Actor Park Seo Joon revealed that he received a surge of advertising offers following his appearance on a popular variety show. A video titled “Park Seo Joon, That’s Provocative,” featuring him as a guest, was uploaded to Jung Jae Hyung’s YouTube channel, Fairy Table.
In the video, Park Seo Joon discussed the challenging moments he faced early in his career, stating, “I felt really lost at that time. I had to start from scratch, so I chose to enlist in the military first.”
After completing his military service, he was introduced to an agency through a mutual friend, Kim Soo Hyun. He recalled, “As soon as I arrived at the company, the CEO confidently handed me the contract and said, ‘This is a standard contract, so if you’re feeling uncertain, you can consult a lawyer.’ It was a big company, so I went ahead and signed, but there were challenges later on because newcomers often had limited opportunities. Even when auditions happened, thousands of people would show up.”
He added, “So, at every audition, I would see familiar faces—people I recognized but didn’t really know.” This is how Park Seo Joon described his early experiences in the industry.
In response to a question from Jung Jae Hyung about actors’ friendships, Park Seo Joon said, “There’s no real sense of competition, but if we were to put it metaphorically, if each of us is playing a lead role in different projects, we don’t get to meet. Actors usually bond by working together, but those opportunities are often scarce. When we meet socially, it’s typically with friends from outside the industry, making it harder to form deeper connections.”
Now in his mid-30s, Park Seo Joon reflected on the challenges of selecting roles at this stage in his career. “At my age, it’s tricky to choose roles. It might not be a good fit if I opt for a younger character, but pursuing roles meant for someone in their 40s feels too young for me. My age feels ambiguous in that sense,” he explained. He also noted, “I may appear calm on the outside, but internally, it’s quite chaotic. I don’t often show it, but a lot is happening in my mind.”
Following the success of the drama Itaewon Class, Park Seo Joon went through a challenging period that made him consider retirement. He shared, “I felt like I had run out of steam. Being overwhelmed by those thoughts made me feel like I wanted to quit. So much time and money go into a project, and if I can’t approach it with good energy, I felt it would be disrespectful.”
Taking a break helped him overcome burnout, and he remarked, “Right now, I want to do something—I’m curious about my next project.” Park Seo Joon, who has also appeared in various reality shows like Youn’s Kitchen and Jinny’s Kitchen, noted, “After my appearances on variety shows, I received a huge influx of advertising offers. On one hand, I felt a bit disappointed, thinking, ‘I worked really hard at acting, but it didn’t pay off like this.’ I guess reality shows are the best for landing ads,” he joked.
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