Five Ways Jung Yong Hwa Is Like His Character Park Dal Hyang

CNBLUE singer and actor Jung Yong Hwa is winning praise for his performance as the friendly and idealistic rookie guard Park Dal Hyang in "The Three Musketeers."

But as good as his acting is, the actor admits that some parts of his role come naturally. He shares some personality traits with the character:

1. He's determinedly optimistic: When confronted with a terrifying sea of arrows in a recent episode, the fictional Park Dal Hyang just figured he was going to survive and he did.

 "I am a person who is outgoing but I also believe I can accomplish whatever I really need to do. I think this trait of mine goes well with the character Dal Hyang," Jung said at the drama's press conference.

2. He's modest: A kdrama.com interviewer asked him when he realized that he owed his popularity to his good looks. The actor denied that he was good looking.

"Handsome? No, No," he said.  "I started being popular because of the things I did."

He liked to act out and be a cut-up when he was in school.

3. Like Park Dal Hyang he was recruited and it changed his life unexpectedly. In "The Three Musketeers" a prince recruits Park Dal Hyang for special guard duty but it was talent agents that approached Jung Yong Hwa in real life. He never planned to be an artist.

"A casting agent contacted me and offered me an audition just before my college entrance exams but I didn't accept it because I really didn't want to be an artist," he said. "Then the agent personally visited me in Busan and tried to convince to accept the offer once again.  I accepted it and rescheduled my college entrance exams."

4. But even though Jung Yong Hwa's talent was recognized, like Park Dal Hyang, he had to prove it the hard way. CNBLUE played on the streets as an indie band before making it big. And Jung Yong Hwa has admitted that acting is a learning curve for him. Although he is always charismatic and appealing in his drama roles, he recognizes the need to grow. He is eager to try different kinds of roles and hone his craft.

"Up until now the characters I'd been playing were calm and mature and surely different from "D'Artagnan" Park Dal Hyang, the maknae who's simple and clear, full of spirit and kind," the actor told Vogue. "He has a beagle-like character. Doing action, dressing up like someone in historical drama and even riding a horse, seems like it's going to be interesting in various ways."

5. And although Jung Yong Hwa's swordfighting skills are strictly for show, he is no couch potato. Like Park Dal Hyang does like physical activity.

"I love sports a lot," he said. "I have always been the sport representative since school days. I could not be class representative as my studies were not good, but I feel the awesome feeling with the authority being the sport director during physical education lessons. I will do my best whenever I like the thing I do, and the outcome is not bad too."

What do you think? How much of Jung Yong Hwa do you see in Park Dal Hyang?