[Interview] Park Seo-joon Grazia: The Perfect Match

Park Seo-joon (박서준) is a new actor on my radar. I was first introduced to him through the drama She Was Pretty. I later watch a couple of episodes of Hwarang, and I liked the little bit that I saw. He looked pretty adorably funny in the first two episodes. I heard that drama was the best kind of hot mess. It was all over the place in a good/bad way? Maybe kind of like Boys Over Flowers? I don’t really know, the consensus was mixed, but everyone said it was better than they thought it would be.

Regardless, I loved him in She Was Pretty and I am more than looking forward to Fight My Way. All the promos of that show look like it is the kind of drama I so need right now. A light and fun drama with friendship at its heart. It looks all kinds of vintage and retro and adorable. The teaser they released is just so on point. Drama, please be good.

Park Seo-joon ventured out State side to Venice beach in LA for Tommy Hilfiger’s fashion show. Grazia was along for the ride to document the fashion show as well as to take several photos of Park Seo-joon modeling the clothing. He looks like he has so much energy. I really liked what he said about striving to feel comfortable and at ease in every situation. He said he was too nervous and tense to enjoy the fashion show due to the drastically different environment. He wants to be the type of person that can enjoy his space wherever he is at and whomever he is with. I love that. He also said he wants to live in another country and learn how to speak English there. As a person who is learning a new language myself, I can dig it. You learn so much faster if you’re forced to speak it. Immersion is key.

The interview is below, check it out if you have a chance.

THE INTERVIEW
The lively, youthful city of Los Angeles. Within LA, Venice Beach is the most relaxed and beautiful area; it reminds us a lot of actor Park Seo-joon. Park Seo-joon visited LA on the day that Tommy Hilfiger, who moved his whole collection from New York city to Venice Beach, unveiled his Spring/Summer 2017 collection. Park Seo-joon was invited as Tommy Hilfiger’s Asian model for the Spring/Summer 2017 collection. Rather than being tired, due to his uncontrollably busy schedule, he instead gave life and joy to everyone. The journey Tommy Hilfiger, Park Seo-joon, and LA had together was perfect without any slip-ups, and also joined in.

How was the Tommy Hilfiger Show?
It was my first overseas fashion show and I had so much fun. The scale of the show was enormous.

This Tommy Hilfiger show is on a rare scale, even overseas as well.
I think so. The scale was huge. There were so many invited guests. Everything was amazing. It was also fresh to see models walking right in front of the audience instead of on stage. I thought about a lot of things.

What did you think about it?
It was all cool, all the people and models attending; I was surprised and thought ‘This size of fashion show is possible in America’ and at the same time, ‘When will our country be able to do a show like this?’ I’m not a fashion model, so I don’t know how they feel, but I was also curious about what the models felt. I was very thankful for the experience in many ways.

The clothes on the runway are available for purchasing right away. These kinds of collections are popular (See Now Buy Now collections). Did you have a favorite look?
I liked everything. First of all, I thought it wasn’t like the Tommy Hilfiger brand I knew before. It was all different. I think this was a collection that completely broke the general prejudices and common images of ‘Tommy Hilfiger’. Especially, the finale look that matched the denim in the red bomber jacket, the sun dress Gigi Hadid wore was also really beautiful.

You were invited as an Asian model for Tommy Hilfiger. How did you feel when you were first offered to model for Tommy Hilfiger?
‘This is my life opportunity. I should do it without any consideration.’ (laughs). It was a very grateful thought.

Do you remember the clothes you wore on the day of the show? I’m wondering why you chose to wear those clothes.
Of course. When I went to the store, I dressed in last season’s clothes because they didn’t have the S/S collection yet. The first thing that comes to mind when you think of Tommy Hilfiger is the “preppy look.” So, I matched a jacket and chino pants with a shirt and tie. When I went to the store, I saw so many clothes that I could wear everyday. I particularly liked that the fabric was easy to move in. I think the clothes can be used in a variety of situations, either for shooting or as everyday wear.

You often stand in front of the camera. Sometimes as an actor, or as a product model, and you stood as a cover model today, I guess you would feel differently depending on each situation.
They are all different, but I have a similar sense of duty. But, of course, there are differences in attitude toward them. In the case of a drama or a movie shoot, I am very used to it, so I am comfortable. But it was a little burdensome for advertisements or magazines. Maybe because I am not familiar with them? I feel like I should work harder in the future.

How do you feel about being a cover model for ?
It is a great honor to be the cover model. After the shoot, I thought ‘Did I do a good job?’ My face is not as strong as other models. I was a little frustrated – ‘If I had a bolder look, it would be more impactful’. I think that is because I concentrate on my weaknesses. (he was actually talking about the line of his face here, but I changed it to face/look)

There was enough of an impact. The cover came out well.
Did you like it? Did you finish picking it? Oh, I really want to see it.

