Jin-young’s First Movie, A Stray Goat
A Stray Goat marks Park Jin-young’s big-screen debut as is his first movie appearance. This movie is written and directed by Cho Jae-min. Of course, this film is also highly anticipated not only by fans of Got7, iGot7, but also by many people because seeing the production company of this film is quite famous.
A Stray Goat was produced by Myung Films, the production company which produced Joint Security Area, Architecture 101, and Cart. It is a production by the first term students of Myung Film Movie School which was set up by Myung Films. It is also Cho Jae-min’s directorial debut.
On a winter day, high school student Min-Sik (Park Jin-young) and his family move to Goseong. The city is his father’s hometown. At school there, Min-Sik meets Ye-Joo (Ji-woo). Ye-Joo is an outcast and called the “murderer’s daughter.” Min-Sik slowly gets close to her.
During the event, he spoke about his feelings and thoughts about the filming of the movie. In the film, Jin-young plays Cho Min Sik, who moves to a town that’s cold but “doesn’t snow,” where he meets outcasted Yang Yae Ju (played by Ji Woo), who “has a frozen heart.” The two characters warm up to each other slowly, and even more so after they encounter a baby goat.
Jin-young’s First Leading Role, He Is Psychometric
His continual improvement has made Park Jin-young’s acting abilities increasingly recognized and fruitful giving him the opportunity to play the main character for the first time in the 2019 comedy-romantic drama titled He is Psychometric, or also known as That Psychometric Guy. This drama is a fantasy romance thriller drama scheduled to be aired on the cable channel tvN.
This drama tells about Lee Ahn (Park Jin-young) who has the power of psychometry, the ability to read a person or an object’s past through physical contact. He decides to use this power to take bad people down, after losing his parents in a fire. While he does not know how to control his power yet, he meets Yoon Jae-in (Shin Ye-eun) who tries her best to hide her painful secrets. Together with his foster guardian, prosecutor Kang Sung-mo (Kim Kwon), and the latter’s colleague, investigator Eun Ji-soo (Kim Da-som), they team up to solve an elusive case that has been haunting the lives of Ahn, Sung-mo, and Jae-in.
Park Jin-young acts as Lee Ahn, a 21-year-old young man who acquires the power of psychometry, the paranormal ability to read a person or object’s past or secrets by touching it or if these come into contact with his skin. He lost his parents in a fire when he was young. Using his psychometric ability, Lee Ahn wants to take out evil people in the world but unlike his handsome appearance, he is not smart at all.
During a press conference for this drama, Park Jin-young talked about how he was feeling for his first leading role in a drama. He said, “It’s my first drama in a year, and on top that, it’s 16 episodes and I’m the lead, so I was really worried.” To help him get over his concerns, Jin-young said he spent a lot of time speaking to the director, “After discussions with the director, I gained some confidence. I felt assured that I could lead the drama through the 16 episodes if I just do a good job portraying what’s written in the script.”
He was also asked if he had any difficulties with his character’s psychometric abilities, to which Park Jin-young added, “I felt the need to find some special way to show the psychometry. But I also felt that if it was too special, it would seem over the top. So I gave Ian a habit that he does whenever he’s [reading secrets]. I thought it would give certain ease of viewing if I did it that way.”
Actor Park Jin-young vs Got7’s Jin-young: The Differences
Since 2012, Jin-young has acted in various dramas and a film. He has received lots of positive feedback for his acting ability and is successfully following in the footsteps of other idols turned actors, like Im Siwan, EXO’s D.O., Lee Joon, Highlight’s Yoon Doojoon, Park Hyungsik, 2PM’s Junho, etc.
Jin-young said, “I believe it is a big step that my acting is even viewed at the same level as many of my seniors. My fellow idols turned actors have done so well that I think if I just follow in the path that they’re leading, I will one day become comfortable with being called an actor.”
He added, “However, I am still lacking too much to think about it. Instead of thinking about breaking stereotypes regarding idols turned actors, I am currently more focused on how to properly portray my characters.”
Jin-young then addressed the difference between being an idol and an actor, saying, “Although they are similar, I think they each have their own charm because they are different. They are the same because they are both jobs where you are in the public eye, but the difference between being on stage and being in front of the camera makes me want both. Both are fun. I think I am extremely lucky to be able to do both. I am just thankful and want to do both for a long time.”
He continued, “Therefore, my first goal is to do well. After that, I think the goal of working for a long time will follow.”
A really multi-talented guy, right? It’s rare for someone to be able to do well both as an actor and an idol. Of course, there are so many charms of Got7’s Park Jin-young that have not been revealed yet, so let’s continue to look forward to the next piece of work of Park Jin-young both as an actor and as an idol!
