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Actor Park Ji-hoon / Courtesy of YY Entertainment
After captivating audiences in the blockbuster historical film “The King’s Warden,” actor Park Ji-hoon is breaking records once again — this time, in a completely different genre.
Starring in Tving’s original comedy series “The Legend of Kitchen Soldier,” Park has swapped intense period drama for the playful world of B-grade humor, proving his incredible range as a performer.
“I think the strength of our show lies in how relaxing it is,” Park shared during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Tuesday. In a sea of heavy, high-stress thrillers, his new project offers viewers a chance to unwind. “It’s light, comfortable to watch and has a breezy, flexible storyline rather than a tight, stressful one.”
Based on a popular webtoon, the military-cooking-fantasy drama follows Seong-jae, who knows absolutely nothing about cooking. His life turns upside down when a cooking game window for “Guardian” — visible and audible only to him —suddenly appears. By clearing various quests to revive failing dishes, he eventually grows into a legendary military chef.
Park Ji-hoon is seen in a scene from Tving’s comic fantasy drama “The Legend of Kitchen Soldier.” Courte of Tving
In Monday’s episode, Seong-jae wins over a corporal who dislikes him by serving up a hamburger. Reflecting on the lively atmosphere on set, Park said it was actually more fun to ad-lib and add extra flesh to the scenes.
“Originally, the script only noted one or two instances of delivering the hamburger. But I suggested on set that Seong-jae should keep bringing it over and over, pleading, ‘Please, just try it once.’ Also, the blindfolded tasting scene — which parodied “Culinary Class Wars” — was an idea brought up by actor Yoon Kyung-ho,” he explained.
Visualizing the invisible
A major highlight of the series is how Seong-jae’s comrades react when tasting his food. Their reactions evoke the hilariously exaggerated style of classic cooking manga: Seong-jae plays a pork rib like a flute, charges into an imaginary battle holding bean sprouts like a rifle, and a North Korean defector suddenly transforms into a rockstar to sing the praises of Seong-jae’s pork cutlets.
Scenes from Tving original series “The Legend of Kitchen Soldier” / Courtesy of Tving
Because the show relies heavily on computer-generated imagery (CGI), Park admitted he faced a steep learning curve. “No matter how many times I read the script, it was hard to visualize the CGI elements just from the text,” he said. “When gesturing into thin air, I only had a basic guide panel to look at. I had to run the entire simulation in my head first and act it out on the spot. But honestly, I think that challenge is why the scenes turned out so well.”
Park, who started out as a child actor at just 7 years old, describes his lifelong approach to acting as a blank slate. “I show up on set like a blank piece of paper and just absorb everything. Once the cameras roll, I look at my co-stars, listen intently, take in their energy and react. That has always been my process.”
Although he attended a culinary academy to practice his knife skills for the role, Park joked that the drama actually “pushed him even further away from real-world cooking.” With his mandatory military enlistment coming up next year, the actor — who previously expressed a desire to volunteer for the Marine Corps — has officially ruled out one specific assignment.
“I realized that even if I join the Marines, I should never become a military chef,” he laughed. “I actually love physical training, but after experiencing what it’s like to be a cook — waking up at the crack of dawn to prep meals for hundreds of people with just a tiny crew — I can’t even imagine how grueling it must be for real-life military chefs.”
Staying grounded amid success
In May of this year, Park won the Best New Actor Award (Film Category) at the Baeksang Arts Awards for his role in “The King’s Warden.” Despite the prestigious accolade, his mindset remains unchanged.
“Everyone wants a project to do well, but I don’t approach my work with that as the ultimate goal. I don’t yet have the eye to judge whether a project will succeed or fail just by reading the script, and I think approaching my job that way would be the wrong attitude. I do this simply because it’s fun, and because there are still so many sides of myself that I am curious to discover,” he said.
“I just want to do my absolute best with the tasks given to me moment by moment. Ultimately, I want to be someone the audience can always trust, and an actor who can deeply connect and share energy with the viewers.”
