[Interview] Park Bo-gum "The Heart of Parents Who Lost a Child Can't Be Fully Expressed Through Acting"

Park Bogum as Gwansik, Confronting Discrimination of the Era in 'Poksak Soksassuda'
"My Season of Life Is Spring... A Vibrant Summer Will Come Soon"

Actor Park Bo-gum. Provided by Netflix

"Is it like a ghost of a dead cow possessed me? Why the hell is he not saying anything?"

In a seaside village in Jeju Island during the 1960s, Yang Gwansik, the son of a fishmonger, receives a sulky scolding from his first love, Aesun. Though he rarely reveals his true feelings, he protects Aesun's pride by shouting "Cabbage for sale" at the street stall.

Gwansik, who marries his childhood friend Aesun, eventually cannot endure the harsh life as a daughter-in-law and storms out, saying, "You came to live with me, not to live as this house's daughter-in-law." We met actor Park Bogum (32), who brought tears to viewers' eyes in the Netflix drama 'Poksak Soksassuda'.

At a hotel in Yeouido, Seoul on the 24th, Park Bogum said, "Just like the people of Dodong-ri village who protect Aesun and Gwansik, there are warm and kind people in our lives too," adding, "The image of adults protecting the vulnerable left a strong impression on me."

Gwansik plants flowers wherever his wife's gaze falls. In an era deeply rooted in male chauvinism, he never turns a blind eye to the discrimination his wife and daughter face. Viewers admired Gwansik as a "unicorn-like man who doesn't exist in reality."

Park Bogum laughed, saying, "If I had a daughter, I would tell her to marry someone like Gwansik." "I don't think Gwansik is a fantasy character. Maybe someone like him lives somewhere around us. He just hasn't been revealed. A man of few words who acts before speaking, steady and someone you want to lean on. While acting, I kept wanting to resemble him. I wanted to become a cool person like Gwansik."

On the day they filmed the scene where the couple loses their third son, it rained. Park Bogum recalled, "It was really strange and amazing." At that moment, everyone, including the three haenyeo women and extras, looked at the couple with pity, and he fully immersed himself in the emotion. "Thinking that a small life resembling Aesun and me waited for me and then left... I didn't know what to do. I couldn't even look at the child's face or do anything. The pain of parents losing a beloved child was an emotion too difficult to express through acting."

Actor Park Bo-gum. Provided by Netflix

'Poksak Soksassuda' was the comeback work Park Bogum chose after his discharge from the navy in 2022. He remembered the lingering feeling when he first read the script. "Just reading the text, the scenes naturally came to mind. It was a fascinating experience where the character's story unfolded clearly in my head. I think whenever I see canola flowers or spring comes, this work will come to mind."

To portray the 'island man' Gwansik, he gained 4 to 5 kg. "I want to be a sincere and reliable person like Gwansik. Watching Gwansik quietly do his part made me reflect, 'Am I doing well? Am I someone who quietly gets things done?' I want to be a virtuous adult who takes good care of people and works well."

Park Bogum's positive nature shone on set as well. IU said, "When Park Bogum enters the set, the atmosphere brightens." Park Bogum also carefully inquired about the reporters' well-being during the interview. "I like working happily. If I spread bright energy, wouldn't everyone have fun working together? Maybe because I've lived with positive energy since I was young, it's not hard. I just want everyone to be happy and enjoy themselves."

He also has a deep affection for music. After discharge, he appeared on musical stages and is currently majoring in music at graduate school. Recently, he has been meeting singers weekly as the MC of KBS2's 'Tomorrow Cantabile.' "I think music is acting with rhythm and meter. Musicians are people who act through music. Those who write songs or lyrics are truly amazing. Expressing my story through music seems like a very courageous thing."

"The power of music is tremendous. Suddenly, music seeps in and amplifies emotions. I dream of the day when music I create is used as background music in a work. Until then, I will steadily study and prepare."

'Poksak Soksassuda' still. Provided by Netflix

'Poksak Soksassuda' is a work depicting the four seasons of life. Park Bogum said his life is currently in 'spring.' "Because this is my first work back in front of the camera after military discharge. My season now is spring. If I planted flowers and sprouted buds with this work and made them bloom, then when my next work 'Good Boy' is released soon, won't a lively summer come?"