Fans of Choi Young-jae – the South Korean singer-songwriter and one of the main vocalists of K-pop group Got7 – can now see him acting in a TV series.
He stars in the Netflix K-sitcom So Not Worth It, playing a Korean Australian student at an international college in South Korea. His character Sam, is boastful and immature but ultimately a fun-loving guy.
“Yes, I have started acting and I’m very thankful for this opportunity, ” the 24-year-old told StarLifestyle during a virtual interview.
Previously, Choi – also known as Youngjae – has appeared as himself in the web drama Dream Knight, and has performed on stage in the musical Midnight Sun.
This is his first acting gig in a comedy.
“I’m delighted to be playing someone who is different from me on the show, and to be working with very good people,” he continued.
According to him, the playful and positive traits of Sam are similar to his own but other than that he doesn't have much in common with the character.
“This is the first time I am showing this side of me to my fans. It makes me happy and grateful that they are discovering a new side of me,” he said at the press meet.
While Choi is just entering the field of acting, another Got7 member is an established actor – Park Jin-young better known as Jinyoung, who has held the main roles in K-dramas He Is Psychometric and When My Love Blooms.
Choi continued: "I don't think the title actor completely suits me yet.
"I have been an idol singer for more than 10 years. So I feel a bit nervous being referred to as an actor.
"But I am grateful for all of these opportunities, from a web drama to a musical and now a sitcom.
"I feel very happy and I will do my best so that I can live up to everyone's expectations," he shared.
So Not Worth It centres around a group of international students studying at a college in South Korea. As they live at the same hostel, they go through all the ups and downs together.
Like Choi, most of the other actors in the sitcom are new to acting except for actress Park Se-wan, who has starred in dramas such as School 2017 and I'm Not A Robot and is the recipient of Best New Actress award at the 2018 KBS Drama Awards.
While filming, Choi admitted he would observe Park on how she plays her role.
He mentioned to StarLifestyle: “When you have a brilliant actor like Park Se-wan on set, you will definitely learn a lot from her.
“I would watch her and figure out how she makes her performance look natural, learn from that, and incorporate that to my next scene.”
He also turned to the show's directors Kwon Ik-joon and Kim Jung-sik for guidance.
“When I got stuck with a difficult part in my acting, I texted them with questions. ‘How should I express this part? Should I try this?’ Asking these questions to the director helped me with my acting,” he said.
So Not Worth It starts streaming on Netflix on June 18.
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