Park Bo Gum graced the cover of Esquire Korea.
The beloved actor opened up about his grueling physical transformation for his drama Good Boy. In the series, he plays Yoon Dong Ju, a former international middleweight boxing gold medalist turned detective, who now uses his fists for justice in a comedic action-crime drama that pits a squad of medal-winning athletes-turned-cops against a world full of cheaters and crooks.
To fully embody the role, Park trained like a true boxer. “I did one hour of strength training and two hours of boxing every day for over six months,” he revealed. “Looking back, I wonder how I even managed to exercise with that much intensity. Thanks to Dong Ju, my stamina’s never been better.”
The actor credits his endurance to years of regular cardio. Fans may remember his sea swimming scenes in the Netflix series When Life Gives You Tangerines. “I’ve been swimming consistently since I was young, and I’m grateful that people found it impressive,” he said. “Lately, I’ve added running into the mix too. Even familiar places feel new when I run through them—the weather, the scenery, it all feels different.”
It turns out, Sean played a major role in kicking off his running journey. “After I was discharged from the military, Sean kept inviting me out to run. Following him through all these different courses, I’ve built iron stamina,” the actor laughed.
Having recently showed his musical chops through the KBS music show The Seasons: Park Bo Gum’s Cantabile, the multi-hyphenate is now giving fans a glimpse of Park Bo Gum the athlete. “There are so many lives in this world,” he shared. “And as an actor, I feel like there are still so many sides of myself I haven’t had the chance to show. I want to approach every new genre, profession, role, and emotion with a challenger’s mindset.”
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