Dubbed as the “Good Boy’ by his legion of fans here and abroad, charming and self-effacing South Korean actor Kim Seon-Ho, the latest global Bench endorser, proved, as far as his demeanor in front of journalists was concerned, that he is indeed good.
Text and photos by Ma. Angelica Demegillo
Additional photos by Alex Y. Vergara
It has been raining incessantly in the metro during the past few days, but last Saturday, instead of rain, South Korean actor Kim Seon-Ho seemed to have brought with him sunshine, along with his famous bedimpled smile and melodious laugh, as he sat down with journalists during an exclusive press conference ahead of his event “Love to Meet Our Good Boy: The Kim Seon-Ho Fan Meet Event 2023,” organized by lifestyle and clothing giant Bench.
The South Korean heartthrob, a previous Manila visitor, returned to the Philippines upon the invitation of Ben Chan, founder and CEO of Suyen Corp and main man behind Bench. Even if it wasn’t Seon-Ho’s first time in the country, he revealed that he still felt nervous and excited at the same time.
Just this January, he met with his Filipino fans at the “2023 Kim Seon-Ho Asia Tour in Manila <One, Two, Three. Smile>.”
“I’m really excited and I feel really flattered right now to be back here in the Philippines,” the actor said through an interpreter.
Seon-Ho’s fame was quite palpable, which was why when Bench announced the details of his fan-meet event in early July, his growing legion of fans were beside themselves with excitement. It also reaffirmed how popular he is among Filipinos.
“When I came to the Philippines, I was able to go around and I saw the giant billboards of me modeling Bench clothing at the [EDSA] riverside. I feel grateful to be a Bench ambassador and to be able to witness and experience firsthand how big the brand is here in the Philippines,” he continued.
The 37-year-old actor shot to fame with his role as Han Ji-Pyeong in the hit 2020 K-Drama series Start Up, where he was first branded as a “good boy.” In 2021, his lead role as Hong Du-Sik in the Netflix series Hometown Cha Cha Cha gained him more fans, securing himself a spot in the industry as an actor to watch out for. His other projects include Good Manager and 100 Days My Prince.
As part of Bench’s growing pool of global ambassadors and BENCHsetters, which also includes fellow Korean actors Ji Chang-wook, Wi Ha-jun and Ahn Hyo-Seop, as well as K-Pop acts Stray Kids and Itzy, Seon-ho reiterated that he feels grateful for the opportunity.
“The staff [during the shoot] were kind and friendly, and they made sure to treat me like family. It made me very happy,” Seon-Ho shared with a smile. “I think this is the reason why Bench is a very popular brand, because the chief himself, Ben Chan, is a trendsetter, as well.”
Seon-Ho, who was wearing a plain white t-shirt with a Bench logo underneath a black and white checkered button-down, looked trim and dapper as he delighted those present with his charming presence and self-effacing attitude while gamely answering all sorts of questions.
When asked what local food he’d love to try this time, Seon-ho said he’d like to try the iconic Filipino dessert halo-halo.
“I’m very curious about halo-halo,” he said.
With an impressive list of television and film projects tucked under his belt, Seon-Ho has played a lot of characters with varying personalities that he had to adapt to. And while he needed to follow the formulaic concepts presented to him, Seon-Ho believes that he is mainly the one responsible for showing his individuality in properly projecting a certain character.
To prepare for a role, he usually does a lot of research, look for references and discuss with the director to help him get into character. This preparation, according to him, usually takes him a month or two.
“The character starts from me. Just like clothing, the styling and the appearance look different depending on who wears it,” Seon-Ho explained, adding that the challenge of playing a new character scares and excites him.
His newest action-thriller film, The Childe, which recently premiered in the Philippines, showed a new side of Seon-Ho and gave his fans a front-row seat as they witnessed his range and versatility as an actor.
Among all the roles that he has played, he said that he relates the most to Hong Du-sik from Hometown Cha Cha Cha, where he was paired with fellow fan-favorite, Shin Min-Ah. His role as Hong Du-Sik melted fans’ hearts, as he portrayed a caring and loving Chief Hong, who’s always willing to extend a helping hand to everyone around him.
“I personally like to talk to people and have conversations about life and environment,” he said.
Seon-Ho also shared that he likes acting in a scene where he can be someone ordinary and approachable. Rather than just seeing them as one of the many takes in a project he worked on, the scenes where he could converse with people eventually become “a special memory” for him.
Incredibly down-to-earth, Seon-Ho makes sure he doesn’t get disconnected from reality. As much as possible, he likes to remain aware of what’s happening in society.
As an actor whose killer schedule is jam-packed on most days, he said he likes spending time with himself by taking long walks. Taking walks, he added, helps him reflect on his day and the coming week ahead. The star also shared that he occasionally rides the subway to have his dose of reality.
Believe it or not, despite his global success, Seon-Ho still personally considers himself as a “lazy actor,” which, in turn, he said pushes him to have “more room for improvement.”
“I try to push myself to be better and there is still more room for improvement. I am very optimistic of myself as an actor, and I hope you look forward to seeing Kim Seon-ho as a better actor,” he concluded.
