Interview: Park Sihoo on Lovely Horribly

Our multi talented, multi faceted Oppa Park Sihoo-ssi. Learn more about him in the interviews!

Kstyle Japan and Korepo released official interviews with Park Sihoo-ssi in October 2019 on his role in KBS’ “Lovely Horribly” or in Japan, known as “Lovely Star Lovely”. During the interviews, our favorite actor not only shared how he felt about the drama and his co-stars but also what he did on his days-off and his love for Japan.

The original releases of the interviews were in Japanese. There were overlapping questions in the interviews but some specific to Korepo. ParkSihooSsi.com has provided below a courtesy, non-verbatim translation into English for your reading pleasure. The first section is where both Kstyle and Korepo carried the same interview questions. The second section contains questions covered by Korepo. Enjoy!

One of the most memorable scenes in Lovely Horribly

Legend: Q = Question; PSH = Park Sihoo-ssi

Section One: Interview questions covered by both Kstyle and Korepo

Q: Please share what you consider to be the appeal of Philip Yu.

PSH: Philip Yu is quite a personality. If there is something he wanted to say, he will say it and he is quite greedy. I don’t see many characters like this in traditional (Korean) dramas. Usually, the main character of a drama tries to behave coolly, but he is not honest. Philip is different and that is his charm.

This drama presented different sides of the main character, somewhat silly and yet funny.  And this time I opened my heart and tried my very best to act out Philip Yu (laughs). I think his personality will be conveyed to the audience of the drama, so please look out for it.

Q: Did you contribute any idea to the filming

PSH: Yes, I did. And the director adopted my ideas and respected my improvisation. Thanks to that, I was able to immerse myself fully as Philip Yu. An example of this is the scene where he met the ghost of his ex-girlfriend Rayeong around the middle of the drama. Philip had a strange feeling and he smiled at Eulsun. I suggested to let the viewers see that he was smiling at Rayeong. It will appear that he noticed Rayeong and smiled, but in fact, he was looking at Eulsun. The director accepted my proposal.

Most entertaining Philip Yu

Q: Please share the most difficult scene

PSH: I struggled the most with the scene where I fell from a building. I can’t forget this as it took three days out in the hot sun to film this less than a minute scene. As an actor, if your face got sunburned, it will be really bad. In addition, I was hung by a wire under the rain for three days! It would have been fine if it had been real rain, but I was drenched by a sprinkler that was simulating rain and was under the hot sun, hung on a wire. It will be really hard to forget this scene.

Q: There is a scene where you played the piano

PSH: When I was in elementary school, my mother enrolled me for piano classes. Within two weeks, I figured that this doesn’t quite fit into my personality. I learnt piano for only 2 weeks (laughs). From the memory of that two-week, I emulated the motion of playing the piano, but I didn’t actually play it.

Q: Is there any instrument you are good at?

PSH: I learned a bit of guitar and drum. I am more confident with drums and I play it better than other instruments.

Ah….that chemistry both on and off the screen!

Q: How was your working relationship with Song Jihyo?

PSH: I met Ms Song Jihyo the first time over a dining table. At that time, she spoke only a few words. Her schedule was tight and she seemed to be busy with filming of movies and variety shows. Maybe because she was tired, she didn’t appear to have much to say about the drama. But when the shooting began, her natural, bright personality came out. She is a cheerful person who greeted and took care of the other co-stars and staff. She is considerate and popular with the staff. Her interaction with me was also perfect.

Q: How was your performance with Hightlight’s Lee Gikwang?

PSH: He is a multi talented entertainer. Of course, he is good at acting and his impromptu delivery is strong which is good. The two of us rehearsed the script several times.  Newcomers are rather nervous, so we exchanged opinions while running through the script with one another.  Thanks to that, I could relax while filming. Needless to say he is a good singer but I also think he has a high ability as an actor with a good future. He and the other co-stars were great and worked well together and the set was very friendly.

Flamboyant star!

Q: How was the performance with Kim Eunsoo, the fortune teller?

