Editor's Note: 

 

A "scene-stealer" is a term used in various media to describe a character or actor who, regardless of their screen time, naturally captures the audience's attention with their strong personality and charm, often overshadowing the main roles. The term literally means to steal the scene. In this context, K-Vibe presents a relay interview series featuring actors who started with theater and expanded their acting range into drama and film, becoming scene-stealers. The series will be updated biweekly and will serve as an archive of scene-stealer actors with a background in Korean theater, providing valuable resources for casting directors worldwide.

 

 

▲ Actor Park Ho-san is seen giving an interview at the Opera House of the Seoul Arts Center in Seocho-gu, Seoul, on the morning of April 12, 2023. (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, Jan. 3 (Yonhap) -- “At 40, I had a dream where an elderly man called me Park Ho-san, scolding me to get my act together and live properly. Changing my name transformed my life,” actor Park Ho-san (52) said in a recent interview with Yonhap News. 

 

Born Park Jung-hwan, he revealed the backstory behind his stage name.

 

In 2012, with little recognition to his name, he contemplated a drastic change—even considering "Map" ("Ji-do" in Korean) as his new name. Eventually, he adopted “Park Ho-san,” his grandfather’s name, which brought a sense of responsibility and change.

 

Park reflected, “I often played lonely artist roles, which led to intense feelings of depression. I even hurt others with my words, thinking, ‘I’m such a terrible person.’ But through reflection and a change of mindset, people now say my expression has softened.”

 

Since debuting in the 1996 musical Winter Wanderer, Park has performed in over 300 stage productions, earning the nickname “The Jangseung (Totem Pole) of Daehakro” for his dedication to theater. Despite his rise to fame in dramas like Prison Playbook and My Mister, his motto remains: “At least one well-prepared stage production per year.” In 2023 alone, he added Art and All My Sons to his repertoire.

 

Park believes theater is the "actor's art," unlike films, which are the director's medium, or dramas, which belong to writers. He finds theater’s greatest charm in its live audience. “The stage is a living organism. You must adapt to the audience’s energy, much like a conductor managing the flow of an orchestra,” he said.

 

For Park, the main difference between stage and screen lies in preparation. “In theater, you can refine a character over time, while in media, you must maintain the character after the first shoot,” he explained. Yet, he sees acting as less about expression and more about understanding. Treating characters like friends, he works to connect with them, meeting “somewhere between myself and the role.”

 

This approach brought to life his iconic character, “Kaist from Munrae-dong,” in Prison Playbook, which earned him the Baeksang Arts Award for Best Supporting Actor in TV. Park recalled, “We theater actors would joke, ‘If this drama fails, our livelihood in Daehakro is doomed.’ But we were united, like in theater, and it paid off.”

 

While Park acknowledges his “fortunate streak of roles,” he admitted envying Lee Byung-hun’s character in Our Blues. “I was moved to tears watching it, but I also felt jealous, wondering how I might have approached it differently,” he confessed.

 

Interestingly, Park’s original dream was to become a folk singer. However, a performance of Hamlet 4 by director Ki Guk-seo in middle school ignited his passion for acting. “When Hamlet stepped into a spotlight and delivered ‘To be or not to be,’ my heart raced. It was mesmerizing,” he reminisced.

 

Despite the hardships of early theater life—juggling family responsibilities and financial struggles after marrying during college—Park fondly remembers those days. “I’d miss the last train home and sleep at the control room or catch the first train in the morning. Those times were fun,” he said.

 

Now approaching his 30th year in acting, Park dreams of creating an iconic scene akin to Edward Norton’s climactic moment in Primal Fear. “I didn’t cry at the Baeksang Awards, but I think I’ll cry a lot when I win a theater award,” he said with a shy smile.

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]