Kang Ha Kyung shared his honest thoughts about playing Kim Gwan Cheol in TVING’s “The Legend of Kitchen Soldier”.
In the drama, Kang Ha Kyung plays Kim Gwan Cheol, a corporal at Gangrim Guard Post who first appears as a difficult character that other soldiers want to avoid. However, as the story continues, the character slowly begins to show a different side.
Looking back on the role, Kang Ha Kyung said, “I have played many villain characters. But as I kept doing them, I started to want people to see me as more than just a villain.”
He explained that Kim Gwan Cheol was written differently from the original work. He shared, “In the original work, Gwan Cheol is simply shown as a villain, but in the drama, he also has a righteous side.” He added, “I tried to show more of his cute side while still making him annoying.”
Kang Ha Kyung also revealed that he strongly wanted the role after seeing the audition materials. He said, “When I auditioned, I was given the characters of four soldiers at Gangrim Guard Post, and I thought I really wanted to play Gwan Cheol”.
He added that he felt confident he could express a character who looked like a villain but did not feel completely bad.
However, he admitted that he had some concerns after reading the script. Since Gwan Cheol causes trouble for the kind main character Kang Sung Jae, played by Park Ji Hoon, Kang Ha Kyung wondered if he could make viewers understand the character later.
He said, “Because I appear too bad and bully the kind main character, the task was whether I could convince viewers who had turned against him.”
Kang Ha Kyung also talked about working with Park Ji Hoon, saying their important scene together was more serious than it may have looked. He said, “The visual could be funny, but it was actually a more serious scene than expected.” He added, “Park Ji Hoon is such a good actor, so I filmed it comfortably”.
The actor also became a hot topic for appearing as part of the fictional group Taste Boys in the drama. After viewers asked to see the group on a real music show, Taste Boys performed on Mnet’s “M Countdown” on June 11.
Kang Ha Kyung said, “I did not know it would become this big,” and added, “I feel very grateful”. He also shared, “It really felt like I became an idol, and I am very happy that we received such a good response”.
Now gaining more attention through “The Legend of Kitchen Soldier”, Kang Ha Kyung said he is happy but wants to stay grounded. He shared, “I am happy that this work is receiving a lot of attention now, but I feel more responsibility. I think what I do next is more important”.
