'The First Man' Park Geon-il: "It was a perfect day to die, but lying there with fake blood made it even sadder"... A historic tragedy where his mother ran him over in her car [★FULL Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

"It was a bright, perfect day to die. Lying there with fake blood on me, it felt even sadder. I hope viewers remember my character Jun-ho in a touching way."

It was like a Shakespearean tragedy. Actor Park Geon-il, in 'The First Man', not only revealed that the villain was his own biological mother but also delivered a heartbreaking conclusion where he is run over and killed by her car.

Park Geon-il recently met with StarNews for an interview regarding the MBC daily drama 'The First Man' (directed by Kang Tae-heum, written by Seo Hyun-ju, produced by Ahn Jin-young).

'The First Man' is a drama depicting the fatal confrontation between a woman who lives another's life to seek revenge and a woman who steals another's life for desire. It is part of writer Seo Hyun-ju's 'Number Series', following 'The Second Husband' and 'The Third Marriage'. PD Kang Tae-heum, known for 'Kindly Mr. Sun', 'The Third Marriage', and 'Game of Witches', joined forces on the project.

In the drama, Park Geon-il plays Kang Jun-ho, a head chef at a Michelin three-star restaurant. After meeting Oh Jang-mi, he shows his first time in life loving someone with all his heart. Jun-ho became a living embodiment of jealousy upon learning that his half-brother, Kang Baek-ho (played by Yoon Seon-woo), also loved Oh Jang-mi. He was later tormented to learn that Chae Hwa-young (played by Oh Hyun-kyung), the owner of Dream Hotel where he worked, was his biological mother. Jun-ho jumped in front of the car Chae Hwa-young had driven to kill Oh Jang-mi, protecting her and dying in the process.

-How did you view 'The First Man' ending? Although Kang Jun-ho was run over by his mother Chae Hwa-young's car, other characters had happy endings.

▶As an actor, it was a good ending; as a character, it was a sad one. When I received the scripts for episodes 135 to 140 and saw them for the first time, I cried because I was so sad. On set during the filming of episodes 137 to 140, my mood remained down throughout, but I think that emotion came through well in the final work. I knew the ending from the start. The writer said she would close the last button and finish it, but the fact that Jun-ho dies at his mother's hands was shocking. My final line was while being hit by a car to save Jang-mi; even in that moment, he died saying, 'Is Ms. Rose okay?' I thought Jun-ho couldn't end with pity for his mother because it would be hard for him to accept the villain Chae Hwa-young as his mother. Among the characters viewers found hard to understand, there was me. They also didn't understand why Jun-ho liked Jang-mi. It seems Jun-ho jumped in front of the car not out of love, but to save himself.

-It was originally a 120-episode drama, extended by 20 episodes to end at 140. Where did you feel the drama's popularity?

▶The audience demographic included many elderly viewers. During the recent holidays, acquaintances tagged me extensively. They were tagging their parents who watched the show. I heard often, 'My mother watches it a lot.' People recognized me on the street, and even an officer from my military days called to ask, 'What happens next?'

-Which viewer comments about your role as Kang Jun-ho stand out in your memory?

▶I remember people saying, 'That guy has a good-guy face but plays a villain,' and 'Like Judge Lee Han-young before, he's playing a villain again this time.' I wanted to be told more this time that 'he acts well,' so I tried to carry the character through to the end. Senior actress Lee Hyo-jeong also told me in the latter half of the drama, 'You've really got it now. It's commendable that you did well,' which made me happy. When I was a senior at Dongguk University studying Theater and Film, I took her 'Audition Technique' class, and she recognized me immediately while working on this project.

-How did you prepare for and act out the character of Kang Jun-ho?

▶Jun-ho had a sense of lack from the beginning, abandoned by a villain. Although he appeared as a Michelin three-star chef who studied in the U.S., he tried to gain recognition through cooking just as much as he lacked love, struggling against it. His perfectionism was also an attempt to hide Jun-ho's inner void. You can see the character of Jun-ho when watching Christian Bale's role in the movie 'American Psycho'. There was a scene where I had a full-blown argument with senior actress Oh Hyun-kyung early on; that behavior was completely opposite to my own personality. Viewers even picked me as the character with the most severe 'character collapse.'

-Kang Jun-ho was a first-place winner at an American cooking competition and a Michelin three-star chef. How is your actual cooking ability? Did you reference content like 'Black and White Chef Lisa' or have any role models?

▶The director recommended watching Chef Ahn Sung-jae's manner of speaking when he says 'T'. I acted thinking of Chef Kang Leo from 'MasterChef Korea'. I referenced a scene where Chef Kang Leo, while wiping his mouth, spoke warmly to Chef Choi Sang-rok.

-What is the most memorable scene in this drama?

▶I remember the scene where Han Young-ja's mother (played by Choi Ji-yeon) stopped me when I was about to go to Oh Hyun-kyung's mother. Han Young-ja's mother asked me, 'How can you watch yourself going into a hellish pit?' and I replied, 'Because Chae Hwa-young's blood flows in me.' I had to express complex emotions such as guilt, pain, and self-pity. It was so sad that the camera director cried a lot after filming that scene. Even at the wrap party, they said that scene was the best. The scene where I die at the end is also very memorable. It was a bright, perfect day to die, but lying there with fake blood on me made it feel even sadder.

-You have had a long connection with actress Ham Eun-jung since her days as a singer. In her wrap-up comments, Ham Eun-jung said, 'Since we were trainees together in T-ARA, I could act comfortably.' How was it acting together as actors rather than singers?

▶Last year, I filmed for Ham Eun-jung's YouTube channel, and then I was cast in 'The First Man', which felt strange. When I told Eun-jung later, she said, 'It turned out so well.' During filming, Eun-jung would check on me, saying things like, 'It would be more charming if you did it this way.' However, since we had to film romance scenes together, Eun-jung seemed a bit awkward. Before filming 'The First Man', Eun-jung gave me an invitation to her wedding. Since many of my acquaintances, including singers and industry staff, were attending her wedding, I knew a lot of people there. So, Eun-jung even helped arrange seating for guests alongside me while preparing for the wedding.

-How was your acting chemistry with actors Oh Hyun-kyung and Yoon Seon-woo?

▶I met senior actress Hyun-kyung for the first time while filming this drama, and it was great because she is such a veteran. I thought, 'How can she be so cool?' No matter how difficult things got, she led the set cheerfully and was sincere in her acting. She always studied the script diligently and only gave positive feedback. Senior Yoon Seon-woo was also someone who was sincere about acting. I received much help and advice from him.

-How will 'The First Man' be remembered for Park Geon-il?

▶For me, it was my first leading role on a major channel, so it will be very memorable and I am grateful. The chemistry between the actors and staff was great, so we even formed a fishing group and plan to join that. We had three wrap parties, and I attended all of them.

-Recently, you have had short-form dramas like 'Married Couple Who Married First' and 'Nebula' in succession. What differences do you feel between short-form dramas and long-form daily dramas or mini-series?

▶Short-form dramas have a filming period of less than a week, so they feel different from daily dramas. In short-form, we film vertically and up close. It was interesting that even bust shots extended to waist shots, and I didn't use my arms widely. Since I debuted late, I thought I should try anything, so I tried acting in small theaters and also ventured into short-form dramas.

-What are your plans for your next project and future activities?

▶I haven't been able to go to Japan much since I started filming a drama at the end of last year, but there will be Supernova concerts in August and September. In October, I will also hold a solo fan meeting. There is a project currently being discussed; if that goes through, I plan to start filming early next year. In the meantime, if any good opportunities arise, I want to do anything.

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*This content was translated by AI.