Kim Seon-ho Returns to Romance with Netflix's 'Can This Love Be Translated?'

Actor Kim Seon-ho makes a comeback to the romance genre after approximately four years and three months since tvN's 'Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha' (2021). He portrays the character Joo Ho-jin, who is both cold and kind, delivering a classic romance performance.

Recently, an interview with Kim Seon-ho was conducted at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, for Netflix's 'Can This Love Be Translated?'. The interview venue was filled with the aroma of squid, a gift from Kim Seon-ho to the press. He shared his appreciation with a handwritten note and packaged squid from a restaurant he enjoyed during 'Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha'.

'Can This Love Be Translated?' is an unpredictable romantic comedy drama where multilingual interpreter Joo Ho-jin (played by Kim Seon-ho) takes on the role of interpreting for global top star Cha Moo-hee (played by Go Youn-jung). Kim Seon-ho plays Joo Ho-jin, a character fluent in six languages.

During the interview, Kim Seon-ho expressed his satisfaction with the feedback on his 'diction' and 'pronunciation' after the show's release. He said, "I saw reactions saying my pronunciation was better than expected. I paid attention to pronunciation when interpreting Japanese and Italian, and foreign fans complimented my diction."

He added, "Having done theater for a long time, I developed vocal cord nodules. My voice would sometimes sound hoarse and make clicking noises. I practice vocal exercises almost daily. If there's criticism, I'll accept it and quickly address any issues."

'Can This Love Be Translated?' required particular attention to the actor's voice and tone. Since Joo Ho-jin speaks six languages, Kim Seon-ho had to adjust his voice, intonation, and tone to match each language. He revealed that he took language lessons for about four months before filming.

Despite his efforts, he faced challenges from the first scene. "In the first scene, an Italian child collapses, and I have to speak Japanese, while conversing with Moo-hee in Korean. I had to switch off Italian and Korean when speaking Japanese, and vice versa. It was so confusing that I messed up my Korean lines for two hours afterward," he confessed.

Despite the challenges of acting in foreign languages, Kim Seon-ho expressed immense satisfaction with the overseas locations in Japan, Italy, and Canada. The drama features diverse and visually stunning exotic landscapes.

Kim Seon-ho shared, "In Canada, due to the time difference, I would sleep right after filming. One day, while napping after a daytime shoot, Youn-jung called me around 5-6 PM, saying, 'Ho-jin, wake up! Aurora!' I thought she was joking, but I actually saw the aurora. It was moving." He added, "Youn-jung called all the staff to share the experience. I'm grateful for not missing such a beautiful sight."

Kim Seon-ho expressed additional gratitude to Go Youn-jung for showing him the aurora. "I heard so many good things about her, so I was thrilled when she was cast. She's genuinely kind. She even asked the camera team if they had eaten and gave them gifts. I try not to build walls on set, and Youn-jung helped with that. It was a blessing," he said.

He continued, "Youn-jung's eyes sparkle, and there were moments when I felt emotional seeing that. I received a lot of help from her while acting. I'll reach out to her again after this interview."

Kim Seon-ho showed determination to continue the acting synergy he gained from his co-star. "I believe actors communicate through acting. There's no perfect answer or right answer in acting. I hope people see my efforts," he emphasized.

Ryu Ye-ji, TENASIA Reporter ryuperstar@tenasia.co.kr