Song Kang Talks About Similarities With His Characters, How He's Preparing For "Nevertheless," And More

May 30, 2021

Song Kang graced the cover of the fashion magazine Cosmopolitan!

In the interview that accompanied his pictorial, the actor commented on his experience being on the cover of a fashion magazine not once, but twice. “This is a totally different vibe from the photo shoot for my first cover, so it felt like I was shooting for a totally different magazine. Every time I do a photo shoot it feels like a new side of myself is being recorded, so I enjoy it,” he said.

The keyword for the pictorial is “play.” When asked what he does to “play” in his free time, Song Kang responded, “I prefer relaxing at home over going out. My alone time is very important to me, so I do various homebody activities depending on what I feel like doing. Some days I just space out, while other days I’ll read or watch TV.”

Song Kang has acted in a variety of roles through the dramas “Sweet Home,” “Love Alarm 2,” “Navillera,” and most recently in his upcoming drama “Nevertheless.” On how it feels to take on such a wide range of roles, he said, “Rather than feeling like it’s too much, I think my excitement at meeting new characters has grown.”

He shared that while it’s difficult to immerse himself into each character, the process is exciting and interesting for him. “I recently said farewell to Chae Rok in ‘Navillera’ and am currently acting as Jae Uhn in ‘Nevertheless.’ I’m focusing on filming while going about my daily life and asking myself, ‘What would Jae Uhn do?’ There’s so many new sides to my new role that you couldn’t see in my previous one, so I hope everyone looks forward to it.”

Song Kang went on to explain that he shares similarities with all of the roles he has played in some way. “In ‘Sweet Home,’ you can see me through Hyun Soo in the way he is a homebody who sometimes enjoys time alone,” he explained. “In ‘Love Alarm,” I resemble Sun Oh in that he is reserved at first but becomes playful when he gets to know someone. As for Chae Rok from ‘Navillera,’ the way I feel right now is reflected in his rookie days when he worked hard to take steps toward his future. And Jae Uhn, who I’m currently acting as, resembles me because he gets along well with his classmates, so it’s interesting.”

Responding to the interviewer’s comment about how he seems to have more on-screen chemistry with the male cast members, Song Kang spoke about working with veteran actor Park In Hwan in “Navillera.” Song Kang revealed, “It was my first time working with such a senior actor, and I worried a lot about how to make a bromance between two people with such a large age gap seem natural.”

Song Kang then thanked Park In Hwan for carrying the scenes so well. “Thanks to him, Duk Chool and Chae Rok’s chemistry naturally happened,” he said. “Even when the cameras weren’t rolling, he approached me as Duk Chool so I was able to comfortably immerse myself in my own role. We worked together as I followed his lead.”

As for what to expect with his upcoming role in “Nevertheless,” Song Kang commented, “The biggest change will probably be that I’m an art major. I’m experiencing the life of an art college student through this drama, and it’s really fun and appealing.”

Song Kang shared that he is working on his outward appearance for the role. “Since I worked on building the right body type for a ballerino, I’m also working on building a certain body type this time as well,” he said, before adding with a laugh, “If you watch the drama, you’ll figure it out.”

The interviewer expressed their curiosity about how Song Kang could be so diligent in looking after his physical appearance with such a busy schedule. Explaining what keeps him going, the actor said, “Every morning when I leave my house I make a promise to myself. Even if I’m tired, I remember my days as a rookie actor when I really wanted to work. I feel so grateful for that moment and my tiredness fades somewhat. The way I make up my mind like that every day gives me the energy to keep going. Of course, I also make sure to eat a variety of healthy foods.”

Song Kang also mentioned how the nicknames given to him based on his characters’ names give him strength. He added, “I become especially proud when the viewers watch a scene I worked really hard on and give me a nickname. With ‘Navillera’ I liked how the viewers gave Chae Rok the nickname ‘Bigtese.'” He went on to explain that the nickname came about because even though he’s tall, he acts cute like a Maltese puppy.

To wrap up the interview, Song Kang was asked what kind of icon he wanted to be remembered as. “The word ‘icon’ is still something far away from me,” he began. “Rather than wanting to become an icon, I just want to do the work given to me one by one, without regrets. Through that slow and steady growth, I hope to be remembered by the public as an actor who expresses various emotions in a natural way. If I naturally become an icon in that way, I think I’ll be really happy. For that day to come, I want to work harder on my roles and give intense thought to my acting.”