Not Just A Pretty Face: Jang Geun Suk Wants To Project A New Image

It's not the first time that actor Jang Geun Suk has spoken about his life as an actor but the star of the "Pretty Man" got serious about his acting goals at a recent press conference for his upcoming drama.

In "Pretty Man" he plays Dokgo Mate, a man whose face makes women weak in the knees. In the drama he meets ten of the most beautiful women in Korea but having a beautiful face does not make it easy for him to fall in love. In the end it's an ordinary girl who will teach him how to be truly beautiful.

"I also thought that the character was very Jang Keun Suk," he said.

He has said in the past that he wants to be an unpredictable actor but for some his taking the role of a pretty man is a little predictable. He says he does not want to be bound to a specific character type. And yet he has played a pretty man before, in "You're Beautiful," "Mary Stayed Out All Night," and "Love Rain." What's different about his "Pretty Man" character?

 "Many people the character matches me perfectly, and I think so too," said Jang Geun Suk. "But, since I have to put on ten different characters meeting ten different women, the acting isn't exactly easy. I'm not afraid of failure. But I'm not obsessed with the thought that I have to make the drama succeed, either. If I was, I'd stay holed up in my house all the time."

In the past he has said that he wants to try playing a darker, character perhaps a vampire or a murderer, but when he read the comic book that the drama is based on, it seemed like a challenge and he thought the role would be fun. He also wanted to appeal to his Korean fan base.

"As I've become more popular around Asia, it's gotten harder to choose pieces," said Jang. "While just doing concerts and performances in other countries, I thought I might be forgotten in Korea, so I decided on 'Pretty Man.'"

He still wants to play different characters and confirm his position as a genuine actor.

"I thought that through this drama, I could turn my cons into my pros. The Jang Geun Suk that people know in Japan and China is outspoken and outgoing, but my image in Korea seems to be seen as sometimes over-the-top."

He saw the role of Dokgo Mate as a way for his Korean fans to see him as outspoken and outgoing.

 "Through 'Pretty Man,' I want to start over as a genuine actor," he said.