Park Hae Joon recently shared behind-the-scenes stories from When Life Gives You Tangerines and expressed heartfelt gratitude toward Park Bo Gum and IU.
Park guested on the April 16th episode of tvN’s You Quiz on the Block and chatted with hosts Yoo Jae Suk and Jo Se Ho.
Park began by saying, “I’m so happy to be on You Quiz,” greeting viewers warmly. He received great love for his role as the older version of Gwan Sik in the Netflix original series When Life Gives You Tangerines.
Yoo Jae Suk noted, “You’ve done many roles, but what really sticks out is that line from The World of the Married: ‘Is falling in love a crime?’ But with When Life Gives You Tangerines, your image has completely transformed.”
Park laughed as he shared, “After When Life Gives You Tangerines came out, the head of my agency said, ‘People have finally forgotten about that line from The World of the Married,’ and he was genuinely thrilled.” He continued, “People react to me very differently now. Back then, they wouldn’t exactly greet me with big smiles, but now some come up with teary eyes, and I don’t know what to do.”
He added, “After the show aired and so many people loved it, I’ve been floating on air. I’ve been trying to come back down, but it’s not easy. My heart is still stuck there.” He admitted, “I even cried. I watched half of it once and had to stop—I’m saving it to watch slowly when I’m more at peace.”
Park also talked about sharing the character Gwan Sik with Park Bo Gum. “I was a little worried people might be disappointed when they saw the older version of the character. But I felt like ‘Bo Gum really saved me.’ Of course, there may be some dissonance for viewers, but he portrayed Gwan Sik in a way that helped connect us. I was so relieved and truly thankful to him.”
During the episode, Yoo Jae Suk also mentioned Park’s son, Jae Hee, who was present at the filming. Yoo remarked, “He kind of looks like a younger Park Bo Gum. There’s definitely a connection in the vibe.”
Speaking about IU, Park said, “She had to play both Geum Myung and Ae Soon, so I was always worried for her. I tried to keep the mood light on set. I may seem awkward in interviews, but I’m actually pretty fun on set,” he joked.
After filming ended, Park shared that he attended IU’s concert. “The last concert I went to was Kang San Ae’s in my 20s. So this was my first one in a long time. It felt like attending the Olympic opening ceremony,” he said. “She sang for three to four hours until midnight. It didn’t feel humanly possible. I’d seen her as a daughter figure for so long, so it was beautiful but also made my heart ache.”
>> IU Talks On-Screen Love and Family’s Thoughts on ‘When Life Gives You Tangerines’
