[Exclusive] Jeon Ji Hyun, Jo In Sung, Song Joong Gi’s Acting Coach Ahn Hyuk Mo: “Ways to Become a Successful Actor in Korea?”

As we have previously reported, entertainment company Sidus HQ’s acting academy “C.A.S.T. by iHQ,” will be launching its global acting program “2011 Summer Intensive Acting Workshop” targeting foreign aspiring actors this coming July. With C.A.S.T’s first global project approaching, Ahn Hyuk Mo, director of C.A.S.T. and acting coach for stars Jang Hyuk, Jeon Ji Hyun, Jo In Sung, Song Joong Gi, Han Ye Seul, Philip Lee, Super Junior’s Choi Si Won, SBS “Sign” Hwang Sun Hee, shared some valuable advice for those who are interested in becoming star actors in Korea.

#1. Stay determined.

Aspiring actors from overseas tend to be more optimistic and laid back, which is their strength. On the other hand, they can be overly lenient to themselves as well, which is their weakness. Korean actors fundamentally have the notion of being desperate to excel in acting. They’re very ambitious and fast in absorbing new materials. However, aspiring actors from overseas tend to be content with even small accomplishments and more relaxed about stepping up to the next level. Then the speed won’t pick up. It’s vital that you change your mindset and attitude.

#2. Train hard so that you can properly pronounce Korean.

Many who come to Korea end up learning Korean the improper way since they can  still manage to get around with basic communication. If you would like to discard that idea and learn how to fix your Korean pronunciation, think of learning Korean as fixing your dialect accent. Rather than simply listening and repeating what your friends and family members say, you would take a different approach of strictly sticking to learning the standard pronunciation. There’s also the method that Koreans use when learning English, by recording and constantly repeating the lines said by actors who have good pronunciation and speaking skills. If you continue to repeat the lines, you will come to understand what the natural accent is.

#3. Become interested in Korean culture and sentiment.

In order to become an actor in Korea, you need to understand the Korean language well. Conversation and acting are two different issues. You need to become more interested in Korean culture and sentiment and learn how to express them well.

Originally written by song@soompi, translated by cherryspirit@soompi, Photos taken by studio_v (studio_v@naver.com)