Park Ji-hoon on 'The King's Warden' success: 'Nothing has changed inside me'

Actor plays Private Kang Seong-jae in Tving's 'The Legend of Kitchen Soldier'

Spent 3-4 months learning to cook after 'The King's Warden'; says his knife skills have improved

'I hate the idea of swaggering over a hit — fan satisfaction comes first'

Back-to-back home runs. The label "box-office guarantee" has never felt more fitting. After "The King's Warden" set a record of 16.8 million admissions, the Tving original series "The Legend of Kitchen Soldier" has joined it on the same winning streak. From the tragic historical figure of King Danjong to a rookie soldier on his way to becoming a legendary cook, Park Ji-hoon has delivered standout performances in every role — yet the actor himself remains entirely unruffled.

"Nothing has changed inside me. I feel like I'm always in exactly the same state."

The calm, matter-of-fact answer offered a glimpse of the mindset that has kept him steadily on his own path — first as an idol, then as an actor — without being swayed by highs or lows.

Park sat down for an interview Tuesday at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul. He has been meeting audiences since last month as Private Kang Seong-jae in "The Legend of Kitchen Soldier." Between filming the series and its broadcast, he earned the "10-million-ticket actor" title when "The King's Warden" crossed that threshold. He opened the conversation with gratitude.

"I'm so grateful that so many people have loved 'The King's Warden.' I'm happy about it, but I'm not particularly giddy. I just do whatever task is in front of me."

"The Legend of Kitchen Soldier" is a fantasy drama series adapted from a webtoon of the same name. It follows Private Kang Seong-jae, who loses his father just before enlisting and is branded a "problem soldier," only to be assigned to kitchen duty — at which point a video-game-style quest window appears before his eyes, setting him on the path to becoming a legendary cook.

The series has struck a chord with viewers through its warm coming-of-age story set against a military backdrop and the gleefully over-the-top "B-grade" reactions of its colorful cast. It has topped Tving's paid-subscriber acquisition chart for three consecutive weeks.

"The script was just so much fun from the start. I was curious what I'd look like cooking, given how far removed I am from it in real life. After 'The King's Warden' wrapped, I spent about three to four months learning to cook. Thanks to that, I picked up the mechanics of cooking and my knife skills improved a lot."

The show's biggest talking point has been the soldiers' outrageous "B-grade" reactions, and Park carries a large share of them. In the series he descends from the sky wrapped in seaweed, plays a spine like a flute atop a soccer goalpost while dancing a Russian folk dance, and gazes tearfully at his "grandson" in full grandmother makeup. Park laughed recalling the shoots, calling them "so much fun." Some scenes were born from his own improvisations on set.

"Working with such veteran sunbae actors made everything feel natural. I filmed the seaweed-costume wire scene without any hesitation. The Russian folk dance during the spine-flute scene came from waltz music that happened to be playing on set — it just flowed out. The staff loved it so much that I was able to enjoy filming it myself."

In "The Legend of Kitchen Soldier," Yoon Kyung-ho, Jung Woong-in, Lee Sang-i and Ahn Gil-kang deliver scene-stealing comic performances that anchor much of the show's humor. Park said watching them pushed him to work harder. "Seeing the sunbae actors give it their all made me think I had to do the same," he said. "They're all so good at comedy — I learned a lot."

The success of "The King's Warden" brought a subtle shift in how some fellow actors treat him. Park burst out laughing as he brought up Yoon Kyung-ho.

"After the film did well, Kyung-ho sunbae told me at some point that he had started feeling a little intimidated around me. I was acting exactly the same as always. One day he said to me, 'King Danjong, you must be worn out.' That actually made me more uncomfortable. (Laughs)"

Park also has military service ahead of him. "I definitely have to go next year," he said. His desire to apply for the Marine Corps reconnaissance unit remains firm.

"Even though I played a kitchen soldier, my dream is still to go through tough training. The Marine Corps has an age limit, so I want to apply next year. I'm drawn to the Marines for some reason. Even if I fail the reconnaissance unit exam, I still want to serve in the Marines no matter what."

With his projects performing so strongly, demand for Park Ji-hoon has grown. Role offers spanning a wide range — from office workers to villains — have been coming in, though he has yet to decide on his next project. He was particularly candid about his appetite for a villain role.

"If I put it in terms of flavor, I feel like I've only shown sweet or bitter so far. But the world has spicy flavors too, and all kinds of others. I'd like to try playing a truly evil criminal, or take on a noir project where characters like that appear."

Park Ji-hoon — "King Danjong" — still burns bright. "The King's Warden" will remain an indispensable chapter in his filmography. But he does not feel burdened by the need to top it. As the interview wound down and the film came up again, Park drew a clear line: "Every project is separate. I'm the type to finish one thing and move on to the next."

"I hate seeing actors swagger because a project did well. A hit isn't the work of one person — it's the result of countless people's efforts. I can't even imagine myself walking around with my chest puffed out. My job is to satisfy the people who love me through my work and on stage. I want to keep carrying that quest with me and keep working toward it."

balme@heraldcorp.com