Park Si Hoo interviewed by SOHU in February 2009, part 2

 Motto :“You have to dream, you have to have a vision, and you have to set a goal for yourself that might even scare you a little because sometimes that seems far beyond your reach. Then I think you have to develop a kind of resistance to rejection, and to the disappointments that are sure to come your way.”- Gregory Peck

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Q: Now that you've become so popular and have become a skilled drama actor, do you have any thoughts of acting in films/movies?
Park Si Hoo: Of course I am interested to try movie roles. But right now, I must concentrate on TV drama. Maybe later, if I am offered good movie roles, I would definitely like to take on the challenge of movie acting.

Q: Recently, "Family Honor" has become very popular. As the cool and romantic male lead, some of your lines require you to be both charming and corny at the same time. Did this present any challenge to you as an actor? 

Credit: MultiKimjisun, Thanks!

Park Si Hoo: (Shaking his head after thinking about it) Actualy, no. I've always specialized in romantic characters. (Big Laugh) I am joking!!!

Q:"Dreams" are a common theme in Korean dramas. What is your dream? This is a question that we always ask in our interviews. What was your dream when you were a child?
Park Si Hoo:When I was very young, I wanted to be a scientist. Later, I wanted to be an interior designer. And at 20, Park Si Hoo dreamed of being an actor.

Q:After 11 years of acting, what is his goal now and far is he from this goal?
Park Si Hoo:I feel as if I have just recently begun, and my goal is that as I become older, I can continue to improve my acting skills and talents, and be even more recognized and accepted by others. If I can be like Sean Connery at age 60, yet still attract a young audience that would be the best.

"Perhaps I'm not a good actor, but I would be even worse at doing anything else." - Sir Sean Connery

After playing several roles with similar characters, Park Si Hoo expressed an interest in trying some something new. So the desire to be the villain or the comic have become common themes in his interviews. Park Si Hoo said: “I really want to play the kind of character that is originally very nice, but one day suddenly becomes a very frightening person. Don’t you think Christian Bale’s portrayal in the movie “American Psycho” let people feel a sharp pain? A character that suddenly turns from normality to pure evil is very alluring.”

Q: Which Korean star would you most want to work with?

Park Si Hoo: Hwang Jung Min. I want to learn acting from him.

Q:What do you most want to do when you are on vacation?

Park Si Hoo:I want to go travel. Even if I cannot go abroad for vacation, within Korea, going hiking in the mountains is good.

He laughed and added, “But now that I am older, it will be much tougher than before.”

Q:If you travel, where would you most want to go?

Park Si Hoo:I want to go to see South America, or Africa. Before, out of all the places I’ve been to, Turkey’s Istanbul gave me the most lasting impression. While there, I could feel both the Eastern and Western cultures.

And if you ask where he would like to go with a girlfriend, his reply would be to go backpacking with her around the world.

Low-key introvert with rarely any rumors or gossips, and even asked for his past love story, he would only smile without answering. But, asides from the busy life of a star, there are still the lonely time, “Always feel lonely during autumn” he said. He has partnered up with Bae Doo-Na, Jung Ryeo-Won and Han Hyo Joo in his works, but in real life, does he not have the time to fall in love? Park Si Hoo said : ”No it isn't because I don’t have time, then I don’t fall in love. But I always feel lonely in autumn, I am not the kind of person that will not fall in love easily, but once I am in love, I do not give up easily. As for marriage, I do not want to consider it at this time. After all, at this time, my career is more important. Marriage will probably be after 35.“

Q: What kind of person you are looking for in a wife?

Park Si Hoo: If I say that I do not care about her appearance, then I must be lying. But rather than appearance, I care more about my first impression, and I think good character/integrity and common language is more important than beauty.

Mr. Park Si Hoo is not a smooth talker that makes big speeches, he often answers question with smiles and silence. When asked about his past love relationships, he even blushed and said "I’ve had a few, but these are my personal valued secrets."

Although Mr. Park Si Hoo often mentioned a discontent with his own acting in the previous interviews, but his quote: "Men start from 30” showed us his perseverance for many years and good attitude and spirit.

Q: Of all roles you’ve ever played, which character you feel is most similar to you?
Park Si Hoo : It is the character role in the drama "Let's get married". I would not say it is 100% like me, but has many similarities. Because I am same as this character, always give people the first impression of being cold.

Q: Please use one sentence to describe yourself, what kind of person is Park Si Hoo?
Park Si Hoo : A little embarrassed to say this about myself, I'm an easy person to get along with.

Q: Please use one sentence to describe your life from between your age 20 to 30?
Park Si-Hoo: Filled with passion, to become an actor, for better acting skill, really full of passion for everything!

Q: What kind of actor do you wish to become in 10 years?
Park Si Hoo : Compare with being a Star, I’d rather wish that I am an good actor in the heart of the viewers. Although I still have many deficiencies, but I think for the next ten years I will worker harder to polish myself, and let more audience to recognize and accept my acting.

Q: With regards to your rapidly rising popularity, do you feel any pressure?
Park Si Hoo : I’ve been an actor for almost 11 years. Although I’ve taken few years of breaks due to military service and etc, but it took me 11 years to achieve the current result. For an actor, it may be kind of slow. But, in the past 11 years, I’ve acted in the main roles and supporting roles. I’ve matured through these roles and experiences, therefore, I do not worried too much. And, didn’t everyone say, men’s career starts officially when he reaches 30?

As the Sohu Korean Wave’s Special Interview Reporter, I’ve met Mr. Park Si Hoo at the “Family Honor” shooting location. We’ve met at the warm SBS studio at our appointment time. Before the interview, while chatting with Mr. Park, I’ve found that although he is very cool and direct, he is also very easy going and down to earth. He seems to be quite happy and excited to find out about his popularity in China. He even mentioned that if there is a chance, he would like to go to China to meet his Chinese fans.

While waiting for the interview, I’ve had the opportunity to chat with his co-workers and the drama staff. We’ve found him to be especially popular with his team. His popularity is not only because of his nice personality and friendliness, but most importantly, his professionalism and his relentless efforts. This is apparent by all. But what is most surprising is that although Mr. Park says that he is an introvert and an actor that is not good with words, in reality he just needs time to get warmed up. Once you get to know him, you’ll find that he actually has a really good sense of humor. A striking handsome man that says jokes; it is not just your ordinary sense of humor, he is FUNNY!

In his past interviews, Mr. Park mentioned his own dissatisfaction with his own acting skill. “Isn't there the saying that a man’s career officially start when he turns 30?”, he once said. That lets us have a peak into his good positive attitude of perseverance and persistence for many years.

PS. Mr. Park Si Hoo has naturally wavy hair; therefore, hair is something that is especially troublesome for him. For this special modern day drama, he has a hair makeover done specifically to show the cool and collected personality of his character. However, when he’s being himself, I understand that he normally just wears baseball caps as a solution for his hair-do dilemma.

(The end)

Credits: korea.sohu.com; parksihoo.com for English version, Thanks!