Beloved Korean Actor Confesses He Developed Panic Disorder Due To Playing Villain Roles
Beloved Korean actor Park Sung Woong, known for his intense villain roles, recently confessed that playing these characters led to him developing panic disorder.
On the 19th of August, he appeared on the YouTube channel “Sympathetic Hyung Shin Dong Yup,” where he shared his experience of facing panic disorder while filming the 2020 OCN drama “Rugal.”
In “Rugal,” Park Sung Woong portrayed Hwang Deuk Goo, the powerful figure behind South Korea’s largest criminal organization and terror group, Argos. The character, a ruthless villain attempting to control the world through evil, involved violent scenes where he stabbed, shot, and screamed at people.
Park revealed that he had decided to show a “mentally unstable villain” and pushed himself to the extreme, including cutting out carbohydrates and losing weight for the role. This intense approach led to feelings of anxiety in everything he did.
While driving with his wife, Shin Eun Jung, and their son, Park recalled suddenly wanting to swerve the car while driving at 100 km/h. He told his wife, “Something’s wrong with me,” and asked her to take over driving. Later, he had urges to open the door while on the highway and worried he might harm others with sharp objects like forks around him.
Actor Ma Dong Seok reached out to Park during this time, encouraging him by sharing that he had struggled for three years and that another senior actor had battled for seven years. Park expressed his gratitude for the support.
Regarding his recovery, Park stated that he overcame the disorder through exercise, meeting people, and performing in plays, which helped him heal mentally. Fellow actor Kwak Si Yang also shared his struggles, mentioning that stress often led to hyperventilation and difficulty breathing.
In response, Park humorously offered his support, saying, “Call me when that happens. I’ll keep hitting you until I say ‘enough,'” bringing laughter.
Park Sung Woong and Kwak Si Yang will appear in the film Desperate Pursuit (directed by Kim Jae Hoon), set to be released on the 21st. The movie is about a chaotic chase on Jeju Island, involving a con artist, a detective with anger management issues, and a crime boss who each have their own reasons for being there.
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