'Cheese In The Trap’ star Seo Kang Joon talks fan pressure and food in Singapore
Seo Kang Joon, the young star that has been making waves in Korea for his portrayal of lovable bad boy Baek In Ho in the popular drama “Cheese In The Trap”, was quite worried when he took up the role.
Speaking to reporters in Singapore on Friday (19 Feb) for his first stop to meet and greet his Southeast Asian fans, the self-professed introvert explained he had some difficulty expressing the extroverted personality of Baek In Ho at first.
It also didn’t help that those fans of the original webtoon series that the drama is based on were unabashedly against his casting. This was even though he had already bagged ‘best new actor’ awards for his roles in various dramas since his debut in the 5-member actor-singer idol group 5urprise in 2013.
He said, “When the news of my casting was released, a lot of fans of the webtoon questioned if I would be able to play Baek In Ho. They already had expectations of the kind of portrayal they wanted, so in the beginning, it was quite pressurizing for me.”
With the goal of exceeding the expectations of audiences, the hardworking rookie actor worked hard to study the character and even consulted with the drama’s director to give life to what he said was his “best version of Baek In Ho”.
Having sunk deeply into the character of hotheaded rebel has also caused some changes, he shared, “I started noticing that I have started to incorporate In Ho’s rough way of speaking and swearing into whatever I am saying now.”
The actor with a dimpled smile and big brown eyes also disclosed his most memorable scene from the drama: when his character In Ho and the leading male character Yoo Jung were fighting.
Though it may not have been an action scene, Seo Kang Joon said he found it memorable because it was so sad. He felt the strained relationship between the characters and wished that both of them would be able to make up and get past their differences soon.
Explaining the appeal of ‘bad boy Baek In Ho’, the 22-year-old actor said, “He is the type of person who will take care of the person he cares about in a way that is not very obvious, but it still shows his sincerity. I think that’s his charm. He always wishes for happiness for the girl that he is in love with, and I am like that too.”
When we asked whether he likes cheese (in reference to the drama title), he said cheekily, “Of course I do. Beer and cheese go very well together.”
As for what kind he prefers, he replied in English, “Convenient store cheese. Like pizza cheese, string cheese… all with beer.”
Well, it seems Seo indeed has that silly ‘4th dimensional’ personality that he’s known for, and it may be a trap that many viewers wouldn’t mind falling for.
Cheese in the Trap is currently airing on VV Drama (StarHub TV Channel 855)娱家戏剧台（星和视界第855频道）every Sunday at 10pm.