You’ve always been very fashionable.
It seems like it is a kind of hobby to me. I don’t know enough about fashion to explain what look I like and why I like that look. I’m just looking at a few things I like rather than trying to see all the shows for every brand. There is that big flow called a trend. I think I am at a level where I can follow the trend.

What is your favorite look or item?
It is always changing. But no matter how famous and hot the brand is, I do not want to try it unless it suits me well. Nowadays I like clothes that I can wear every day and are comfortable. Like the Tommy Hilfiger clothes I worn this time.

I was surprised to see that in [Hwarang] the various styles of hanbok suited you perfectly. There was also an article called “Park Seo-joon even looks good in a handbook.” How do you feel about an article like that?
Hahaha. Was there such an article? Who wrote that article?

You are now a hanbok fashionista.
Hahaha. That is too much. By the way, I wore a variety of hanbok through [Hwarang], so I know this for sure. Hanboks cover the body perfectly. They do not show any flaws.

You don’t have any flaws, do you?
I never thought I would make hanboks suit me perfectly while I was filming [Hwarang]. Nowadays fit and fabric is important for clothes, but not for hanboks. If you place your belt well, it will be the silhouette (laughs). But actually the clothes of the lowest class of people were the most comfortable. The higher the class, the harder it was to dress.

Really? Is it because the fabrics are better?
Yes. They are easy to wrinkle and the way you wear them is also different. There is a behind-the-scenes story about this. When you see them on TV, they look very luxurious, but they don’t ventilate at all. The hanboks looked nice, but it was too hard to keep wearing them. They did not absorb sweat, so I sweated a lot.

On the other hand, in [2 Days & 1 Night], I think the flower pattern coat and pants, and even the flower corsage suited you completely, what do you think?
When they saw me wearing the floral coat the guys of [2 Days & 1 Night] told me “You are just like one of us in that clothing” The shoot itself was really fun. But do you think there is a script? No. It’s real. They did not give me anything to eat.

You are in [Midnight Runners], which is very different from [Hwarang], right? The atmosphere is completely different, can you tell me a little more about it?
The release date isn’t set yet, so I cannot talk much about it. This movie doesn’t even have a huge reversal, but it is still a secret anyway. I just finished shooting. The reason I decided to do this movie was because I thought recently there were no movies casting two young men in leading roles. That part came fresh to me. The energy at the filming site was also different. I had fun with my peers. I think people who see the movie will feel the good energy. I hope it becomes a movie that will give the audience a lot of energy.

You debuted in 2011 so now you have been an actor for 8 years. You’ve already done various roles, but what role do you really want to do in the future?
Well, I don’t think I have any clear goal or greed for the cast. I’ve been doing what I can do for my age so far. It was a sort of selection criteria. In terms of acting roles, I rarely make unreasonable choices. I don’t have a clear plan, but there is something I want to do later. I will work hard in Korea for about 3 more years, then I want to go abroad after that. I also want to study English.

You want to go abroad to study English as well?
Yes. I feel that, living in a foreign country is the fastest way to learn a foreign language. I still have a lot of things I want to do in Korea, so I am working hard now, but when I think ‘I have done and experienced enough’ then I would like to live in a foreign country.

Is it something you want to accomplish when you turn 30?
Yes, it is. I want to act in another language. It seems difficult and different. It may feel like you’re bumping into a new wall? I might succeed or fail, but I still want to try it. I am thinking about that a lot.

What are you interested in besides your recent works?
Recently I was so busy that I did not get a chance to see anything new. It makes me a little sad. But work is the most familiar and interesting. Because I have a career as an actor, I always get a new stimulus. It’s the same context that athletes try the challenge of a new sport rather than their usual one. In that sense, my job has a huge advantage.

What can you say if I ask you “Park Seo-jun is a 000 actor (or man)?
That question is too difficult. It is hard to say it in one word, but I do have a wish. I want to be a natural person in any situation. I felt it a lot when I went backstage at the Tommy Hilfiger event. Because it was my first time and because the cultures are different, I was tense. Other people seemed to really enjoy it, but it was difficult for me, which made me sad. So, I want to be a natural person who can fit in easily under any circumstance, even in a different environment.

Grazia Videos

EDITOR 김민지 PHOTOGRAPHER 박정민 MODEL 박서준 HAIR 정미(순수) MAKE-UP 강미(순수) STYLIST 박세연, 허혜원, 박성배(유포리아서울)STYLIST 박세연, 허혜원, 박성배(유포리아서울) ASSISTANT 두윤종 PRODUCTION 황정민(www.cri216.com)

END OF INTERVIEW

I hope you enjoyed the interview. On a Housekeeping note, my goal is to post 1-2 interviews a week. If you don’t want to miss any then be sure to subscribe to the newsletter. Also, if you have an interviews you would like translated, let me know in the comments. Have a wonderful weekend!

SOURCE Grazia

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