Some South Korean dramas are so chaste in their depiction of romantic love, one would not imagine that their actors could engage in steamy makeout sessions in public.
But that kind of shenanigans has apparently taken place, says actor Seo Kang Joon, who stars in the Korean remake of the HBO show business drama Entourage.
"There is a scene where I meet my ex-lover in the carpark - I didn't imagine that it would happen in reality, but the director told me that it was a true story. The drama pieces together interviews done with various industry insiders," he says.
Seo, 23, and his co-star Lee Dong Hwi , 31, were at a media session at Resorts World Sentosa on Tuesday (Nov 22) to promote the drama.
While Seo, like his Entourage character Cha Young Bin, has enjoyed a meteoric rise since making his debut three years ago, he claims to be unfamiliar with the glamorous party lifestyle of the character.
Instead, the self-professed homebody says that he prefers to stay home and play with his two cats or take long walks along the Hangang River in Seoul.
He and Lee are joined in the main cast by Lee Kwang Soo and Park Jung Min.
The four stars became a tight-knit bunch in reality, especially after spending much time filming in Busan.
Lee Dong Hwi, who got his big break in the hit nostalgic drama Reply 1988 (2015), says: "We played games together and there would be penalties. Once I lost a game and had to stand in the rain for five minutes without an umbrella. I caught a cold."
Seo adds: "We toured around the area a lot - we went to the beach, we went drinking together. Even though filming has ended, we will gather together to watch the drama over beer."
Seo also says he is different from his flighty character Cha because he would not let his love life affect his work, calling Cha's behaviour "dumb".
And unlike Cha, who detests critics of his work in the drama, Seo says he is receptive to criticism.
"I do think that criticism is important for me. I read all the negative comments and learn from the constructive comments."
Entourage airs on tvN on Mondays and Tuesdays at 9.15 pm (Singtel TV Channel 518 & Channel 619, StarHub TV Channel 824), and also on Viu.
