Heo Nam Jun is feeling the rise in attention after successfully leading the romantic comedy “My Royal Nemesis”.
In a recent interview, the actor shared that more people have started recognizing him after the drama.
He said, “I recently started filming another project, so I cannot go around much. But when I go out to eat or when people pass by me on set, more people recognize me now”.
He added that, compared to before, he can clearly feel that more people know who he is.
Heo Nam Jun also said his close friends, who usually do not praise him easily, contacted him this time and told him, “It was fun”.
He said he felt his popularity a little after receiving many birthday messages and seeing different reactions from his family and people around him.
His family’s response was especially meaningful to him. He shared that his twin younger sibling, who usually does not say much about his projects, sent him around 30 “ㅋㅋㅋ” messages and said, “Hey, it is fun”.
The actor is also set to appear on tvN’s “You Quiz on the Block”. He said people around him often joked, “Are you not going on You Quiz?” when a project was ending, but he did not think much about it at first.
After receiving the real offer, he thought, “Oh, the drama must be doing well. This is an honor”.
Heo Nam Jun also looked back on his difficult past. Before becoming more known, he worked many part time jobs to earn money.
He said, “I went through a lot. I almost always had part time jobs”. He revealed that he was still working part time until about 3 or 4 years ago, even during “Sweet Home”.
Recently, Heo Nam Jun gained attention online as the “master of boyfriend pictures”, with many fans saying his SNS photos look like pictures of a real boyfriend.
He reacted with honesty, saying, “My friends tease me a lot about it. It is embarrassing, but I am happy. I am thankful that people look at me that way".
He also addressed comments saying he is not the typical male lead type. Instead of focusing on looks, he gave credit to the team behind “My Royal Nemesis”.
He said the writing was detailed, the directing was delicate, and the quality of the drama helped his acting receive recognition.
Heo Nam Jun explained that he wants to focus more on acting than appearance. He said, “I think the essence of an actor is doing your acting well and focusing on acting in the end”. He added that while he can work on things like weight management, he does not want to become too caught up in looks.
When asked if he thinks he is handsome, Heo Nam Jun firmly answered, “I do not think I am handsome.” He even asked back, “Am I handsome?”
He was also asked if he ever watched the drama and thought he looked handsome or cool. He replied, “I swear to the sky, there was no moment like that. There were moments when I thought, ‘That scene is good’. But I never once thought I was handsome.”
Heo Nam Jun also revealed that when he struggled with acting during “My Royal Nemesis”, he reached out to his role model, Kim Mu Yeol. He said he asked how to act more freely and comfortably because Kim Mu Yeol is a senior he trusts.
Looking back on “My Royal Nemesis”, Heo Nam Jun said the drama changed his life and helped him discover a new side of himself.
He shared, “It is a project that changed my life and helped me find a new side of myself. It made me happy”.
