Actor Park Yoon-ho. (Images courtesy of Innit Entertainment)

Actor Park Yoon-ho, who first drew attention with his striking performance in “Study Group,” is rapidly establishing himself as one of the most promising new talents on screen.

With back-to-back appearances in Netflix’s “Trigger” and tvN’s “Our Unwritten Seoul,” he has demonstrated a wide acting spectrum, though he describes himself modestly as still being “in the seedling stage before bearing fruit.”

Park said the real turning point came with “Trigger,” where he played the role of Gyu-jin after enduring five rounds of auditions.

“I worked closely with the director to shape the character. It wasn’t just about following the script but about understanding why Gyu-jin makes certain choices, especially his feelings for his mother,” he said.

He even trained in live shooting to fully embody the role but emphasized that the most meaningful discovery was realizing that his character never actually fired a gun. “That choice carried the series’ message about the dangers of firearms and the power of restraint,” he added.

Park also credited his co-star Son Bo-seung for being a source of support. “Bo-seung really loves acting and thinks deeply about it. We often talked after shoots or at night over the phone, relying on each other throughout filming,” he said.

Lessons from senior actors

Among the many colleagues he met, Park pointed to veteran Kim Nam-gil as a key mentor. “I had to express extreme emotions and felt a lot of pressure. After rehearsal, Nam-gil told me to relax and focus on the situation. When our eyes met, I felt emotions I had never experienced before, and tears came naturally. It was a huge lesson,” he said.

That advice, Park added, has stayed with him as a reminder to perform with sincerity and emotional focus in every role.

In “Our Unwritten Seoul,” which aired earlier this year, Park traded his rough image from “Study Group” for a calm, kind character, a transformation that delighted viewers. “I was glad to show a different side of myself. My parents were happy too, collecting fan-made clips and screenshots with pride,” he said.

He explained that his process is thorough, rehearsing even actions not written in the script. “That way I’m prepared for anything on set. It’s about finding conviction. I try to first understand with my head, then with my heart,” he said, describing his personal philosophy toward acting.

This year, Park has appeared in multiple high-profile projects, including “Trigger,” “Resident Playbook” and “Our Unwritten Seoul.”

He said roles marked by inner struggles were especially appealing. “Everyone has some kind of lack or void. Expressing those emotions through characters is fun for me. Since I’m not an expressive person in daily life, acting has become the outlet for everything I’ve kept inside,” he said.

With momentum building in his career, Park is focused on growth rather than comfort. “This year has been a turning point. I learned a lot from ‘Trigger’ and ‘Our Unwritten Seoul.’ I’m still a seedling. To bear bigger fruit, I have to keep challenging myself. I believe it’s better to try and regret than to not try at all,” he said.

Still, he allowed himself a glimpse of the future. “Someday, I want to stand onstage at a movie premiere and win a rookie award,” he said. (By Hankookilbo/The Korea Times)

This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.