Park Min-young, who plays a K-pop fanatic in her upcoming TV series "Her Private Life," said she understands what it means to be obsessed with something, while attending a press event in Seoul on April 3. Co-stars Kim Jae-wook and Ahn Bo-hyun were also present at the event.
In the romantic comedy, Park plays a woman who runs a website for fans of a boy band member, while also devoting her time to being an amateur paparazzi, carrying around expensive camera equipment to snap high-resolution photos or videos of her idol, in addition to her main job as a curator at an art gallery.
When asked whether she had any real life inspiration to draw on for the role, Park said she was a huge fan of boy band H.O.T. in her teen years, adding that she was also a soap opera nerd who dreamed of becoming an actress herself. "I think being a die-hard fan simply alleviates the monotony of a routine life. This may be too much information, but my older sister is a true geek, so she gives me a lot of inspiration as well," Park said.
"After reading the script of the series for the first time last year, I asked my sister for help to get some idea about the character," Park said. "My sister advised me to closely watch and monitor what idol fanatics and aggressive fans do, and how they worm their way through a crowd to catch a glimpse of their beloved stars at various shows or events, while taking pictures of them."
"To satisfy my curiosity, I even volunteered to host a music show which gave me a chance to watch them more carefully [rather than K-pop idols]. It was overwhelming to see them mobbed despite the risk of tripping or falling over the crowd," she added. "I also checked out many websites run by such ardent fans."
The first episode of "Her Private Life" will be aired on April 10.