Park Ki-woong moved to tears at acting praise

by javabeans

As you may know (because I keep harping on it), KBS’s new drama Story of a Man has got me rather hooked, for several reasons. First, the direction of the drama is beautiful, tight, and skilled. The story is mysterious. And the acting is pretty damn good, particularly with its uber-villain played by Kim Kang-woo, followed by the awkward autistic financial genius played by Park Ki-woong.

Park has been in several drama series and films (Love & Marriage, When Night Comes), but this’ll most likely be the breakout role that turns him into “real actor,” and the honor is not lost on him. In a recent interview, he admits that he was moved to tears after receiving the first acting praise of his career.

“I was reading the drama message board, and started tearing up without realizing,” said Park.

In Story of a Man, Park Ki-woong plays the brain behind the “Dream Team” assembled by Park Yong-ha, as Ahn Kyung-tae, who exhibits mild autism but also has an excellent analytical mind and keen judgment.

After he first appeared in the second episode, viewers have heaped strong praise on Park on online message boards for his portrayal of Ahn Kyung-tae.

Park Ki-woong gained popularity after a cell phone CF [watch below] and appeared in several films and dramas, but he hasn’t received praise anywhere as positive as he is currently hearing. After jumping to a lead role in the movie My Tutor Friend 2, he showed promise as an up-and-comer. However, like suffering indigestion after eating too quickly, his following projects weren’t successful and he suffered some mocking as “the guy who became famous through one commercial.”

Here’s Park Ki-woong’s hilarious Sky cell phone CF from three years ago:

However, in the case of Story of a Man, eight or nine out of ten online comments about Park have been positive, and one in particular made him well up with tears, which said, “You can see him maturing every time the drama airs.”

Park said, “I only started acting six or seven years ago. My filmography isn’t that long… It doesn’t really make sense to hear that I’m acting well. I know I lack a lot, and I’m always blaming myself, ‘Why can’t you do any better than this?’ I approach each shoot thinking that even if I don’t improve, at least I shouldn’t take a step backward. So to hear that I’m improving every day touched my heart more than any other praise could.”

Ahn Kyung-tae isn’t an easy character to act. It requires a lot of study, given that he suffers from nervous tics and autism, and on top of that is someone who shot to fame as a stock analyst. Park explained, “On set, I usually run through the scene several times myself and familiarize myself with the script in an ‘animalistic’ style [i.e., basic, instinctual], and I don’t memorize the dialogue separately. But this time, I’m getting rid of my previous acting style and did a lot of prior research and study.”

He met with people who suffer from speech and motor impediments, and because his first meeting with Kim Shin (Park Yong-ha) in the drama takes place in prison, he sought out many similar films and documentaries to study. He also practiced constantly to be able to speak financial and stock terminology naturally, and above all he exerted much care to not overly exaggerate his portrayal of a disabled person.

Park Ki-woong says, “I can’t speak too freely about the events in Story of a Man, but I can tell you this. Story of a Man is a drama that all the actors can feel pride in. The cast is working hard and pouring themselves into character, so I hope it does well.”

First of all, it’s interesting to witness this change in Park, because it’s like watching a light bulb turn on over an actor’s head. He must have natural talent if he’s worked as much as he has without needing to do a lot of preparation. I’m not saying Method is the way to go, because I don’t think that at all, but I’m glad to see someone able to work with his natural ability and elevate it to the next level.

And secondly, you know what this means, all you Park Ki-woong fans: HE READS TEH INTERNETZ. Get on it!

Via E Daily

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