130318 Full Interview for Singles April Issue: Park Yuchun on Singing, Acting, and Personal Life

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Q: I heard JYJ would have a concert at Tokyo Dome in April. The expectations from fans are high since this is a re-start of your activity in Japan. How are you preparing for it?

 A: We also consider it very significant. I would like to show you various things if possible. But, there is a limitation to put so many things into a performance. Within the given conditions, we try to make its scale as large as possible and satisfy fans. I would like to do it with a mindset that ‘Indeed, this is the last performance.’ I did perform in Japan before, but, then, I did not think that ‘this performance is the last one.’ As I recalled now, I came to think ‘Ah, I should have done better then.’

 

Q: What you said meant many things. While you experienced the restrictions on your activities or difficulties, I think you are feeling more precious about your fans than before.

 A: I guess so. It is a little different situation from the case I vaguely feel ‘Until when I can perform with this microphone? Until when I can do this until I get old?’ With such thoughts, I am feeling more sorry than thankful for them. About the activity in Japan, I always say that ‘If we did it, we could make it in a very interesting way,’ but, it is not always the case. So, I feel burden in a way and I am sorry for them. Whenever there is an event in Korea, Japanese fans come here. I am sorry as well as thankful for it.

 

Q: Do you also have a feeling that ‘you start again from now on?’

A: Yes, I would really like to do activities in Japan. Frankly, Tokyo Dome is available this time, but, everything doesn’t become easy yet. Even now, AVEX is preparing to interfere again (JYJ won the lawsuit against its formal Japanese agency, AVEX which had lasted over 2 years. It recently ended its contract with AVEX based on the lawsuit result and can re-start its activities in Japan.). I honestly feel that ‘It may be good enough to have a chance to perform this time.’ Thus, I would like to show as much as possible when I get the chance.

 

Q: When is you solo album coming out?

 A: I thought it would be good if I could finish in time for this coming concert. I would like to show a feeling of pastel tone via my album, and rap. With such considerations, I felt some confusion within me while I wrote my songs. When I was writing a song with this tone, I felt ‘Ah, I would like to show such tone in it.’ Then, I added different kinds and I couldn’t keep my balance. If my album came out within such conditions, I would not be satisfied with it. Although I know my fans are waiting for it, I think it will be better to show it to them when every single story is slowly and fully completed even if it may arrive late.

 

Q: Pastel tone made me have a high expectation. There are many fans who would like to hear Ballard album only colored with Park Yuchun.

 A: I had lots of difficulties for writing lyrics. Previously, I wrote lyrics first and I put melody which came into my mind when I read the lyrics. But, I worked differently this time. I considered the sessions or flows of melodies more important so I could not find suitable lyrics after I finished arrangement. The arrangement was fancy and so was the baseline. And, with all those, the lyrics were not recognizable and did not seem to fit the melodies. Therefore, i couldn’t write the lyrics well. From now on, I will comprise one by one and finish step by step.

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Q: You were in the center of a big attention when you shaved your hair as soon as you finished <I Miss You>. Why are you changing your hair style so often?

 A: Frankly speaking, my body is not owned by me. It is not easy to change my hair style. Due to my occupation, I might have to follow that. But, I think I may have a little selfish mind that ‘I would do my hair style by my own taste”. It is important to find out which hair style fits you, but changing hair style has lessened my stress. Since there are many things I can’t do freely, I kind of have a mindset that even though I do this, it should be in the limitation that I won’t have to go to the district attorney’s office (laugh). People around me asked what I would do about CFs (with this hair). Yah, honestly, it is good to have many CFs but if I did not get one, I would think I didn’t meet what they wanted. And, I will fulfill the necessary conditions through my next work. It is a different problem if I can’t get a CF due to my short hair style (laugh).

 

Q: Among the hair styles you have had up to now, what do you like the best?

 A: I was going to do tonsure this time. Like Harim. And, I was going to have a tattoo on it. Haha, this is a joke. Personally, I like long hair. When I finished <Sungkyunkwan Scandal>, I had long hair that I could tie my hair in a ponytail. About that length. But, once I had a short hair style, I can’t have long hair again even if I want to. I think I know why women can’t let their hair grow long from bobbed-hair. My mother is like that. And, if I would to let my hair grow long, I need at least a year off. But, I keep working throughout the year.

 

Q: In the interview you had before, you would go to the countryside and do farming with other members if you couldn’t have worked. Do you think that can actually happen?

 A: At that time, I really meant it. I actually quit being an entertainer. With such a mind, I left my previous firm. I sincerely thought that I quit everything to take care of my family, just like that. But, other members held me back. We held each other back.

 

Q: Since you have lived in the center of the spotlight, it wasn’t easy for you to leave everything behind.

