"Too Good To Be True" - Siwon Interview for Men's Uno HK May 2011

"Too Good To Be True" - Siwon Interview for Men's Uno HK May 2011

Choi Si Won is a very down-to-earth superstar. When I told my French friend, who is also a fan of Super Junior, I was about to interview him in Seoul, my friend’s immediate expression was a look of envy. My friend who has waited at airports and participated their concert tours countless times, smiled at the mention of Choi Si Won’s name.

    My friend commented that he is not from this world because not only is Choi Si Won tall and cute, he has a good personality and is polite to others around him.

What is interesting to me is, this reaction is not exclusive to only his fans. My colleagues from Korean entertainment companies were also full of praise for him. Thus, it makes Choi Si Won consistent whether he is in or out of a drama and it is as if he should only exist as the charming prince in those idol television series. However, his maturity, grace, steadiness and friendly speech pattern have already exceeded the expectations of an idol.

Eager to be emotionally touched

 The interview took place in a breezy afternoon. When Choi Si Won came to the studio, his model stature in addition to his clearly defined features confirmed that with these qualities, it is only natural for him to be in this industry. It is not a surprise that Andy Lau, whom collaborated with him in Battle of Wits, praised him for his vast potential. Before we began our photograph session, Choi Si Won greeted me very politely in both Mandarin and Cantonese at the same time demonstrating to me what he has learnt these past few months.  

    “I have recently accepted the offer to act in a Taiwanese drama series “Skip Beat”. My group member, Donghae and I are both the male leads. We will stay in Taiwan for an extended period of time. However, I am still not confident to speak Mandarin in my role. My role in the drama is one that just entered into the entertainment business and has to break up with his girl friend. At the end, he finds himself unable to forget his innocent girl friend.”

With a character description like that, fans will not be able to resist him and may even fantasize themselves as the female lead, Ivy Chen.  

    “ I am very similar to this character. I have endless passion and enthusiasm for my career and life. Before I do anything, I will always try my best to consider others’ feelings. I am still learning to do this.”

When you look up his news in Korean news portals, you’ll find many photographs of his abs. Actually Korean stars give much care and emphasis on their abs. Choi Si Won is no exception. He is willing to take this as part and parcel of his career. When I praised his fitness, he smiled with slight embarrassment saying he has not time to work hard recently.

    “Many people say that abs are hard to come by but if you ask me what is the secret, I think it is a controlled diet. However, let me tell you another secret.  Actually, I like to eat instant noodles in the middle of the night. Isn’t that very guilty of me? Eating instant noodles at midnight is not good for health. I have to work hard to break this habit.

    I am very happy that fans like my body shape but I am most proud of my eyes. I don’t think my eyes are exceptionally beautiful. But I think through the eyes, I can see the world’s most beautiful things and when I am with others, I hope to see through into their heart.”

Humbly, he said as a newcomer in acting, this is one of the reasons to why he enjoys acting. He hopes to experience the lives of others and to feel the characters’ hearts.

    “There are simply too many roles that I would like to play and actually, I have not played that many either. No matter if a character is happy or sad, that is not the most important to me. More importantly, I hope to be able to be emotionally touched by the characters’ personalities or stories.”

Learns to be patient, embeds happiness in the heart

I have reasons to believe that Choi Si Won is easily touched and is compassionate.  There is some correlation with him being a faithful Christian.

    “I grew up in a Christian family. My parents often taught me compassion. Even though my work this year has been very busy, I still hope to frequent the church. A few years ago, I got to know a celebrity pastor named Jaeson Ma. If there is a chance, I would like to visit Hong Kong to meet and share with him again. During my last trip, I also visited Noah’s Ark in Hong Kong. I had a good impression. Though I do not have time to visit the church, I will always pray, learn to be patient and be glad.”

Suddenly I thought about the possibility of Choi Si Won releasing a gospel album. I knew he would be able to spread the powers of God to many corners of Asia. All the teenage girls will then hope that Choi Si Won will be their religious group leader and be able to read the bible with their pastor.

Just as he said, it is worthwhile to be patient for the goodness of things. Treasure our own time and life and we will work hard each step of the way to make them come true.

Perhaps his good looks has attracted all of our attention and we momentarily could not take our eyes off him to notice other parts of him. This is definitely a common occurrence. In his future development, with more experience and history, he will be able to grasp each opportunity and then effectively expand his ability to become an all-rounded artist that everybody will come to appreciate.

I also believe that this polite and mature pretty boy before me will use all of his strength to make it possible.

Translation: http://ginieinabottle.tumblr.com

Source: Men's Uno Magazine