disclaimer : this is a fan translation. might contain inaccuracies. images and articles copyright belong to the rightful owner. Please do not take this translation out of context.
Park Jeongmin admiration, "I Expected Han Kang to Win the Nobel Prize in Literature...
she is my favorite author"
(first part of the interview : http://www.osen.co.kr/article/G1112435639)
On the 14th, at a café in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, an interview was held with actor Park Jeongmin, the star of the Netflix movie <Uprising>.
Park Jeongmin, who is currently active as both an actor and the owner of a book publishing company, was asked, "As a person who also in literary field, how did you feel about author Han Kang's Nobel Prize in Literature win?"
He mentioned, "Author Han Kang is someone I really admire. I liked her (works) as an author so much to the point when I used to run a bookstore, there was even a dedicated section for her books. There were books that she wrote that moved me to tears when I read them."
He continued, "To be honest, I thought, “maybe she could win?”. A few days ago, when the Nobel Prize nominees list up, everyone seemed to pay attention to the Chinese author more. But I thought, “Han Kang's writing is something that even foreign readers can appreciate though…” Even if it wasn't this year, I believed she would win eventually. After all, she won the Man Booker Prize too. But I was surprised it happened this year."
He added, "I really love her “The White Book” and I also like “Human Acts”. But when she won, I did have one thought “Our publishing company just released a new book recently... What should I do now? What should our strategy be?” It was a bit overwhelming," he said, eliciting laughter.
Regarding his reason for running a publishing company, he explained, "First of all, it's incredibly fun. I recently realized that I have a personality that enjoys introducing things that I created. (Investing) in movies require a lot of money, and I don't have the knowledge for other forms of art. But since I love books, I thought, “Books are something I can create within my budget” and that's why I’m doing it."
Jeongmin added, "There are things that many people tend to avoid or don't want to face. I think there are things that people consciously don't want to look at, or because those things are too small that people don't give much consideration of it. Since the world runs on capital, I believe many things get overlooked and left behind" he added "While my views might be unpopular or unwanted by some, if there's someone who firmly believes in something that is right, shouldn't they at least be given the opportunity to speak about it? That’s my intention behind running the publishing company," he expressed his belief.
<Uprising> Park Jeongmin: "Bromance with Gang Dongwon? There was a “Huh?” moment...
Definitely admiration involved"
(second part of the interview: http://www.osen.co.kr/article/G1112435640 )
<Uprising> is a film set in the chaotic era of the Japanese invasions of Korea. It tells the story of Jongryeo (played by Park Jeongmin), the son of the most powerful military family in Joseon, and his servant Cheonyoung (played by Gang Dongwon), who reunite as enemies—one as the king's (played by Cha Seungwon) closest military officer, and the other as a righteous army soldier.
Park Jeongmin, who showcased chemistry that transcended friendship and bromance with Gang Dongwon in the film, shared, "Honestly, I didn’t feel that way at all when I first read the script. I just thought they were two friends with a deep bond. But there was a moment during filming when I thought, “Wow, their friendship really is something special.”"
He continued, "There’s a scene where Cheonyoung is captured again and kneels before Jongryeo’s father, and as I hold Cheonyoung's face and say, “Stay still” right after doing that I thought, ‘Huh wait? this feels a little strange,”" he said, eliciting laughter.
Park Jeongmin explained, "I did think maybe people could interpret this scene more than it meant to be. But, it wasn't quite at that point. Still, as we continued filming, if it felt like things were crossing a line, we would discuss it and adjust accordingly."
He also talked about working with Gang Dongwon. "I was cast first and waited for a while for the rest of the casting to be finalized. Naturally, I was curious about how the lineup would be. The production team mentioned that they were in talks with Gang Dongwon, and so I said “Then, I’ll keep waiting then” because I admire him so much. I met him once during Dr. Cheon and and Lost Talisman and it was so much fun."
Park Jeongmin added, "As I get to know him, I think he’s so cool. He’s manlier, more sensitive and really considerate than I thought. Whenever he brought food for himself, he always made sure to bring something for me too. Since we traveled a lot to the shooting locations, whenever he bought some delicacies from the area, he’d buy some for me as well. Honestly, I couldn't get too close to him (out of respect) but I liked him so much. Whenever I asked him something, he would always answer me" he said, playfully describing it as "admiration."
Announcing a Break from activities, Park Jeongmin:
"I Plan to Grow My Publishing Company"
(last part of the interview: http://www.osen.co.kr/article/G1112435641 )
Park Jeongmin who is meeting with audiences through various works, recently surprised everyone when it was revealed on The Seasons: Lee Youngji's Rainbow that he has participated in 46 projects, including upcoming ones. In response, Park Jeongmin confessed, "I plan to take a break next year," adding, "In the past, I would say "I need to rest" but when offers I couldn’t refuse came in, I kept working hard. This time, though, I’m more determined to stick to my decision."
Regarding this, Park Jeongmin confessed, "First of all, I’ve really been working nonstop. Sometimes, if the schedules don’t align, all the projects (that I shoot recently) would come out almost at the same. That's something beyond my control, right? At some point, I started wondering if, after the project that I'll be working on, do I still have other expression (appearance/image) that I can show anyone that I haven't shown before?"
He continued, "I couldn't think of any new sides of myself. I realized that I need time to develop and build those new aspects, so I thought I might need time to reflect. So, while taking a break, I want to explore that. And instead of doing nothing, I’ll focus on my publishing company and try to build it into something more solid."
Park Jeongmin, who has also been active on youtube through guest appearances on various channels, shared, "It still worries me. But since I enjoy hanging out with my (BDRG) hyungs, I can appear on their channel" and added "and though this is the first time I’m mentioning it, I’m considering starting my own youtube channel. I want to create a channel for my publishing company. I really want to build the company up (with doing youtube), I'm still planning on it."