"I can keep acting like this," says Pyo Ji-hoon, receiving his first praise. Gaining courage from 'True Education' [★FULL Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

For singer and actor Pyo Ji-hoon, Netflix's 'True Education' holds meaning beyond that of a mere production. He has always doubted his acting and worried about his shortcomings, but through this work, he revealed that he gained the courage to take another step forward as an actor.

'True Education' is a work depicting the bold activities of the School Authority Protection Bureau, which stands on the side of victims to correct schools. Pyo Ji-hoon took on the newly created series original character 'Bong Geun-dae'.

Regarding the reason for appearing in 'True Education', Pyo Ji-hoon said, "I read the script for the first time without having seen the original webtoon, and the script itself was so fun."

He continued, "The fictional setting of the School Authority Protection Bureau itself was also interesting, and as I read the script, scenes of 'Bong Geun-dae' naturally came to mind. Even though I only read Jin-ah's action scenes in text, I could imagine how (Kim) Mu-yeol would act them out."

He added, "I found it so fun while reading the script. Just imagining how Mu-yeol and senior Lee Seong-min would express this script made me look forward to it, and I was curious about what kind of appearance (Jin) Ki-ju would show. Hearing the news about the casting of the actors made me want to participate even more."

Pyo Ji-hoon expressed his gratitude to the actors he worked with on 'True Education'. He said, "From the very first script reading, the director, Mu-yeol, and senior Seong-min freely shared many stories about the work. Ki-ju and I watched the director and seniors as if we were watching a tennis match, and just that was a great help."

He further added, "In fact, I was nervous, but the seniors made me feel very comfortable and gave me a lot of advice, so I think I was well prepared. Thanks to that, I gained the courage to act more boldly."

In this way, Pyo Ji-hoon expressed his respect for Kim Mu-yeol and Lee Seong-min. Regarding Kim Mu-yeol, he said, "The action I imagined while reading the script and Director Hong Jong-chan's direction were implemented much more beautifully on set. While filming, I felt that Mu-yeol was truly cool and sexy, and when watching the edited version, I could feel that charm in the director's direction as well."

He continued, "As a male actor, I wondered if I could perform action so healthily when I reach Mu-yeol's age. I resolved to work hard on exercise and acting to become a cool actor. I think that's a dream every male actor has at least once."

Regarding Lee Seong-min, he said, "He is a senior that any actor must respect and like. Every moment was a learning site, and it was truly a precious time."

He also said, "He allowed me to do whatever I wanted on set. Rather than blocking my opinions by saying 'I don't think that's right,' he encouraged me. It might be just my own thought, but I think senior Seong-min viewed me with interest. He treated me very affectionately, and I could feel love in his eyes."

'True Education' has been attracting intense popularity by ranking first in 'Today's Top 10 Series in Korea' and topping Netflix's 'Global Top 10 Non-English Shows' and Flicks Patrol's 'Netflix Global TV Show' categories. Pyo Ji-hoon said, "In fact, it still doesn't feel real, but I am so happy," smiling broadly. He continued, "We are sharing the good news in the group chat with the director and actors and spending each day. I am trying not to miss this moment."

He also said, "I don't use SNS directly, so it's not easy to see reactions, but people around me sent me screenshots. Seeing reactions like 'In other works, I was awkward, but here the acting is really good' made me feel proud."

He added that he received many messages from acquaintances such as Zico and Moon Se-yoon. "I am very grateful for the praise, but when I first saw the edited version, I only saw my shortcomings. I even doubted, 'Is this really praise?' and I try to filter it out so I don't get too excited."

Earlier, Pyo Ji-hoon revealed that his clumsy image, which he usually showed on variety shows, seemed to have helped with his casting. He smiled, saying, "I think it helped during casting because I showed a lot of clumsy and naive behavior on variety shows like 'New Journey to the West'."

He continued, "In reality, I think the sync rate between me and 'Bong Geun-dae' is close to 0%. I think the image I showed on variety shows can be an advantage in 'True Education', but conversely, I think it can act as a limitation when taking on other characters."

He added, "In the future, I think my task is to gradually show different sides through acting and create convincing characters that viewers can naturally accept."

Pyo Ji-hoon, who runs a theater troupe, has consistently shown his passion for acting. He said, "I have been interested in and loved acting since I was a child. That is the biggest driving force." He further shared, "I think I will perform in Daehak-ro around November this year. I am preparing to produce an original play."

Regarding his efforts, he said, "I take acting lessons, and I perform about once or twice a year. Every time, I learn a lot from the actors I perform with and the directors. That is when I grow the most. I plan to perform more, learn more from seniors and juniors and directors, and refine and build my acting to make it solid."

Finally, Pyo Ji-hoon revealed that he gained an opportunity to grow further as an actor through 'True Education'.

He said, "I have had many worries about acting until now. I always felt that I had too many shortcomings, so I always thought I had to work harder. I also always had the worry, 'Can I make this acting convincing?'"

He continued, "Of course, even now, when I watch my acting, I see many parts that are lacking. But while working on 'True Education', I gained the belief that 'I can keep acting like this,' even if just a little."

He also said, "'True Education' is a work that gave me courage. Through this work, I gained confidence that if I work a little harder, I can get better reactions. In the future, I want to continue to fill my shortcomings and strive to become a better actor."

Regarding his next work, the drama 'Good Partner 2', he emphasized, "I would be very grateful if you could look forward to a point where I can show acting skills that are slightly more skilled than my acting in Season 1."

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*This content was translated by AI.