Park Min-young: "I go the path that'll make me happiest when I do something." - Part 1

Park Min-young [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

"It's time for me to do really well." Actress Park Min-young, who played the honest Kim Nana in SBS TV series "City Hunter," spoke honestly of herself as well, almost resembling her past characters who have acted according their own convictions. Park, who made a splendid debut through "High Kick 1" and then landed the main female lead in KBS series "I am Sam," looked back on that time as when she thought "someone was placing me on a cloud." But she went into a slump after "Princess Ja Myung Go," which was when she was most thirsty for acting. She is now thankful for whatever opportunity comes her way and acts with love for her characters. Park excitedly spoke of her next series "Young-gwang's Jae-in" (tentative title) which will follow immediately after "City Hunter" although three days is the most time she has rested in a row the past year and three months.


<#10_QMARK#> How would you score your acting as Kim Nana in "City Hunter"?
Park Min-young: Maybe 40 or 50 points because I wasn't satisfied with it. There were times that I wished her romance with Yoon-sung was depicted in more detail and in a ways, their emotions moved forward too fast, without enough of a foundation. And I had a lot of concerns and had difficulty playing her in the latter half of the show because Yoon-sung and Nana's emotions kept getting repeated. I think I could've done better with controlling the dynamics of her emotions. Well okay, I tried, so 50 points.

<#10_QMARK#> Of you, Lee Min-ho said, "I had an easy time acting with her because she took in whatever I expressed myself in however way." What do you think your chemistry with Lee Min-ho was like?
Park: Our acting styles are similar -- we'll react only after listening to the other person's words and be endlessly serious when we're serious but also be playful when we're playful. Lee's acting is considerate. That's why he's better with the scenes he reacts to someone and the same goes for me too. As much as we had good chemistry because of our similar styles of acting, I also got a lot of help from him.

Park Min-young [Chae Ki-won/10Asia]

<#10_QMARK#> You've taken on the role of the tough and energetic nurse's aide Jae-in in your upcoming TV series "Young-gwang's Jae-in" (tentative title). How are you preparing for it?
Park Min-young: I'm in the process of adding life to my character in my own way. Jae-in has to take her exam to become a nurse's aide so she'll eat fastfood for her meals to save on time and talk fast as well. And she needs to take care of patients so she'll be quick with her hands and have a high-toned and loud voice. She'll be very cheerful in the beginning but probably go to another extreme when the secrets to her birth start getting revealed.

<#10_QMARK#> Jae-in and Kim Nana are somewhat similar in the sense that they're both tough and energetic main female characters.
Park: I think it's up to me to make different characters out of them even if they may seem similar. Viewers may think 'She's playing that type of character again?' in the first two episodes of the show but I'm hoping they'll start seeing just Jae-in in the episodes that follow. That's why I'm trying not to feel too much pressure over that. And I think we'll be okay since we have a good screenwriter.

<#10_QMARK#> You've also said you place your full faith in the screenwriter when you choose a project and act in it so I'm guessing it must be important for you to meet producers you can trust to have that faith throughout.
Park: That was the main reason I chose "Young-gwang's Jae-in." I won't have much time to rest after "City Hunter" because of it but I wanted to do it because I was convinced of it. To start with, I trusted screenwriter Kang Eun-kyung. The thing I like most when I first met her was that she knew my style of acting and recommended what would suit Jae-in the best. She has such a clear picture of what she wants Jae-in to be like. So I figured that I'd become Jae-in if I follow the Jae-in she has in her mind.

<#10_QMARK#> What sort of Jae-in did screenwriter Kang Eun-kyung say she wants to create?
Park: She knew my voice was on the lower to mid range so she told me that I'd probably suit the role better if I change the tone of my voice. That it'd be better if I raise my tone by a notch or two. And she also told me that it'll be better if I talk quickly, as if I'm rapping, and maintain that speed in my interactions with Young-gwang (Chun Jung-myung). She's made things so much easier for me by telling me what she thinks will suit Jae-in. It's up to me to pull it all off but all I need to do is add life to it so I'm happy that she has made it easier for me to play my character.

<#10_QMARK#> You've been working nonstop -- from "SungKyunKwan Scandal" to "The Cat" to "City Hunter" and "Young-gwang's Jae-in." But you have to work your emotions to act so aren't you concerned about getting burnt out?
Park: Thankfully, they're of different genres so that's one of the reasons I chose to do them. And up till "The Cat," acting was so much fun that I wanted to keep going, as if I had a motor attached to me. And it was because I kept getting increasingly curious about acting. I wanted to leave some time in between "City Hunter" and "Young-Gwang's Jae-in" but the circumstances wouldn't allow it. And I was split on whether I should do them or not but I wanted to be in good projects so I decided that I should. These weren't projects I'd be handed at a later time.

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