Last November 11, rising K-Drama star Park Hyungsik, famous for roles such as Sam Maekjong from Hwarang: The Poet Warrior and Jo Myungsoo from The Heirs appeared before his Filipino fans as Pulp Live World presented 2017 Park Hyungsik First Love in Manila fanmeeting at the Kia Theatre.
Prior to the fanmeeting, Hyungsik met with members of the press to discuss his blossoming acting career. Currently airing on GMA-7 is his first leading role as CEO of a gaming company Ahn Minhyuk in the romantic comedy Strong Woman Do Bongsoon acting alongside Park Boyoung. He revealed that during the filming, he was worried because some audiences might dislike Bongsoon’s “weird” personality. He says that usually men are portrayed as more powerful than women, but in Strong Woman, Bongsoon is the one protecting Minhyuk. He was relieved that the drama was as well-received here in the Philippines as it was in Korea.
Park feels that when he is in the middle of acting, the harmony with the other actors, the director, and staff is when he is at his happiest as an actor. He says that everyone on set has their set roles and when they all work hard to fulfill those roles, the synergy coming from that fuels his acting. He also believes that the audience can feel that passion from the cast and crew when they watch dramas.
Looking at his past roles, Park believes that his personality in real life is closest to the carefree Myungsoo from The Heirs. He describes his perfect day in three words: “Play. Eat. Sleep.” He explains that a day when he can fully relax without having to think or worry about anything — a day when he can freely play games, go to a noraebang, drink with friends, and other “normal, everyday” activities — would be in his opinion, a perfect day. He adds that he’s also similar to Minhyuk from Strong Woman, but that he needs to be more “high” and to sustain that “high-ness” to become like the haughty yet endearing gaming company CEO.
When asked about what kind of movie he wants to do, he replies that since he has not yet been exposed to movie acting, he is eager to try any role or genre that comes his way. However, he is personally interested in challenging himself with action movies, especially science fiction films like The Avengers and Transformers. In addition, a role that he would like to try in the future is that of a vampire or werewolf similar to those in the Twilight franchise. He admits that he is particularly confident in his abilities as an actor to portray an Edward Cullen-like character.
Regarding his first solo fanmeeting in the Philippines, he expresses that since visiting Tacloban to help with the relief efforts for typhoon Yolanda in Korean variety show Real Man, he has been wanting to visit again because he received a good impression from Filipinos. He mentions that he would love to try scuba diving in one of the diving spots here, as it is a hobby he enjoys to relieve stress in his spare time. He’s very glad that he returned as actor Park Hyungsik to properly meet his fans.
On his plans for the next year, he responds that he is very thankful for all the love and support he has received for Strong Woman in 2017, but says that he’s not going to make Filipino fans wait long before he comes back. In 2018, he will be playing the gifted Go Yeonwoo (Mike Ross) to Jang Donggun’s Choi Kyungseo (Harvey Specter) in the Korean adaptation of the legal drama Suits set for broadcast in the first half of the year on KBS2.