 A: I am a type of person who doesn’t mind such things. I wanted to live somewhere quiet before. I can do anything. I already did ‘physical labor’ before. Is there anything I can’t do? (laugh)

 

Q: When was that?

 A: In the states before I debuted. To make money to come to Korea.

 

Q: With the drama you just finished, <I Miss You>, you got a nickname of ‘the ruler of chemistry.’ The chemistry between actors can be only made by the type of actors who is good at listening and having good reactions to their counterparts. For beginners, it is more difficult to listen other actors. But, Yuchun, you have given us the impression that you are acting with listening to your counterparts since your first drama.

 A: Senior actors and directors told me the same thing. That is the best and strongest element I possess. I did it like that without realizing it at first. I listened to what they were saying just because it came into my ears. We usually listen to others when they talk. At first, I didn’t know what it was, but now, I know why it is important. So, when I memorize my lines, if some of them were too long or I didn’t have enough time to memorize because I was given the script so abruptly, I tried to make myself spontaneously remember the lines while I practiced with other actors rather than to use crib sheets. Doing like that is more interesting than doing in a strictly given framework and a lot easier to react. It is more attractive to me to act without solidly predetermined directions.

 

Q: Among the idol actors, there are not many successful cases. Actors need a free life style, but their (idols) lives are mostly very tight. You relatively have a free life and have experienced many ups and downs. I think you have a wider range of emotions than other idols

 A: There have been some personal experiences and experiences as an entertainer. Those are accumulated within me and can be a good basis for my acting. If I experience them myself and know the feeling, it is easier to express. Senior actors often travel after they finish their dramas. They do this for photoshoot, but it can offer them the opportunity to see other places, to have a good rest, and to experience something different. Such process is necessary and helpful for actors.

 

Q: When you started <Sungkyunkwan Scandal>, did you have any idea acting would take such a large part in your life?

 A: I didn’t. Honestly, I really would like to do acting, but I was not confident and I had lots of pressure because it was a historical drama. I thought I would continue if I felt any interest in acting after experiencing it (laugh). Actor is an occupation which is very hard and delicate, but very attractive.

 

Q: I guess you can feel some interests in learning the emotions or techniques which you did not know before while you accomplish one drama after another. How was your drama this time?

 A: I could think of <I Miss You> with my head and get a picture of it. But, at first, I didn’t feel myself to be one in the drama. I had some difficulties to express since I couldn’t do as the same way I had thought of. But, luckily, viewers appreciated the fact that I played something different from what I had played before. I like that point the best. Frankly, it is difficult. I am always the same, but I have to express completely different characters. Only with the way of talking, actions, eye expression or tone, it may not be possible to make a person look totally different. So, I was a bit sensitive. But, viewers considered me as ‘Han Jung Woo’ and I felt the happiest about that.

 

Q: Actually, Han Jung Woo was a character which could easily fell into a stereotype. In a thick melo drama, a detective with a wound in his heart, I think such character is usually expressed as being merely sorrow and fierce. However, Han Jung Woo is a very desirable person and has something warm in mspite of all the traumas. That is the reason why I personally like that character. I thought that was the color made by ‘Park Yuchun’s Han Jung Woo.’

 A: At first, that was not my intention (laugh). When I talked with the director, I felt a bit of such color. However, that was not the same feeling as Han Jung Woo whom I played. But, while I was playing the character and without realizing (laugh), I followed the spontaneous flow. Thus, I am having lots of concerns about my next drama. For example, a doctor, an intern, or something, it is not simple. I want to play a certain character who is a doctor or an intern. But, I am not fully confident to show a completely different figure from the character of <I Miss You>, yet.

 

Q: Oh Jung Se whom you played together with in <I Miss You> praised your emotional acting in his other interview. There were different kinds of stage directions in the script such as ‘Tears fill with his eyes’ or ‘Tears are forming in his eyes.’ But, you expressed so well according to different directions.

 A: Forming was the most difficult. Haha, honestly, I felt the most pressure from the stage directions (laugh). This time, the directions were too detailed and I had to think a lot about how to express them. For example, if there were 3 lines and the directions were attached to all 3 lines, to express these would become very difficult. Why was that so? When I was speaking my lines, a certain word which came into my mind made me shed tears. However, the writer wrote the script and all the directions to when would be the best point of falling tears in consideration of the flow of the drama and the connotation of lines. So, I tried to follow it as best as I could. But, I don’t think I did well (laugh)

 

Q: I think it went so well. When tears have to be formed, with what kinds of thoughts do you concentrate?

 A: I just thought the lines I had to do or the lines my counterparts did. While I was acting, I rarely have thought of some other things. To act crying made me very tired. Oh, this time, I cried really a lot. Very very much. So, I honestly was a bit happy when I could not find crying scenes from the given scripts because I felt more pressure to express crying scenes or sorrowful scenes than to memorize my lines. I physically felt more tiredness with such scenes, too. It was rather better to have many lines. But, if I actually had many lines, I said, “Oh, No~.” (laugh).

