Sung Joon talks about his role on 'Discovery of Love' + his ambitions as an actor

Actor Sung Joon has recently been garnering attention for his sweet, gentle, and rather self-conscious role as Nam Ha Jin on KBS 2TV's hit drama, 'Discovery of Love'. The 24-year-old actor received praise for expressing the insecure and anxious feelings that one might feel in an unstable relationship.

However, in the beginning, people were quick to criticize Sung Joon because of his young age, asking how a 20-year-old would understand a 30-year-old's sensibility when it comes to relationships. Even during the press conference, interviewers asked questions regarding age.

The actor stated, "I've heard a lot that it's because I was young, so I don't understand. I did get annoyed at times. Just because I turn 30, it doesn't mean that I change from 'Sung joon' to 'Sung Jin.' I just tried to understand the things that I did understand, and I acted genuinely the way I felt."

There were even those who were optimistic assuming Sung Joon would be able to showcase more stable acting with help from the writer of the drama, who he had worked with in the past for tvN's 'I Need Romance 3'. However, it was the work and endless worrying that Sung Joon had gone through that ultimately created the character, Nam Ha Jin.

Sung Joon revealed, "I studied and worried alone while observing the other actors. When I was in 'I Need Romance 3', I contacted the writer and asked for advice. But this time, I decided that I was going to do it alone. I didn't contact her on purpose. Honestly, there were many parts where I struggled. But I still kept challenging myself. I think that's what brought out the positive outcome."

He also showed his ambition as an actor and said, "I wanted to become an actor with a colorful image. But now, none of those things matter to me anymore. I just want to show that I am good. I honestly don't know what I'm good at. But through various works, I only want to show my perfect self."

For a man in his mid-twenties, Sung Joon was revealed to have a mature side to him as he discussed his thoughts on acting while preserving his own image. It's only been three years since he had transitioned from modeling to acting, and during that time, he revealed that his frank way of speaking had people misunderstand him.

Sung Joon said, "I learned that being honest can bring about miscommunication." However, the actor also revealed that he wanted to preserve his genuine side even through it all. He stated, "Before debut, I had a strong opinion, and I was someone with a 'strong personality.' As I was doing more work and working in this field, I think my personality is getting lighter. I do want to preserve my own thoughts and color that I have inside me. I like acting and I want to continue acting, but I am thinking of how I can preserve own own uniqueness."

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