So Ji Sub > Star Section Several Misconceptions Regarding So Ji Sub

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[He is] Several Misconceptions Regarding So Ji Sub
[City Life 2002-10-04]


I kept looking at my watch for a long time. Everyone who met him before
said that he was an actor who never breaks his promises and he is always
very punctual. Thus, I wanted to see if this was true. The small hand of the
clock was right in between 12 to 1. Our appointment was 12:30 noon time.
As soon as the long hand pointed at the number 6, signaling the 30 minutes,
without joking, he opened the door and walked in.

However, I was more surprised at something else besides his punctuality.
The entire right side of his arm was covered with a plaster cast. I felt it wasn't
from a small wound. The role he took for his first movie "Steal It If You Can" is
that of a computer programmer who turns into a thief at night. For such a queer
character, I was told he had to shoot many dangerous action scenes hanging
on a wire, I wondered if he was injured while filming the movie.
--- pic ---
(From Cafe, posted by Boola @ soompi)

""I hurt my shoulders when I fell during the program "Let's Go Dream Team!"
He said this incredible thing as if it were the most natural thing. He was then
diagnosed as having broken ligaments and disjointed muscles. He had to go
through a severe 5 hour surgical operation where parts of his bones were cut
to be re-joint, but he did this only after he finished filming the entire movie.

>> First Misconception: So Ji Sub is a dry person?

No one would blame him if he was to complain of pain after such a big injury,
but he doesn't express any of that. That's why many people around him say he's
dry. I quietly asked the person in charge of promoting the movie, who traveled
together, and he mentioned that there were times they went to interviews without
saying one word on the way.

He doesn't hang out much with other entertainers either. Besides Song Seung Hun,
Kwon Sang Woo and Park Yong Ha, he doesn't have anyone close enough that
he may open up. That's why whenever he has a problem, he usually keeps it to
himself and copes with it by drinking alone.

"I'm not the type that leans on others and I don't like talking about myself.
If I do something I dislike, it shows in my face right away. That's why I heard
a lot that my personality don't match with my career. I tried to change myself,
but I got really stressed because of that. I tried, but in the end, I gave up."
However, instead of saying "he's dry," it would be more accurate to say that
"he's a serious man." He may not talk well, but he would not say anything in
vain, just for the sake of talking. He doesn't make easy promises, but once he
does it, he will keep the promise no matter what.

>>Second Misconception: He's good looking, but isn't
he a womanizer?

People know him better for his TV dramas, but he didn't debut as a TV
entertainer, but rather as a model. In a Fashion Magazine, he saw it was
advertised that they were looking for supporting models to work behind their
main model Kim Seung Jae (from Group Deuce), whom he liked a lot, so he
quickly sent his resume. He was Senior in High School back then. He wanted
to have an adventurous memory before entering college, but since Kim
Seung Jae suddenly passed away, he unexpectedly became main model
together with Song Seung Hun, who also auditioned there.

It's been 8 years of modeling experience, and with his good looks, we would
think he had dated a lot, but until this day, his first love was his only date ever.
He is rather like Chul Woong from "Glass Shoes," who had eyes only for one
woman till the day he died. "It's hard for me to meet. But once I start, I would not
easily let go." This is his philosophy.

>> Third Misconception: Looking at his physique, he must fight well?

One day, his movie partner Park Sang Myun said: "On top of being good looking,
he has a nice body." During his High School years, he was part of the swimming
team. It might be due to this fondness of his to exercising so much that he exudes
such a strong masculine presence. But surprisingly, his fist fight moments were
very rare. During his senior in High School, he and his friends formed a
“Samwoohae" (Third year students united for friendship) and were drinking when
they were provoked by another group of similar age. This escalated into a big
fight using instruments as weapons, which became his first and last gang fight ever.

This does not mean he cannot fight well. Rather, he is not obsessed with
winning. During swimming competitions, he would set his goal for the 2nd place.
Very early in life, he had learnt the difference between getting something after
working very hard at it, and just winning without any efforts. That is why he is
not so obsessed with being popular. Instead, he likes the whole process of acting.

"If I wished to make a big hit of myself, I would have done it already. (smile)
My goal as an actor is not to be the best, but rather to increase my acting
experiences as I go. If I see my acting has improved in my following work,
I feel good. If people don't turn the channel away when they see me on TV,
with that, I am satisfied.¡±

<reporter Kim Sang Man mlolv@mk.co.kr>

***Translated by Priscilla
Posted at 5/6/2005 2:07:51 AM
City Life 2002-10-04