 

Q: Who are the people you respect as actors?

 A: There are so many. The common factors of seniors I like, I think…just…they are cool (laugh).

 

Q: What is being cool? What is ‘being cool’ to Park Yuchun?

 A: Being very spontaneous. I like such factors. Honestly, I am a person who can only look better with make-up and well done hair. But, I would like to be a person whose acting look so cool with such spontaneousness. I am not at that kind of stage yet and I am not such level of person. That is my aim. Since I started as a singer and turned into an actor, it may be difficult to be changed abruptly. But, I am sure the chances that offer me what I want to express will come over the age of 30.

 I am slowly waiting until then. If I will have such chances, I really would like to do ‘acting roughly’ (laugh).

 

Q: Acting roughly?

 A: Acting roughly indeed. To put it bluntly, ‘acting with anything which comes into my mind.’ Staffs will take care of everything related to camera works, angle, or lighting, etc.I won’t care about those and I will only concentrate on my acting. I also want to speak my lines with such a tasteful sense.

 

Q: You want to play a very strong character, too?

 A: So much. The width of acting I can digest is still limited. But, if I go steady like this without causing a big problem, then, I think enough chances will come to me. When it comes to me, I want to grasp it and accomplish successfully. If so, my mother and my agency won’t have any concerns about me anymore. I would like to give them a sense of security that Yuchun is doing well. Now, my colleagues from my agency are worried about me so much.

 

Q: Why are they worried about you?

 A: They say I look unstable. At that time, I thought I was physically and mentally OK. Once I drank with a Noona from PR team, she said, “You looked unstable.” Before that a long while, I got stressed out and got very sick. As soon as she saw me and said, “Didn’t I tell you you looked unstable?”

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Q: Are you a type of person who bears the pain if you are sick?

 A: I really don’t like to go to the hospital. I don’t go to the hospital if I am not really seriously sick. I rarely take any medicine even if I already buy them. This time, I took a few because I was very sick.

 

Q: How do you maintain your physical strength? While you are shooting the dramas, you are working with only short sleep in between shooting.

 A: Working with a pleasant laughter. And, my staffs are taking a good care of me. It is not a lie and they really are. I don’t mean they supply me good food. Ah, including that. They make me feel comfortable with speaking to me with smiley faces while we are moving. A good meal don’t always give me strength. Feeling comfortable and going back home with joy after finishing my shooting become the sources of my strength.

 

Q: People surrounding you must feel pleasant. You are indeed a moodmaker in the shooting spot?

 A: It is good to work with pleasure. Everyone is tired. If we laugh once,  there isn’t something wrong, is it?

 

Q: Since you don’t do other activities, you unintentionally look like practicing mysticism to your recent fans. Thus, people often forget that you are such a bright and humorous person.

 A: Uh, I am very bright. But, everybody becomes bright when he/she feels good and feels a bit down when he/she doesn’t feel good. I am bright just a few more times than others (laugh). Whenever the weather is good, I especially become so bright. In the sunny day, I am so happy every moment when I am moving from place to place.

 

Q: Do you intent to be on variety shows from now on?

 A: Talk show is too much for me. They must not invite me (laugh). If I do some, there are variety shows with freer atmosphere. Within a comfortable conversation, pleasures will come out. Recently, while I watched <March – the story of friends>, I would like be on that program if I have  opportunity.

 

Q: What will be like your next acting schedule?

 A: The schedule for the first half for each station is mostly set up. I think I have checked the schedule of the second half, but it is not quite certain at this point. There are not so many stations in Korea. I am considering the movies as well. I would like show different look of myself as possible as I can. I was told by Prof. Song OK Sook while I was doing <I Miss You> together with her. She said to me she did not expect I chose this drama. This drama was completely different from <Rooftop Prince> or <Sungkyunkwan Scandal>. It is a big gambling for an actor to completely change his existing image and viewers may feel some awkwardness even if the actor plays the role so well. At that time, I merely thought that I would like to show different myself to views, but I didn’t think up to that point. But, after I was told such opinion, I became more concerned to choose my next drama.

 

Q: To continuously try to act different characters and change the color as an actor may be a matter of course. But, now, we are living in a world where it becomes a courage for actors to do like that. Young actors seem to be too cautious.

 A: There are some people who like me better when I have longer hair or others like short hair. But, frankly, I don’t care about that much. This is just what I am doing. As long as I am not out of the limit too much, they would like different aspects of mine. In a way, it may be about confidence. I have something like that. It could harm me like a poison, but I want to play various roles as much as possible. That may be one of the ways for me to make my work as a joyful pleasure. Of course, all the public are not my fans so that I seriously have to think about it (laugh).

