'Queen of Tears' actor Park Sung Hoon receives no advertisement offers despite film success

South Korean actor Park Sung Hoon. Photo from Park's Instagram

Accroding to TVreport, during an appearance on the chat show "You Quiz On The Block" earlier this month, Park discussed the challenges of finding success through villain roles, including his role in the TV series "Queen of Tears." He recounted a recent incident where a middle-aged female viewer hit him on the back at a restaurant and told him: "Get out of here!"

At the series’ celebration party, Park had to clarify: "People may hate [my character] Yoon Eun Seong, but please don’t criticize me."

While on the show, Park also dismissed rumors about his wealthy family background, which arose from his frequent portrayals of rich characters in films. He explained that his father worked at a bank until losing his job during the 1997 Asian financial crisis. Following a stroke that left him paralyzed, his father required assistance with daily activities. Meanwhile, his mother worked as a real estate broker, and when the market struggled, his family had to rent out their own house.

Park revealed that during his school years, he didn’t receive any pocket money and was once advised by his parents to avoid taking leave while serving in the military to cut down on expenses.

After completing his military service in 2008, Park started working with a theater troupe but struggled to secure roles. During that time, he earned only 50,000 won (US$37) over nine months and had to rely on various part-time jobs to make ends meet.

He and his friends lived in a semi-basement house, similar to the one depicted in the Oscar-winning South Korean film "Parasite." During the rainy season, they used blankets to soak up water that leaked into their rented accommodation and wrung them out afterward.

Occasionally receiving financial assistance from his brother-in-law to pursue his career, Park admitted to often crying out of helplessness.

After 16 years in the industry, he now claims to have achieved around 90% of his initial goals and is financially capable of supporting his family members.

Park, 39, began his career as a stage actor and secured his first film role in 2014 with South Korean TV broadcaster SBS’ drama series "Three Days." Despite appearing in several films afterward, he gained widespread recognition only after the 2022 Netflix series "The Glory," which earned him nominations for Best Supporting Actor at the Baeksang Arts Awards and the Blue Dragon Awards.

Following "Queen of Tears," the actor is set to appear in the second season of "Squid Game."

"Queen of Tears," which aired on South Korean cable channel tvN from March 9 to April 28, achieved a nationwide rating of 24.850% for its final episode, becoming the highest-rated tvN series. It also ranks as the third highest-rated series in Korean cable television history for viewership ratings and second highest by number of viewers.