Park Seo Joon reveals how he was forced to juggle between studies and acting

Actor Praises his 'Midnight Runners' co-star Kang Ha-neul

Park Seo-joon
Park Seo-joon (right) and Kang Ha-nel in a poster from upcoming movie 'Midnight Runners.' lotteent.com

It might be difficult to imagine Park Seo-joon not being an actor, especially after his most recently successful drama 'Fight My Way' where he starred opposite Kim Ji-won. But, Seo-joon's parents did not want him to become an actor initially, he revealed.

As noted by website Soompi, Park Seo-joon, revealed how he sustained his passion for acting despite opposition from his parents, in a V Live broadcast on July 19.

"My parents were very strongly opposed to me acting. They told me that they would send me to an acting school, but my grades can't drop. They said that they wouldn't let me act at all if I let my grades drop three times," the actor said.

He revealed how incredibly difficult it was to juggle both his passion and his studies due to his parents' disapproval of what he loved. "Instead of going to self-study class, I went to acting school. I would take the last bus back, and it would be around 12:30 a.m. I went to the library after that and studied until 3 a.m. My grades dropped twice." When asked about his results, Park Seo-joon recalled, "I think my rank was always around 10th place in my class. I couldn't do better than that."

Education is important but parents should also encourage their children to pursue something they are naturally inclined towards and obviously passionate about; for it is such fields where they are more likely to excel at. A shining example of dedication to acting craft in South Korea is Kang Ha-neul, who happens to be Seo-joon's co-star in their upcoming comedy movie 'Midnight Runners.'

Regarding 'Scarlet Heart Ryeo' actor Kang Ha-neul, who will play his co-lead in 'Midnight Runners,' Park Seo-joon revealed, "This was my first time working with him but I understood why people had so many good things to say about him."

The 'Hwarang' actor added, "He's really kind and friendly and laughs easily. I'm older than he is but I learned a lot from him. From both his character and his acting, I had a lot to learn."

Park Seo-joon recently went to Jeju Island with fellow cast members as part of a reward vacation from the producers of the drama and said, "After we came back, I got rid of any schedules for two days and slept." 'Fight My Way' ended with an impressive rating of 13.8 percent in all of South Korea, as noted by AGB Nielsen. In a completely unrelated question about cooking, Seo-joon revealed, "I'm not good at cooking. My ideal type is a woman who is good at cooking."

'Midnight Runners,' an action, comedy movie about two Korean National Police University students who chance upon a kidnapping, will release on August 9, this year. Watch the hilarious trailer below.

This article was first published on July 20, 2017