Park Seo Joon Talks About Finding Inspiration For His Characters, How Fans Motivate Him, And More
Park Seo Joon answered questions from fans in a new Q&A video on his official YouTube channel!
The video uploaded on October 7 includes Park Seo Joon responding to a fan who asked if the reason he’s become more playful lately is that he’s picked it up from his younger idol friends. He laughed and explained that there are times when he acts very rationally, but when he gets excited, his playfulness just comes out naturally. He shared that he thinks fans might think that he seems more playful lately because he’s able to show more of himself on YouTube.
Park Seo Joon was also asked if he has any unique senses or skills. “As an actor, I try to notice every trivial thing,” he said. While he clarified that he doesn’t think of it as a skill but more of a habit, he went on to explain that he’s always observing other people to gain inspiration for the characters he’s playing.
“I used to sit on the subway and look at the person seated across from me and wonder, ‘How does this person live their life?'” he said. “I’ve heard that it can be a great help when creating characters. It’s become a habit of mine to observe.” He shared examples such as the way that a person reading a newspaper might have their legs crossed or fold the paper in a unique way, and said that he takes some of these details to use when he’s creating his own characters.
One question from a fan was about when Park Seo Joon felt the the most strength because of the actions of a fan supporting him. The actor replied that fans are a source of motivation for him, and he described how working in such a repetitive way on set without rest can sometimes make him feel like a machine, which puts him in a daze.
“I try to return to my original intentions and tell myself, ‘You shouldn’t feel like that!'” he said. He explained that comments from fans about his work are a source of motivation for him at those times. “For example, after I finish a project, people will comment to say things like, ‘I was feeling so down but watching Park Seo Joon’s work made me feel healed,’ or ‘I was going through a lot of struggles but I was at least happy during those moments.’ When I see that, it makes me feel encouraged.”
Park Seo Joon celebrated his eighth debut anniversary this summer, and he was asked by a fan what role he’d like to take on once he reaches his 10th anniversary.
“As an actor, when it comes to landing a project, the timing has to be right,” he said. “What I want to do is important but what people want me to do at the time is also really important. And to be realistic, the production situation and investments are really important too. A project comes together when all of those things match.”
“So what role I want to play isn’t the most important thing, if I’m to look ahead to two years from now,” he said. “Rather than waiting for a role, I have to go and seek it out. When I want a role with a certain mood, I particularly look out for works like that. And I think that it’s fate when I land a certain work at a certain time.” Park Seo Joon added that he feels that way about the drama he’s filming now as well, “Itaewon Class.”
Watch Park Seo Joon’s Q&A below with English subtitles!
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