Park Jung-min Discusses His Role in 'Humint' and His Transformation for the Film

"I've never experienced or initiated a 'ghosting' breakup. I've had my share of breakups, though. Those memories seem to accumulate within me. There are so many forms of breakups. Haha."

In the film 'Humint' directed by Ryu Seung-wan, Park Jung-min showcases both action and romance, reflecting on his past relationships. 'Humint' is a story set in Vladivostok, where secrets and truths are submerged in the icy sea, and individuals with different motives clash.

Park Jung-min plays the role of Park Geon, a North Korean security officer. When his former fiancée, Chae Sun-hwa (played by Shin Se-kyung), is in danger, he fights to save her, displaying both intense action and unwavering love, showcasing his masculine charm.

"For those who have seen a few of my films, I hoped they would think, 'Park Jung-min is playing a character different from what he's shown before.' I didn't expect to hear such positive feedback."

To enhance the character's physical appeal, Park Jung-min lost about 15kg. He shared, "After filming 'Face,' I started running around July or August two years ago."

"I started lightly, but at some point, I found myself competing with myself. I ran quite a lot, and naturally, I lost a lot of weight. Running was the best diet method for me. It was more important to lose puffiness than weight itself. I wanted the character to look gaunt. I tried to maintain that look after running."

Park Jung-min delivers powerful yet restrained action performances. He handles high-level car chase scenes, including shootouts and drifts. For gun action, he received help from a military journalist and practiced 'real-life' exercises.

"I bought a similar BB gun to the one Park Geon uses from Coupang. Haha. I kept it in the living room and practiced with it. Shooting wasn't difficult since it wasn't real, but I practiced inserting the magazine in one go and drawing the gun from my waist repeatedly."

In the film, Park Jung-min passionately loves Chae Sun-hwa, played by Shin Se-kyung. He remarked, "She seems to have a magical power. There's a force that comes out when she interacts with her eyes and voice while in character." He added, "The scenes with Se-kyung were largely thanks to her. I had to express a love with the opposite sex that I hadn't acted out much, and she guided me well."

Park Jung-min recently gained attention for his performance with singer Hwasa at an awards ceremony. Having played her ex-boyfriend in Hwasa's 'Good Goodbye' music video, he delivered a sweet performance with her on stage. In this film, he again plays an 'ex-boyfriend,' earning the title of 'national ex-boyfriend.' In response to comments like 'more handsome than Jo In-sung' and 'national ex-boyfriend,' he joked, "Maybe it's my mom." Despite his rising popularity, Park Jung-min remains humble. He said, "When I see my name trending on social media, I click 'not interested.' It's embarrassing."

"The memes and issues that arose after the performance haven't infiltrated my daily life. People around me say, 'Jung-min has made it.' I joke that I don't know how far I need to go to be considered 'made it.' Still, I'm grateful that such 'strange words' are associated with Park Jung-min, who has worked hard for 15 years. Expanding in any direction is a good thing, so I'm thankful."

When asked if he received any romantic film offers, he laughed, "There might be some at the company, but I haven't seen any." He mentioned 'The Letter' (1997), 'Christmas in August' (1998), and 'You Are My Sunshine' (2005) as memorable romantic films. 'Christmas in August' starred Hwang Jung-min, a senior from the same agency and frequent collaborator.

"Come to think of it, Jung-min hyung has done a lot of romance films. It gives me courage. Haha."

Kim Ji-won, TenAsia Reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr