Actor Son Seok Koo Responds To Backlash Stemming From His Disparaging Comments During A Press Conference

Rising actor Son Seok Koo explained his previous comment stating that he quit being a theatre actor to pursue “Real acting.”

Son Seok Koo |

On July 23, JTBC‘s News Room released an exclusive interview with actor Son Seok Koo.

On this day, the actor was asked about his previous comments in which Son Seok Koo claimed he had transitioned from a theatre actor to an on-screen actor to pursue “Real acting.”

The actor responded by revealing that there was a time when he felt pressured to act a certain way and that he had wanted to find his own colors as an actor.

When I was working towards becoming a good actor 10 years ago, I often felt I was being pressured to act a certain way. Now, was I really being pressured? I don’t think so. I felt that way because of my stubbornness. Because of this, even as a young actor, I wanted to find my own colors.

— Son Seok Koo

Son Seok Koo emphasized this by revealing his process of choosing projects and that this may have caused a misunderstanding.

I still think about this when I select a project. I think about what the project would like like if I injected my colors into it. This excitement is one of the most important factors in choosing a project. I think this and my poor word choices caused this misunderstanding.

— Son Seok Koo

The actor then acknowledged his mistake and revealed that he had apologized for his remark to his sunbae in a hand-written letter.

Personally, I think the (criticism) is warranted, and I reflected on it, and I apologized to my sunbaenim in a hand-written letter, who, after reading it, understood my true intentions and responded to it.

— Son Seok Koo

Previously on June 27, during a press conference for his upcoming theatre play Army On A Tree (Translated title from 나무 위의 군대), the actor revealed he had pursued movies and K-Dramas because he couldn’t understand why in a previous theatre play, he was asked to “fake” his acting.

If I was to change my acting style for a theatre play, I would be betraying one of the main reasons why I act. I was going to only act in theatre plays, but I moved over to movies and K-Dramas because, in Whisper Love (the name of the theatre play), I couldn’t understand why I couldn’t really whisper love and was asked to fake my acting.

— Son Seok Koo

The actor’s comments were immediately met with backlash. The controversy grew when some theatrical actors publicly criticized Son Seok Koo.

Poster for Son Seok Koo upcoming theatrical play “Army On A Tree” | @sonsukku/Instagram

Meanwhile, Son Seok Koo is quickly becoming a household name among K-Drama fans. The actor, who first won acclaim in the cult-favorite K-Drama Be Melodramatic, became a sensation thanks to his outstanding actor in My Liberation Notes. The actor is currently appearing on Netflix‘s D.P. and DIsney+‘s Big Bet.