'Dream' Hongdae actor Park Seo-joon interview
Park Seo-joon, "Real soccer skills? A level that cannot be evaluated."
“Real soccer skills? It’s like neighborhood soccer, it’s at a level that can’t be evaluated.”

Actor Park Seo-joon, wearing a knit with a neat hairstyle, gave off an athlete-like vibe. Park Seo-joon, who was interviewed for the movie 'Dream' (directed by Byung-hun Lee) at a cafe in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 18th, brought out the image of Hongdae, a character whose filming was already completed four years ago.

Park Seo-joon, who has a reputation as a soccer lover, did his best to prepare the Hongdae character. Details were also carefully taken care of. Efforts were made to look like real players, such as wearing shorts more than long pants and tanning tailored to the short sleeve line. Because it was a soccer player role that I was very interested in, I also put a lot of effort into building my body.

Park Seo-joon, "Real soccer skills? A level that cannot be evaluated."
"I tried to do more lower body exercises than upper body. Soccer players' thighs are really big. But it wasn't something that could be imitated in just a few months. I think I tried my best to be able to at least imitate it. In particular, I took the time to become familiar with the ball. “I used it a lot. I went to early soccer games and kicked a ball with the guys.”

As a result, a body closer to that of an actual athlete was created. Thanks to this, questions arose as to whether CG was used in the Hongdae soccer scene in the movie. Park Seo-joon laughed, saying, "I was grateful for the CG story. I didn't expect such a story, but I guess I did a good job."

“Thank you so much for your positive comments. I think everything works best when there are no expectations. Haha! I think I got a lot of help with camera work. I don’t think it would have looked so good if it had been a fragmentary angle taken by an actual game broadcast camera. “The team worked really hard. Thank you.”

Park Seo-joon, known as a close friend of world-class soccer player Son Heung-min, shook his head when asked about his actual soccer skills. He laughed, saying, “It’s at the level of neighborhood soccer. My skills are not on the evaluation line. It’s at a level that cannot be measured.”

As a soccer player, Hongdae is someone who has an inferiority complex and is considered to be 'second best for 10,000 years.' He viewed Hongdae as "a person with an inferiority complex, lack of affection, and who needed a lot of love from his parents."

Park Seo-joon, "Real soccer skills? A level that cannot be evaluated."
"Hongdae is not good at expressing himself, and even though he doesn't mean it, he ticks and complains. But when you look at Hongdae, of course the reason is explained. Because that's how he was raised. He has been second place for 10,000 years and can't break this barrier, so how should he express his feelings of inferiority? I worried a lot. You feel small in front of geniuses. When I watch a movie or watch an actor's performance, I think, 'I don't think I can do that. I think only that person can do that.' Even in Hongdae. “Isn’t that what it felt like?”

I asked Park Seo-joon if there was an actor like him and what kind of actor he takes inspiration from. He answered without hesitation, “Among my peers, I am most inspired by Choi Woo-sik.” Park Seo-joon previously collaborated with Choi Woo-shik through a special appearance in the movie 'Parasite' (directed by Bong Joon-ho). Additionally, Choi Woo-sik made a special appearance in the movie 'Lion' (directed by Kim Joo-hwan) starring Park Seo-joon.

“We have different personalities. We know that very well. There are also points where we envy each other. I often get a lot of inspiration from watching (Choi) Woo-sik.”

We also talked about senior actors. Park Seo-joon said, "The people I get a lot of stimulation from are my seniors. 'Will I be able to have that much depth when I get to that age?' There are points that I worry about. Also, 'Am I still acting at that age?' I also think, ‘What will happen to me in the process?’ When I look at senior Song Kang-ho or Lee Byung-hun, I wonder if I can express those depths.”

'Dream' is the story of Hong Dae, a former soccer player with no sense, and So-min (IU), a passionless producer, who attempt an impossible dream together with a ragtag group of homeless national team players. It is an adaptation of the true story of the 2010 Homeless World Cup, in which Korea participated for the first time.

‘Dream’ will be released on April 26th.

Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr
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