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It isn’t a mere coincidence that Kim Hyun Joong has already played two animation character roles in a row.The nickname ‘pretty boy’ has followed him since his debut five years ago with idol group SS501 and became only further engrained into fans’ minds after he made his acting debut through, “Boys Over Flowers.” Even with his casting for “Playful Kiss” this year, the nickname stuck by his side like glue.
A rich perfect man named Jihoo and the cranky prodigy Baek Seung Jo. Both characters were the ideal men of the female leads, but also prettier than them as well.
However, as an actor burning with desire to try other roles, such a strong one-sided image isn’t always positive, as Kim Hyun Joong states, “People look at me and just think that my image is a ‘pretty boy.’ Since I’m now a rookie actor, I think they just give me roles that fit that look. I’m sure I’ll be able to try other roles next time.”
Kim Hyun Joong is divided into two: an actor and SS501’s leader. He grew as an SS501 member and now stands as one of the greatest Hallyu stars, attending events such as the “2010 Guangzhou Asian Games” and others.
“It made me look back at myself since I attended the event representing Korea. It was an honorable experience. They told me that just one side of the stadium held 100,000 audience members. It was quite the experience.”
Another nickname that was recently added beside his name was, “The 2nd Bae Yong Joon.” The star was personally scouted by top Hallyu star ‘Yonsama’ into Kaist Entertainment and seems used to the nickname now.
“They say that I resemble him in my smiles and in the way I manage myself. I must resemble him in some ways for them to say that, I suppose. I honestly don’t know. Whenever I meet hyung, we talk comfortably about acting and living… We’re not able to meet often because he’s busy.”
When asked about his thoughts on being the first leading role for a drama, he didn’t seem too disappointed about the lag in viewer ratings and believed it to be a personal advancement for himself. “It was harder than ‘Boys Over Flowers’ since I had to lead the entire drama on my own. There is a bit of disappointment but I want to grow and work harder in my next project.”
When asked to choose his favorite actors, he chose Yoo Hae Jin and Oh Dal Su. The two are famous for being the supporting actors in various films. “I’m definitely thankful in being able to play the lead roles twice in a row, but I think that supporting roles are great as well. If I like it enough, I won’t care about the importance of the role.”
But just because he began walking down the path of an actor doesn’t mean he’s giving up his dreams as a singer. He is actually preparing for his comeback with his first solo album due for release in the first half of next year.
“I can’t give up being a singer, which is why I’m preparing a solo album. I’ll be releasing one by the middle of next year and I’ve currently received about 200 different songs. Out of the 200, I chose about 5. You can check what kind of album it is when it comes out.”
Despite going through a rigorous schedule, he calmly states, “I’m happier than I am tired. I’m able to do the things I love. I’m no longer just following what others say, I’m actually planning my future and accomplishing things. I like planning, I’m always planning.”
When asked if he wasn’t granted the same freedom before, he replied, “It’s different from now. Back then, I had to do the things I was asked to since we were a group. Being in a group and being on your own is different.”
He continued, “I still keep in contact with SS501. They’re all busy so we’re not able to meet often but we haven’t disbanded. We can be together whenever we want. Actually, I’m not sure who started the rumor that SS501 will be releasing a group album next year. Even if we do, I want my solo album to be released first (laughter).”
When asked about his dreams, he hesitated before answering, “As a singer, my dream is to open a large-scale free concert and invite all of my fans. I have to do it some day.. As for my acting dreams, I want to be an actor that people anticipate the future of.”
What about his personal dreams? “I want to meet aliens and travel to outer space. If an alien came up to me right now and asked me to leave with him, I’d leave without any hesitations. Even if they wanted to do a live-body experiment on me, I will go with him.” He plans to travel into space one day no matter what. Having already traveled to the North Pole, he is hoping to visit the South Pole next as well.
The interview was concluded with one final question: If he had to choose between Baek Seung Jo and Jihoo, who would he choose?
“Definitely Jihoo. Seung Jo is smart, but he’s poor. If I was Jihoo, I’d be rich enough to travel to outer space.”
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