PSH: It was a lot of fun on the set. The fortune teller played by Kim Eunsoo is really funny (laughs). His role is of the person who watched over Philip. There were many impromptu performances on the scene, it was very interesting, so I try to maximize the cooperation with Kim Eunsoo. His fully presented his appeal and it was a really fun shoot. In the early stages, the audience often asked: “Why do you want to do this?” I was quite worried too, but gradually the role fitted well.

Q: What are some of the most memorable episodes?

PSH: This drama has a lot of fun scenes and the set was fun. There were a lot of funny scenes though there were also scary ones. If you say a memorable scene … the chair scene! After shooting that scene, my body ached and I had to go for a massage. If you are a normal person, you wouldn’t put your shoulders into a place where your neck won’t fit. That scene took a long time to film and was really hard but fun. Bending over the legs of the chair, if you are not strong physically, you won’t last 5 minutes. Even though I was suffering while being photographed, I will remember it well because it looked funny on the screen (laughs).

Q: It was a difficult episode

PSH: Exactly. It was an episode that I had to struggle and will remember. The staff was amused and  thought it interesting.  I am the only one that found it hard (laughs).

So charming he melts hearts

Q: What did you want to do the most after the filming?

PSH: I wanted to sleep after the end of the drama. At the time of the last shooting, I had not slept properly for about 40-50 hours, and I just had to continue to shoot. I slept only for a short while before I had to move again. If you are too tired, you can’t sleep even if you wanted to sleep. I suffered a nosebleed after filming continuously for 24 hours as I was really exhausted. I wanted to sleep at the end of everything.

However, no matter how tired I was, I could wake up after sleeping for 5-6 hours. Looks like my body had adapted to the shooting schedule (laughs). After living like this for a while, my body got used to lack of sleep. Jihyo gave the same answer. All the actors were short of sleep … it was a fight against sleepiness.

Q: How do you spend your days off?

PSH: I go out to the suburbs on off days. I like camping. If you go to a forest or the seaside with a close acquaintance, you can be healed by barbecuing and eating meat. I like to travel, so I often go abroad. I don’t do anything while on the road and get rejuvenated by the refreshing breeze. Sometimes I read the script for the next project. I love camping and listening to music while at it.

I often go to Japan where there are lush forests in the countryside of Japan and where I can take a forest bath, go to a hot spring and eat delicious food. When I have time, I go to Japan and take a rest. This is because I can get recharged just by staying for a few days. In the countryside I will not be noticed because I travel around by car. If I get noticed, I would be thankful and say “Thank you”. I’m glad to meet my fans on the road.

What is our Oppa’s favorite pastime?

Q: What is your hobby now?

PSH: I like riding a bicycle. Exercise is essential. I also like walking and I walk around the nearby Han River for 1-2 hours every day. Other than that, after “My Golden Life”, I skydived in Guam. I also like scuba diving.

Q: You seem to go to Japan often, but what do you eat when you go to Japan?

PSH: Japanese food is delicious. Ramen is particularly delicious and I also love tempura. I like shrimp tempura and there are shops that I go to that my fans know about. Rather than stay in the city, I often go to the suburbs and the countryside. I will search for forests and beaches. One day I want to travel to Japan on a camper van. Is camping thriving in Japan?

Q: Where do you want to go in Japan?

PSH: I have been to many places in Japan. I have never been to Okinawa (not at the time of interview), but I heard that it is a good place, so I would like to go there if there is an opportunity. I’ve been to Sapporo in the north, but I want to go there again.

Q: Please give a message to the audience in Japan.

PSH: Hello, everyone. This is Park Sihoo who is playing the role of Philip Yu in “Lovely Star Lovely” (aka “Lovely Horribly”). “Lovely Star Lovely” is a drama that combines various genres. There are so many interesting elements that you can enjoy without getting bored. Philip, whom I play, is also an attractive person. I am looking forward to presenting my unprecedented charm. Please watch the drama “Lovely Star Lovely”.

Park Sihoo-ssi open sharing of his character Philip Yu during the interviews

Credits – Many thanks! Kstyle Japan, Kandera, NBC Universal, ParkSihooSsi.com, ParkSihooHongKong.com