"Queen of Tears" Park Sung Hoon: "Poverty and a sense of inferiority became the driving force"

Recently, the trailer for the latest episode of the variety show, You Quiz on the Block has been garnering attention, in which Park Sung Hoon talks about his past. He recalled his time living in a semi-basement and shared various details. In an interview, he said, "If you watch You Quiz on the Block, you will know that I lived in a semi-basement similar to the one in Parasite for seven years." 

He confessed, "My family became poor when I was in high school. I didn't have money to eat a hamburger, so I crouched on the stairs waiting for my friends," 

He also revealed that he paid off all his student loans two years ago. Elaborating, he said, "During the IMF crisis,  I saved money on school meals and bought a t-shirt I wanted." "There isn’t a part-time job I haven’t tried. Still, I wanted to continue with what I was doing, so I sold MDs at the Hedwig theater, did odd jobs, and did ticketing. I lived in a semi-basement like the one in the movie Parasite for seven years." 

The actor said, "When I lived in the basement, during the rain, the water would fill up to my shins. It wasn't easy to drain it when it reached the level of the socket. So my roommate and I soaked and wrung out the cotton blankets." "Even after my roommate and I separated, I lived in the basement again. It hasn't been long since I came up to the ground, and it hasn't been long since I paid off my student loans. I live on the 14th floor now (laughs)." 

He added, "When I decided to pursue acting, my father said he was okay with whatever I chose, but he hoped I would choose one [profession] well and stick to it. He [my father] changed his profession. But he regretted it, so he gave me [that] advice." "Poverty and a sense of inferiority became the driving force [in my life]."

Park Sung Hoon also talked about his past wishes: "My acting skills were lacking, so I always worked hard. I worked part-time because I needed to earn money. I wished I could become someone who could do theater, I wished I could do a play without auditioning, I wished I could live without doing a part-time job, and I wished to give my parents allowance. I achieved all of them [my dreams] without missing a single one," he said. He added, "I regularly give allowance to my parents."

In the recently concluded Queen of Tears, the actor played the villain Yoon Eun Sung, who is both ruthless and intelligent. He is a character who, driven by an excessive obsession with his desires, ultimately meets a tragic end.

During the interview, Park Sung Hoon, having given phenomenal performances as villains in his recent dramas, humorously apologized, saying, "I'm sorry to everyone." He mentioned receiving a lifetime's worth of insults, and even curses, via Instagram DMs, particularly during the broadcast period of Queen of Tears for his character Yoon Eun Sung. 

Regarding this, Park Sung Hoon said, "I got various messages on SNS like 'Don't separate Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won', 'Let's have a fight.' I even got a smack on my back at a restaurant from an aunty." He added, "I wasn't offended or hurt. It's natural to receive criticism when playing a villain. I think Yoon Eun Sung did things worthy of criticism in the drama," with a smile. 

He also commented, "Despite receiving such criticism, there's actually no risk. While there used to be cases where actors were equated with their characters in the past, nowadays, that's not the case for the majority. I even consider hate comments as attention." 

Regarding being dubbed as the "man who lost his name", he said, "Many people call me Jeon Jae Joon or Yoon Eun Sung ... I'm thankful even if my name is lost." He explained, "To talk about myself, I'd have to describe which character I played in which drama, but I'm grateful for a name that can remind people of me in just three words." 

Sometimes, actors become so engrossed in their roles that they encounter difficulties in their daily lives. When asked if he faced a similar situation, Park Sung Hoon said, "My daily life is not greatly influenced by my roles. However, whether it was during the role of Jeon Jae Jun in The Glory, or this role of Yoon Eun Sung, I think I was a little affected. I did get a little emotional while driving."

For the Queen of Tears team, two wrap-up parties were held after filming the final episode and before the final episode was aired. Park Sung Hoon said, "We were very happy and celebrated. About 300 people gathered. Usually, it's hard to focus, but everyone was concentrated. We all cried together, cheered, and applauded."

He continued, "Yesterday, while watching the final episode, I filmed the company's content. I was so focused on Eun Sung that tears flowed." 

Talking about how he felt transitioning into Yoon Eun Sung, he shared an interesting behind-the-scene detail: "There was a group chat which had fellow actors, including Kim Soo Hyun, Kim Ji Won, me, Kwak Dong Yeon, and Lee Joo Bin. I wondered why there were five of us, then realized I didn't have a partner. Others were being playful, exchanging acting cues, and everyone was affiliated with Queens, Yongduri, etc., but I was alone and felt lonely. Yoon Eun Sung only had his mother, and even she doesn't get along well with him and even gaslighted and abandoned him. I was lonely," he joked. 

Following that, he added, "I also have unpleasant memories of being gaslighted by people around me. [In one scene] Yoon Eun Sung gaslighted Hae In with a long line of dialogue, and at that moment, my heart felt tight and I couldn't breathe well. I didn't want to film that scene. That was the most difficult scene."

When asked what he would have done if he were in a situation like Yoon Eun Sung's in real life, he responded, "I never touch someone else's woman. I can't do it."

When asked about acting alongside Kim Soo Hyun, he said, "Although he's younger than me, I consider him a senior because he has been taking lead roles since a young age. When I used to do theater, I always went to watch plays on my days off, and when I moved to media, I watched dramas and movies whenever I had time. Soo Hyun was popular even at a young age and was praised for his excellent acting. So, I watched him for reference on how he acts and what charms he has." 

He also said, "Kim Soo Hyun and I share the MBTI type ISFJ, so our personalities matched well. We joked around a lot and our coordination in acting was so good that there was no reason [for the director] to say, 'I want you to do it this way.' When we acted together, the director mostly allowed us to perform as we prepared without any special instructions. I remember a scene where Kim Soo Hyun was hitting me, and I got to see his face up close as he grabbed me by the collar. At that moment, I thought to myself, 'He's really handsome.' He is an actor and younger brother who I personally like very much." 

Talking about Kim Ji Won, he commented, "She is flawless. She's like the one who is the top student in the entire school. Honest, upright, and humble. It's remarkable how she seamlessly transitions into the character of Hong Hae In. She mentioned she had been on a strict diet for over a year for her role as a terminally ill patient, which was impressive." "I feel proud to have acted alongside her."

Kim Soo Hyun, Kim Ji Won, and Park Sung Hoon all have the same kind of personalities off-screen, which led to some interesting episodes. Park Sung Hoon joked, "I didn't know Kim Soo Hyun and Kim Ji Won's phone numbers until after episode 10. Normally, I like to exchange numbers during the first script reading to break the ice, as I did that for every work, but during the table read for Queen of Tears, I wasn't feeling well, so I couldn't do it. So time passed and we didn't know each other so well for more than half a year. After episode 10, I finally gathered the courage to ask. Since we were all introverted and had heavy roles as main actors, it took time for us to become friends." 

Having starred in works of famous writers, Park said, "I am good at listening," and explained, "My acting motto is to accept and embody the opinions of the writer and director well. In that sense, they seem to think of me comfortably." 

When asked what kind of role he would like to play next, he said, "Since many people have the impression of me as a villain, I would like to play a positive role," and "As I like comedy, I want to do a rom-com. My goal for this year is to get a high-quality rom-com." 

Sources (1)(2)(3)(4)(5)(6)(7)