Multiple award-winning South Korean beauty Park Min Young (박민영) has achieved so much in her career as an actress, it’s hard to believe that she’s only 29 years old (going on 30) this year. Her resume is impressive, boasting a sizeable amount of projects from film to television series, to music videos.
In fact, you might remember her from BIGBANG’s music video for their 2008 hit song, “Haru Haru”, where she played the role of G-Dragon’s girlfriend:
In more recent years, the doll-like actress was in several notable shows including 2011’s manga adaptation, “City Hunter”, where she starred opposite Lee Min Ho in a story about a vigilante out for revenge and justice, and the secret service agent he falls for.
Fun fact: Park Min Young would later go on to date Lee Min Ho in real life. However, the “City Hunter” couple called it quits sometime in early 2012.
She also starred in another manga screen adaptation in 2012; in “Dr. Jin”, a neurosurgeon (played by Song Seung Heon) travels back in time to 1860. Park Min Young played dual roles as the protagonist’s girlfriend in the present-day (a comatose doctor), and her doppelgänger in the Joseon era (a sheltered noblewoman).
In 2015, she was casted in “Remember – War of the Son” (리멤버 – 아들의 전쟁), otherwise known as “Remember”, alongside the likes of Yoo Seung Ho, Park Sung Woong, Jung Hye-sung, and Namgung Min.
The plot is as follows:
“Seo Jin-woo (played by Yoo Seung Ho) has the condition of Hyperthymesia which allows him to remember almost every day in perfect detail. His father has been wrongfully convicted of murder. To prove the innocence of his father, Jin-woo becomes a lawyer. He struggles to prove his father’s innocence, who begins to lose his memory due to Alzheimer’s.”
In “Remember”, Park Min Young plays Lee In-a, a prosecutor who believes in the ways of honesty and truth, and one of the only people to believe Seo Jin-woo’s father innocence.
We caught up with her recently to talk about this exciting new TV series and about acting career moving forward. Here’s what went down:
What is your first impression of Yoo Seung Ho?
My first encounter with him was in the movie “The Way Home”. Back then, I thought this boy was full of confidence and talent. Like many viewers and fans, I have also seen Yoo Seung Ho grown up through the years. My goal is to never hear him call me “aunt”. (laughs)
You’ve worked with many co-stars that are more senior or of the same age as you. Is this the first time your co-star is younger than you?
Yes, and you are right that I’ve always worked with actors around my age and Yoo is the first actor that is 7 years younger than me. To close our age gap, I use formal language with him on purpose. (laughs)
How is it now then, after you’ve started working with him on this drama?
He’s a very nice boy. (laughs) Very good looking too! I think we started off right, and I am excited to see how our characters in the drama will develop.
Is there a reason you picked “Remember”?
There’s no one reason – often actors would pick a script based on the how they feel they could portray the character. I tend to choose well-written scripts with characters that I can sympathize with. I saw the first script of the first few episodes and I felt the connection with my character instantly.
How did you first get yourself into the acting scene?
I have never thought of becoming an actress. Back in school where I was doing design, I was doing my research, watching television shows and movies, I always had the thought, “what would it be like if I was acting as her?”, and I challenged myself to go try it out. It was pure curiosity and who knew that I actually made it through. It was then I thought that maybe I could make a career out of acting.
It’s been around 10 years since you debuted. How do you think you have changed since then?
It is not so much about how much I’ve grown, but I’ve learnt to appreciate the reason why things are done – casting, script, crew, PDs and the network. You learn that a drama isn’t just about you but it is made up of everyone. Without everyone’s hard work and talent, an actor or actress is good for nothing. Work is still the same after all these years; you don’t get to shoot for lesser hours a day because you have been around longer. (laughs) I still remember back then when I did a lot auditions and had to wait for a long time. I didn’t have much work then. Now, I don’t get enough sleep and am often tired, but I know that I am very lucky and I should be grateful. And when I think about that, my tiredness goes away.
As a high profile actress, do you receive a lot of compliments?
Because I’ve been through a slump, I don’t get carried away easily by compliments or favourable reviews. I think I am just lucky all these years. I just do what I have to do.
Thanks for the chat, Park Min Young! Also, special thanks to our friends from ONE TV Asia for making this interview happen 🙂
Don’t forget! “Remember” airs within 24 hours from Korea. Every Thursday and Friday at 8:55pm, first and exclusively on ONE HD, Astro Byond Channel 393.
For more information, visit ONE TV Asia’s Facebook page or Twitter.
