Once known as ‘the adulterer Lee Tae-oh,’ who stirred up domestic viewers' anger by shouting, “Falling in love is not a crime!” he is now moving the world as ‘Gwan-sik,’ a man who steadfastly endures all storms for one woman and the family he has built with her. This is actor Park Hae-jun (48).
I met him on the morning of the 1st at the Ambassador Seoul Pullman Hotel in Jangchung-dong. When I greeted him with “the extremely hot reactions to such polar opposite characters,” he replied, “I’ve been getting a lot of messages from people around me. Back then, many recognized me and talked to me, but this time, they approached me with a lot of sympathy. Everyone around me says, ‘I cried so much.’ I also can’t seem to sort out my feelings. I still can’t let go,” he said with a shy smile.
The Netflix series ‘I Was Completely Deceived’ tells the adventurous life of ‘the rebellious girl’ Ae-soon (played by IU) born in Jeju and ‘the clumsy Gwan-sik’ (played by Park Bo-gum) through the four seasons. Since its first release, it has received responses like “I cried a lot,” “a masterpiece,” and “it was amazing,” earning praise from viewers. The final act was released on the 28th of last month, concluding the grand journey.
Park Hae-jun said, “Of course, all the actors did well, but fundamentally, the script was excellent. All the actors felt proud and happy just to be part of it,” adding, “Regardless of the success of the work, everyone sincerely loved this project. The dedication of the production team was immense. They really created it stitch by stitch. It was precious, and I am grateful; we achieved everything,” showing deep affection.
“The writing itself is very detailed. When an actor performs, anyone can’t help but empathize and naturally blend in; it was precious in itself. Not only the overall structure but also every line and stage direction is written in such detail, and I can’t believe how well everything harmonizes. It was truly amazing. Moreover, the director tried not to miss a single detail.”
‘Gwan-sik’ appears to be gruff and taciturn on the outside, but he has a fiery heart when it comes to love. He is a typical ‘father figure’ of this era, embodying a pure love that seems almost fantastical, yet is very realistic.
He said, “I really reflected throughout the filming. Watching ‘Gwan-sik,’ I kept thinking about how one can be so sincere, love one woman so fiercely, and give their best in every moment. Even while grumbling that it’s ‘fantasy,’ I feel it’s an area I can’t dare to approach, but looking around, there are indeed many ‘fathers’ like that. Even if ‘Gwan-sik’ isn’t perfect, there are definitely people living like this. So, I felt moved and heavy-hearted throughout,” he confessed.
He continued, “I also thought about what kind of husband and father I am in reality. I tried to bring out the ‘Gwan-sik’ side within me. Upon reflection, I realized that family is my top priority. I tend to be stingy with others. I think many fathers might feel the same,” he said, scratching his head shyly.
“Once, my wife kept calling me. I don’t know what kind of anger I showed, but the kids (6th and 2nd graders) kept asking if I was okay because they were worried about me. I received calls like that all day. It was a first-time experience for me.” (laughs)
He also talked about Park Bo-gum, who played young Gwan-sik alongside him. He couldn’t leave out his gratitude towards IU and Moon So-ri.
“I was really grateful and also felt sorry,” Park Hae-jun began, “I think ‘Gwan-sik’ was completed so well because Bogum did such a great job. I benefited a lot from him. I acted while being careful to naturally inherit the ‘Gwan-sik’ that Bogum had created, and I’m just grateful that many people seemed to receive that sincerity well.”
He added, “In fact, I think many of Gwan-sik’s scenes were completed by the music and narration in the background rather than my acting. I think the beautiful yet sad images visible in Gwan-sik added to its brilliance. I actually didn’t do much.”
He openly expressed his affection for IU, whom he acted with as if she were his daughter. Park Hae-jun said, “She was really precious, beautiful, and pitiful. I thought of her as my daughter throughout, which made it so affectionate. ‘Ae-soon’ (Moon So-ri) and ‘Geum-myeong’ were all truly precious to me. I felt emotions that were so precious that I didn’t know what to do. I was very comfortable with other male actors, but when I met those two, I became very protective. It was fascinating,” he said.
Especially regarding Moon So-ri, with whom he shared a lifelong love, he said, “I was really happy and moved to work with her, and it felt good while acting together. I think we encouraged each other a lot throughout the filming,” and he smiled, saying, “We were all really completely deceived.”
Following the success of the blockbuster film ‘Spring in Seoul,’ Park Hae-jun is on a successful path with the follow-up ‘I Was Completely Deceived.’ He said, “I feel really grateful and happy, but I also get overly excited. I’m worried that it might not help with my next project, so I’m trying to be cautious and calm down these days,” he revealed, “I’m just thinking hard about getting my head straight.”
Additionally, he humorously added, “The nickname ‘National Loveable Guy’ is particularly burdensome. It has a good effect of making me unconsciously try to be better to my wife, but since my basic nature is a bit gruff and our couple is quite cool and straightforward with each other, I’m a bit concerned about that distance. I’m not a loveable guy, but I’m living comfortably.”
“Ah, I need to go buy a hairpin today... Haha!”
