH: I am from the countryside. It was the theater that I first set foot into since coming to Seoul from the countryside. I entered Lee Sangpa Theater Company through someone who knew them. While posting theatrical posters and distributing invitations, I suddenly starred in their casting. I couldn’t act, but I was allowed to do it because of my clean image. (Laugh) I was very lucky. For the time being, my profile was in the leading title.

Later, I appeared as an extra in dramas to build up my profile. I wrote down the names of the dramas one by one on my profile, which helped me a lot. Why? It is hard to tell if it was a minor role just by looking at my profile I starred in the play. My appearance was also perfect so they look at me with different lens. It was all thanks to my appearance (Nance: as in in his good looks). (Laugh)

At first, if a proposal came in, it didn’t matter whether it was a big or small role. (Nance: he probably took on whatever role he was offered then) But at some point I thought I shouldn’t do this. If I did, I would have played minor roles for the rest of my life. From then on, I thought about the importance of the casting. When I get a call, I would ask what was the role. Even the son of a rich man wanted to play the role of a security personnel or a friend of the main character. This way, he will he be able to catch the attention of the director.

Watch out for more from action star Park Sihoo

Q: You seem to have learned you personal value quickly.

PSH: Everywhere I went, I drew a lot of attention. No matter what I did, I got a reaction, so I naturally gained confidence. (Laugh) I received many business cards from the managers on the street. I don’t know why I didn’t visit them then. I think I was confident that I could do well by myself, even though I don’t know anything.

Q: What was Seoul like for Park Sihoo when you first arrived in the city?

PSH: I had a dream and thought with confidence, I will walk a certain path. By the way, I was like a frog in a  well. I came to Seoul believing in the words of an elderly countryman who said that I would be successful in the acting world. I was a totally ignorant then. It was not easy to adapt.

Of course, I didn’t have a house to stay in Seoul. At that time, my uncle ran a health club in Bangbae-dong, and there was a space in the underground passageway where they stored drink cartons. I put a cot in that space and started living in Seoul.

I was very happy at that time because I came to Seoul with almost no money. And I had a place to stay, had my own space and can exercise alone at night. I went to the theater company during the day and worked out at night and lived like that. But if you want to go to bed at dawn, someone will knock on the iron gate (Nance; of the gym) to go for work out maybe around 5 am. That was quiet scary and I lost weight after living for a year and a half like that.

Confession by actor movie star Park Sihoo

Q:  You can’t sleep?

PSH: I can’t sleep. Finally I got a room. I packed my bags quickly and headed to the boarding house. But that day was Sunday, and I couldn’t prepare the deposit. In the countryside, we would have been given 2-3 days grace, so I asked them to open the door and I will pay them on Monday. But they will never open the door. I had no idea what to do with my luggage. It was not easy to accept that Seoul was like that and that I had to adapt to the Seoul way. In the end, I spent the night at an Internet cafe and went into my room after I prepared the money the next day.

Q: Did you ever wish there was a statute of limitations in your memory? In other words, what memories do you want to erase from your life?

PSH: No, I don’t have a moment I want to forget. If I have erased anything, I wouldn’t be here and become who I am now. I have never wanted to do anything else other than acting. I only saw what was in front of me and ran after it. I still have a long way to go in the future. This is my first movie. I believe that if you go up step by step, you will eventually be able to take the seat you want someday.

Credits – Many thanks!  Movist, ParkSihooSsi.com, ParkSihooHongKong.com