The actor Park Young-kyu recalled his difficult past in 'Villains Everywhere'.
On the 8th, Park Young-kyu appeared as a guest on KBS1's 'Morning Yard' in the Tuesday invitation corner.
Park Young-kyu is currently starring in KBS2's Wednesday-Thursday sitcom 'Villains Everywhere' and is meeting with viewers in a KBS project for the first time in 6 years since 'Love is Beautiful, Life is Wonderful'. He stated, 'In this new 'Villains Everywhere', Oh Na-ra and So Yoo-jin play my daughters.'
When asked about having a strong bond with his on-screen daughter, Park Young-kyu responded, 'Even if that bond is fictional, it’s nice to have. Honestly, she really feels like a daughter. While filming 'Villains Everywhere', she is so affectionate. The age difference isn't really reflective of a father-daughter relationship. During the programs, we talk casually for about an hour, and it’s been casual from start to finish, especially with Oh Na-ra. I haven’t heard anything but casual language. She says, 'Dad, didn't you say that!' It seems she did some prior research of the show. After watching, she realized she was being too casual and asked for edits. However, the producer said it felt more genuine as a father-daughter relationship, which was better.'
Park Young-kyu reported a lighthearted atmosphere by saying, 'Even now, they still call me dad. After the broadcast, they are trying to put me on their family register. I once asked Oh Na-ra if I could register them after we finish. We're at that level.'
Having actually gone through four marriages, Park Young-kyu explained, 'When I first got the script and role, I thought, did they cast me based on my real-life experiences? The age difference is quite similar. In reality, my wife is quite a bit older than me. In this drama, she's about 25 years old. Oh Na-ra has a friend, and I ended up falling for her friend. It caused quite a stir at home.'
When asked about his feelings on returning to working in a sitcom after a long time, he expressed, 'Honestly, I don't know how my fellow actors and directors feel about preparing for a sitcom, but from an actor's perspective, while I've taken on various roles, sitcoms are truly difficult. It’s tough to make others laugh and entertain them. There are moments I wonder if I’m doing it right. If it’s not funny, is it still a sitcom? I think about it a lot. I try to act honestly and realistically as I normally do in dramas while finding the comedic timing, and that’s extremely challenging.'
He shared his thoughts on ad-libbing, saying, 'People think what I do is ad-libbing, and they ask if I ad-lib a lot; however, it’s not ad-lib. I act those lines as if they are ad-libbed. That’s a skill.' He added, 'I try hard to live within the work, even with its conflicts. I'm loving life the way it is, urging my daughters not to take it lightly. How long can a dad last? I want to live fully according to my heart.'
Later, Park Young-kyu reflected on the work that became a turning point in his 40-year acting career. After transitioning from theater to the screen through the bestseller theater 'Green Hat', he quickly rose to lead status, recalling, 'I played the lead in 'Green Hat’ and received a guarantee of 400,000 won. I shot for about 10 days for that payment. There wasn’t much money in theater back then. That was the first money I ever touched, about the amount needed for college tuition. Back then, without a car, I would take the bus home, feeling around in my pocket, worried that someone would steal my money. That was how I felt about money back then. After living in poverty, things started to improve then. My child was born shortly after that time, when they were only two or three years old and I started to earn money.'
Notably, one of his representative works, the sitcom 'Hospital Ship', has recently gained popularity on YouTube and become known to younger children. Park Young-kyu remarked, 'These days, I notice that when I walk down the street, elementary school kids come running after me, calling 'Park Young-kyu'. They act like we're friends. Typically, this age group doesn’t recognize older individuals. But they do know who I am. I was surprised to see that they recognized me. I joke that no matter how old I get, I will always be Park Young-kyu.'
Park Young-kyu shared stories about 'three important people' in his life, starting with his mother. He mentioned, 'Even now, I don’t call my mother by a title. I just say 'mom'. When talking about her with someone else, I refer to her as 'my mom'. Being the youngest of three sons, I spent a lot more time with her than my older brothers. I suffered from pulmonary tuberculosis during the tough times while pursuing theater and working on gigs. During that time, I received no guarantee or money. I persisted only with a dream. Eating a single bowl of ramen each day felt like a stroke of luck. I often went hungry, surviving on water. Eventually, I got down to 42 kg. Now, I weigh 82 kg, so it was half of what I am now. My face was so gaunt that people couldn’t even look at me.'
