'Cooking Soldier' Park Ji-hoon: "The spine flute scene was the most 'Chwiral'... High appearance fee? Script fraud? Absolutely not" [Interview ①]

*This content was translated by AI.

Project group Wanna One member and actor Park Ji-hoon (27) shared his feelings on receiving great love, following the blockbuster success of 'The King's Man' and now 'Cooking Soldier: The Legend'.

2026 is undoubtedly 'the year of Park Ji-hoon'. Earlier this year, he achieved remarkable success with the film 'The King's Man' (hereinafter 'The King's Man'), rising to the status of a 'million-seller actor'. Moreover, he concluded his activities amidst soaring popularity, including the 10th-anniversary reunion of project group Wanna One and his work as a solo singer.

In addition, Park Ji-hoon has taken over the small screen with his next project following 'The King's Man', the OTT TVING original and tvN Monday-Tuesday drama 'Cooking Soldier: The Legend' (hereinafter 'Cooking Soldier'). This drama is based on the Naver webtoon of the same name. It is a military cooking fantasy drama depicting the journey of private Kang Sung-jae (played by Park Ji-hoon) transforming into the 'legendary cooking soldier'.

In the drama, Park Ji-hoon took on the role of Kang Sung-jae, challenging himself with his first comedic performance. He skillfully expressed the so-called B-grade 'military humor' sensibility, captivating viewers with a twist charm completely opposite to that of 'The King's Man'.

Thanks to Park Ji-hoon's unprecedented transformation, 'Cooking Soldier' launched with a 5.8% viewership rating on the 11th of last month and is currently maintaining a high figure of over 7% after airing eight episodes.

In response, Park Ji-hoon recently replied to viewers' support in an interview with StarNews held at a cafe in Anguk-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. He stated, "Since it was my first time doing comedic acting, I was quite worried inside. The drama also started in the summer when it was so hot that clothes would get soaked even if you just stood still outside. I wanted everyone to watch it as much as possible given the hard work everyone put in, and I am grateful that they liked it. Many acquaintances have also told me they are watching 'Cooking Soldier' well."

How does he reflect on his 'all-kill' box office success spanning films, dramas, and the music industry? Park Ji-hoon said, "I am truly grateful that the works are doing well. Of course, I am happy, but there has been no change in my mindset within me. I am simply doing the tasks given to me. I felt no burden when presenting 'Cooking Soldier' because I considered it separate from 'The King's Man'. It is because I only thought about the work regarding the energy I could express." He spoke humbly.

When asked about the reason for such calmness, he said, "I am a person who dislikes causing trouble to others. I thought that my excited appearance might be seen negatively by others. I also dislike seeing myself excited. There is a possibility that I might look arrogant or show off. So, I am being more careful and constantly lowering myself. Also, I don't think I am the type who lives with certain worries. 'Let's do our best with what is given' has become my new motto these days. It's a personality that says, 'Let's not be obsessed with results.'"

Regarding his first challenge in comedic acting, he said, "It was so much fun even while filming," leaving a satisfied comment. Park Ji-hoon added, "From the moment I read the script for 'Cooking Soldier', I thought it would be fun because I could show comedic chemistry and many things I haven't shown before. In fact, there were many additions on set, such as interactions with senior actor (Yoon) Kyung-ho. Director Jo Nam-hyung let us loose a lot. The staff also had many scenes that were so funny they could burst out laughing, and the atmosphere on set was great." He recalled.

He continued, "Especially, the scene where I bring a hamburger to senior Kyung-ho was an homage to 'Black and White Lisa', which was senior Kyung-ho's idea. He came up with the idea on the spot, and there were many scenes created by fleshing out the script on the shooting set." He shared this behind-the-scenes story.

With his all-out performance that spared no sacrifice for destruction, rumors even circulated among viewers about a high appearance fee (?). When mentioned, Park Ji-hoon smiled and said, "I never even thought about appearance fees. It's absolutely not true. It's not script fraud either. 'Cooking Soldier' was simply a challenge because I thought I could show many things in a very one-dimensional way."

The 'military humor' code unique to 'Cooking Soldier' was so well-executed that it even spawned the aggressive nickname 'Chwiral'.

So, what is the scene that Park Ji-hoon considers the most 'Chwiral'? He said, "The most 'Chwiral' scene was the one where I bit a spine and blocked a ball (in episode 4). Actually, at that time, there was really nothing there. So I asked on set, 'Can we just play one song?' and I danced to it. The song that came out at the time was a waltz-style track. The dance was inspired by Russian folk dance. That is what I remember most." He recalled.

Additionally, Park Ji-hoon said, "The seaweed soup costume was the moment I felt the most 'reality shock'. I saw that outfit on the day itself. It was so revealing that my chest might have shown if I wasn't careful, so I remember quickly tying up the clothes on set. I also remember the grandmother makeup, but the seaweed soup costume was the most shocking." This elicited laughter.

'Cooking Soldier' consists of a total of 12 episodes, with only four episodes remaining until the finale. When asked about his thoughts on a second season, Park Ji-hoon revealed his unique affection, saying, "I don't think this will happen just because I said I want it. However, if a second season comes out, I do have the desire to try it with the same team as now."

Episode 9 of 'Cooking Soldier' will be released simultaneously on TVING and tvN at 8:50 p.m. on the 8th.

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*This content was translated by AI.