 

Q: There are a lot more fans. You also have a lot of too active fans. Actually, you have given strict comments to ‘Saseangs.’ Many stars usually have endured those problems, but they firstly appeared to the surface by JYJ.

 A: Considering our personality, it may appear more. But, with the help of the firm, it stopped at that degree. But, they reduced a lot these days. I am so happy. I always think like this: While I am shooting the drama, I am working so that, I think, it may be OK for them to follow me. But, if they follow me at very private occasions, there are some possibilities of accidents and it may be very dangerous. And, how can people live in the world only for themselves and to pursue their own desire? If they started with a good intention, but the result was not good, they should not commit such actions.

 

Q: Nevertheless, you previously said in interviews that ‘you would disclose to the public if you are seeing somebody?’

 A: That is why I would go public. To have an intention to disclose to the public about the fact that I am seeing somebody means that I have thought about that so sincerely. So, I don’t care.

 

Q: Then, what does your girlfriend have to do? (laugh)

 A: Of course, I am concerned. Frankly speaking, it is not easy for me to see somebody because we are attached with a very strong image of ‘Saseangs’ from TVXQ to JYJ days. Thus, even if I find somebody and we may have favorable feelings about each other, that person tends to be apart from me. Is there any woman who wants to date somebody with suffering all the difficulties? Everybody wants a comfortable way of loving. I understand. I feel pitiful for that. If that somebody is an entertainer, of course, there may be some parts she has to suffer. But, it is natural that anybody wants to be loved comfortably up to certain degree. If she is accused without reason, then, anybody doesn’t feel well about that and, so do her parents. If their loving daughter is heavily accused by many people just because she is seeing Yuchun, then, do they feel OK with it? With such thoughts, most people are frightened. Therefore, it is difficult for me to see somebody.

 

Q: If you disclose to the public, that means you are deeply in love with her and have an intention to marry her?

 A: Yes, it does. It doesn’t mean that I have dated her for about a year or something like that. It will be after many conversations going on with staffs in my agency, members, and my family. I also think that is a polite way to deal with the matter for many people who like us.

 

Q: This is one of the questions from fans. What does ‘being Park Yuchun’s person’ mean?

 A: Being my person means the same as I will be her person. It was different before. After I left SM, it was important to me that they were my family or they were my people. Since I was in a very difficult and tired situation, I needed such people and I couldn’t make it without them. But, after the time passed by with such status, I realized that having my people was not important. It became more important to me whether I became their person or not. If I am their person, then, they are my people as well. I try to think in the opposite way. But, it may not be easy. I encounter some obstacles and it is not easy, but I try to be like that as possible as I can.

 

Q: You are good at concisely delivering what you mean. It must be true that you read a lot?

 A: No, recently, I only play games, haha.

 

Q: What kinds of games do you play?

 A: It is a secret. It should not be known in public. In that game, my image is not good. I curse so much within the game (laugh).

 

Q: You like animation and movies. Do you have any recommendations?

A: The one I watched the most recently was the animation titled as <The Wolf Children>. I enjoyed it a lot. It was very impressive, too. A women loved a man, but she found out that that man was a wolf man. Despite knowing such fact, they married and had a boy and a girl. When their children were younger, the girl showed characteristics of a wolf and the boy showed those of a human being. But, while they grew up, they would like to have opposite features. The girl wanted to be a human being, but the boy wanted to be a wolf. I could really feel empathy with the mother who had to witness all that in the middle. The process in which she reared her children and let them leave away from her, I was not sad, but very touched.

 

Q: Do you cry while you watch movies or dramas?

 A: Usually, it is the morning when I watch some sad ones and cry. About 8 o’clock? When I get up or I stay up the whole night, I watch the dramas or movies after closing the door of my room and lying down in my bed. Sometimes, I did not cry even if it was really sad. But, other times, I burst into tears and fiercely cried although it was not very sad. I am a type of person who usually watch and deal with those alone. At home, without letting anybody know including my mother

 

Q: When was the last time when you cried?

A: (He looked around and laughed loudly with a little bit of embarrassed look) ahhahaha

 

Q: It wasn’t long time ago?

 A: Ahhahahahahaha

 

Q: This morning?

 A: No… ahhahaha

 

Q: I know what you mean (laugh), I heard you like drinking. How much can you drink to be exact?

 A: I don’t know. Today, I would like drink after practice. haha, After we sweat, we should drink. So, I usually have been going for a drink with Jeajoong hyung after practice.

 

Q: It is kind of a drink of labor?

 A: Yes, it is. Drink of labor (laugh) ♥

BIG THANKS TO OUR LOVELY TRANSLATORS.

Credit: Singles April Issue

Translated by: Uttunfan@6002Sky

Shared by: 6002Sky

DO NOT ADD/EDIT CREDIT

I love him 6002 times more if it is even possible.

 

 

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