SOURCE: '천만 배우' 박지훈, 끝내 속내 밝혔다…"낯선 환경에 적응하는 인물 흥미로워" ('취사병')
Singer and actor Park Jihoon opened up about the process of bringing Kang Sungjae's character to life in 'The Legend of Kitchen Soldier.' Meanwhile, Park Jihoon recently achieved the '10-million actor' milestone through the film 'The King's Warden.'
Set to premiere on the 11th next month, the TVING original 'The Legend of Kitchen Soldier' is a military cooking fantasy drama that follows Private Kang Sungjae (played by Park Jihoon), who swaps his rifle for a kitchen knife and an anmo belt for an apron to become a legendary cook soldier.
Known as a military enthusiast, Park Jihoon personally shared behind-the-scenes stories about his role as the cook Kang Sungjae, ranging from why he chose this project to his preparation process for the role.
Regarding his decision to join this project, Park Jihoon said, "I've always wanted to wear a military uniform in a project at least once. I also wanted to take on a new challenge." He added, "I found it particularly interesting that Kang Sungjae is a character that adapts to an unfamiliar environment and builds his own place. His process of gaining trust within the unit and forming bonds with others through his amazing skills was also very appealing to me."
Park Jihoon shared that he put in an extra effort to portray Kang Sungjae's character convincingly. He said, "To realistically depict the unique role of a cook soldier, I took cooking lessons before filming. As I learned dishes one by one, my knife skills gradually improved as well."
Since the plote involves Kang Sungjae's character completing quests to level up his cooking skills, a different approach was needed. Regarding this, Park Jihoon explained, "I wanted to portray a character who gradually grows over time, using the 'Guardian,' the fictional character who delivers the quests. I imagined as if it really existed in front of me and paid a lot of attention, espexially on my eye movements and facial expressions."
As a for the nickname he hopes to gain through the drama, he chose 'Kkang Sungjae.' Park Jihoon said, "The character's nickname in the drama is Kkang Sungjae. For some reason, it made me feel good whenever I was called that. The word itself sounds quite cute, so I'd like to be called Kkang Sungjae."
Regarding the key points to watch, Park Jihoon shared, "It would be great if you could follow how Kkang Sungjae builds relationships with various characters and grows through them, as well as the chemistry that develops along the way. I also hope you take interest in the character's growth through the interesting 'Guardian' concept."
'The Legend of Kitchen Soldier' will premiere on May 11 at 8.50 PM (KST) on TVING and tvN.
