Actor Sung Hoon is making his return to romantic K-dramas with MBN's new series What a Boss Wants, while confidently sharing why he believes production companies continue to choose him for leading roles.
On November 11, Sung Hoon attended the drama's production press conference at the Stanford Hotel in Sangam-dong, Seoul, where he discussed his international appeal and approach to acting.
During the event, the actor was asked why he thought production companies wanted to cast him in their projects.
Sung Hoon gave a direct answer, pointing to his popularity among overseas audiences.
“To be honest, overseas distribution rights,” he said.
He explained that dramas featuring him tend to attract interest from international buyers, which he believes helps production companies secure overseas sales.
“When production companies cast me, the distribution rights sell well. It's not a situation where they start out expecting to lose money,” Sung Hoon stated.
His remarks reflected his confidence in his ability to attract international viewers, although he did not provide specific sales figures during the event.
The actor also emphasized that he takes his responsibilities seriously whenever he accepts a role.
“When they trust me with a project, I give it everything I have and do my absolute best. I think they appreciate that about me,” he explained.
Sung Hoon added that he regularly works closely with directors and writers to develop his characters.
“Whenever I play a character, I have many discussions with the director and writer. I try to find common ground between how I want to portray the role and how the production team sees the character,” he shared.
Speaking about What a Boss Wants, Sung Hoon revealed that the writer created his character with his natural image and speaking style in mind.
“The writer looked at my image and thought a certain way of speaking would suit me, so the character was written with that in mind. Because of that, I didn't have much difficulty understanding the role,” he said.
In the new MBN romance drama, Sung Hoon plays Kwon Do Hyuk, a wealthy businessman who has little understanding of his own personal tastes.
His life takes an unexpected turn when he begins searching for a mysterious woman known as “Her” from a music album.
Along the way, he crosses paths with Lee Eun Chae, an indie band vocalist played by Oh Se Young, who becomes an unexpected presence in his otherwise carefully organized life.
The series follows their developing relationship through a romance involving unexpected encounters and hidden circumstances.
With Sung Hoon highlighting his overseas appeal and dedication to acting, attention is turning to whether What a Boss Wants will attract the same international interest he believes his previous projects have received.
Meanwhile, MBN's What a Boss Wants premieres on November 11 at 10:20 p.m. KST.
