Park Seo Ham learned judo from zero for Channel A’s “Dive to You” — and says nailing a shoulder throw after weeks of failure was worth every bruise. In interviews with Sports Kyunghyang and TenAsia on October 23, the actor opened up about his action training and co-star WJSN’s Bona (Kim Ji Yeon) as the drama nears its November 1 finale.
Park plays Jung Woo Jae, a former judo prospect turned bodyguard. “The moment I decided on the project, I went straight to the action school and practically lived there,” he told Sports Kyunghyang. His height — 193 cm — made the learning curve steeper. “You have to bend lower for the movements,” he said. “But once I got used to it, the movements looked more flashy.”
The toughest technique was the shoulder throw. “Because I’m tall, the shoulder throw really wouldn’t work,” he admitted. “But when I succeeded, I was so happy.” He celebrated alone over spicy stir-fried baby octopus and beer. Co-star Jang Se Hyuk, who has real judo experience, coached him and sent reference videos before shoots; Park picked up minor shoulder and elbow knocks along the way.
Park says he doesn’t particularly enjoy exercise beyond light weight training and hiking with friends, yet he keeps landing physical roles. His previous project “Turbulent” required horseback riding and swordsmanship, and he started learning boxing during that shoot — training he continues today.
He was equally warm about Kim Ji Yeon, his co-star and fellow 2016 idol debut — he with KNK, she with WJSN. “We overlapped a lot during our idol promotions, so we already knew each other’s faces,” he told TenAsia. “Seeing my peer doing well as an actress made me feel a sense of comradeship.” He called her “my mental manager” for her steady counsel.
He even picked up an acting trick from her. “Ji Yeon always listens to music on set — songs that match the emotion of the next scene,” he said. He tried it during a death scene: “We listened to the same song and filmed, and I felt emotions I’d never felt before.”
“Dive to You” follows twin siblings Yoon Ha Na (Kim Ji Yeon) and Yoon Ha Ru (Jang Se Hyuk), who discover an old camcorder that sends them to the past — and travel back to rescue their first love, Jung Woo Jae. Directed by So Jae Hyun, it wraps up on November 1.
With the finale near, Park says mastering a move he once couldn’t do keeps pulling him toward physical roles. “The sense of accomplishment when a move I couldn’t do finally works is really great,” he said. “I think that’s why I keep choosing projects like this.”