He recounted, 'I was spitting up blood due to the severe hardships, so at one point, I couldn't bear it any longer and went to find my mother. When she saw me, she didn’t recognize me because there was hardly any flesh on my bones. She asked who I was. Once she realized, tears streamed down her face. It wasn’t just sadness; she nearly lost her emotional stability. She cried endlessly. If my mother hadn’t been there, I wouldn’t be in this world. I still think deeply about how amazing she is.' He added, 'Because I couldn’t eat, I ended up coughing up blood due to tuberculosis. The lungs are primarily made up of protein, and without it, the bacteria inside were eating away at my lungs. Since then, my mother would find everything good for me and bring it back. She also went to the health center to bring back medicines.'
Having grown up in a poor environment from an early age, Park Young-kyu shared, 'When I was in elementary school, my family was struggling. My father went through various hardships. Starting from that time, I delivered newspapers. Back then, I earned 500 won for morning deliveries and 400 won for evening rounds, totaling 900 won to cover my school fees. That’s how I managed to study. Even while delivering newspapers early in the morning, I got bitten by a shepherd dog and fainted. Yet, I still went to school. When my teacher noticed the tooth marks, I was lucky that the dog was properly vaccinated and I didn’t catch rabies.' He remembered, 'I have memories of my mother during those poor times before my entrance to elementary school. When we would visit the old houses in the countryside, there was food only at that time. There was pork and such. She would take me along to visit these places. I was shocked when I saw her crying. Is that really my mom? Her face had changed so much. When I looked at her, she told me, 'Eat quickly.'
He also spoke about his son, who tragically passed away in a motorcycle accident in 2004. Park Young-kyu said, 'I lived like a shell of a person for 5 to 6 years, doing nothing, and I even moved to Vancouver. The reason I started broadcasting again was to remind myself that I can’t live like this. I didn’t want to be a shameful father to my son in heaven. He always told me to drop everything and just act. Even as a child, he understood things. He thought if I pursued business, I would end up failing. So, akin to his advice, I decided to return to acting. When I received an award with 'Jeong Dojeon', I made sure not to feel embarrassed in front of my son, who is in heaven. I wanted it so that he could see me striving to be a better person.'
He continued, 'Years ago, I wanted to build a tomb for my son, but he grew up confined in a small room as a child. It was always my dream to provide him with a big house, but I couldn’t fulfill that. Now, even so, I want my son to play in a wide yard, so I bought 1,000 square meters of land and made a burial ground. Whenever I visit, I ask if he’s been having fun, saying I'm coming back.'
Thirdly, he mentioned his wife. After three marriages and divorces, Park Young-kyu married a woman 25 years younger, saying, 'I always believe in destiny in everything, and I am truly grateful for my wife.' He recounted, 'One of my acquaintances is a screenwriter who had bought an officetel. I asked him why did he get a place just for himself and requested an introduction. The person he introduced was my wife. I looked at her profile, and when I saw her photo, I really liked it. I asked if she was single and found out she was a divorcee. I immediately asked for an introduction, contacted her, and when I met her, she was so youthful. Although I’m lacking in confidence, I felt I had to give it a try. I tend to dive in fully once I like something.'
He mentioned that he gained a stepdaughter through remarriage, stating, 'I've lived an extremely painful life, faced many struggles, but I also consider myself a very lucky person. I think of myself as fortunate in that regard. My daughter is now a high school senior, and these days I don’t get to see her face much. I wonder how diligently she’s been working. She used to lag behind in studies due to ballet classes. When she started studying, it was slightly late for her. She’s been working hard, and I hope she achieves good results this year. Hence, I also wish to give her some allowance someday. That’s my dream.'
Finally, Park Young-kyu remarked, 'Reaching our age, roles tend to diminish and become sad as we move away. Yet, despite this, being invited to special segments like 'Morning Yard' is an honor, and I am grateful. To have the opportunity to bring laughter to everyone at this age feels like a blessing. I hope that by channeling my life experiences and know-how into my acting, I can become an actor that continues sharing joys and sorrows with the people as long as I can remain healthy. 'Villains Everywhere' is expected to be fun this Thursday. Please make sure to tune in.'
'Villains Everywhere' is a situational comedy drama that depicts the sometimes rough yet warm everyday lives of K-mom sisters and a quirky family, airing every Wednesday and Thursday at 9:50 p.m.
[Photo] KBS1
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