#honestly seems like a really fun thing for him to have done amidst the post-injury pre-tour stress

[thelittlebastard]

came across two Belgian articles about squout, here are some google-translated highlights : )

article one

The preparations and recordings took place in the summer period, not so long after his serious crash in Dwars door Vlaanderen at the end of March. "The recording day was a few months later, so it still seemed far away at that time. But we did have to move the date to fit the suit and practice. Putting on that suit would certainly not have been possible in the first month after that crash... On the day of the recording, it didn't hurt anymore. But during the dance training, which was a month earlier, I still had trouble with it. Although it certainly didn't hinder me."

Van Aert was able to keep his participation well hidden from those around him, even at his team Visma-Lease a bike no one knew about it. Only his wife Sarah knew.

article two

"Standing on stage and singing and dancing and everything in that direction: that's way outside my comfort zone. TV is not my world either: during such recordings everything has to be right and you have to have a lot of patience. Very cool to experience it once, but not something I would necessarily want to do every day"

What did you think of the suits? "My first thought was: what the fuck [in English]. They told me I was going to be a squirrel so I expected a big stuffed animal. Turned out I was some kind of cool Superman squirrel in a latex suit! In the end I could only be happy with that, also because I could use my arms and legs. The most difficult thing was the tail. It felt like a heavy backpack that constantly wobbled from left to right and threw me completely off balance."

"Everyone would have recognized me, I think. My videos were pretty clear, right? When people asked me about it – all the time – I usually reacted a bit annoyed: ‘Are you starting now too?!’ or ‘Come on, I would never do that!’ They usually kept quiet (laughs)."

"I might have liked it better if it had been a complete surprise, but it doesn’t really matter: I’ve had so many cool moments this week, not least by fooling so many people, that I look back on it positively anyway."

[25-sundayholidays]

[Interview] Park Sunho [on working on Rugal]: “Rugal was a job that showed me how much doing fun action scenes can be.” by Reporter Choi Ji-yeon for SporBiz (June 15, 2020)

Actor Park Sunho has finally overcome the challenges of doing action scenes. On the recently completed Rugal, he played the human weapon Lee Gwangchul, who had received an artificial body via biotechnology and subsequently gained special abilities. Prior to Rugal, Sunho had never done any sort of action scenes, so doing this role pushed him to his limits as an actor - and ultimately showed audiences the birth of a new action star.

According to Sunho: “In undertaking this role, it has given me the opportunity to grow as an actor.  Working on Rugal allowed me to try action [scenes] for the first time, and I was honored to be working on the show alongside so many veteran actors. It’s sad that the show is over because I saw learned so much about being a better actor while filming the show.”

CJY: What do you think the charms of Rugal are?

PSH: I definitely think the show had a very novel premise and just felt fresh. Even before shooting, I thought that being part of the show would be a blast because this would be the first time that a K-drama would feature humanoid weapons as a major plot point. It was refreshing to see a clash between machine and human “weapons,” especially since that was tied into the hero’s narrative.

CJY: Doing a Sci-Fi show was also a new experience for you, wasn’t it?

PSH: Yep. [Prior to Rugal], I had never done a show that had many CGI effects. It really influenced how I approached my role while filming. Even though I couldn’t actually see some of the things I was supposed to be interacting with [due to it later being added in post-production], I would do my best to imagine the things were right in front of me in order to make the scene feel more “real.”

CJY: But this was your first time doing action scenes too, right?

PSH: It was. It especially difficult having to do rolls across the ground. When I was training for the show in “action stunt school,” it was easier to do the stunts because we had mats on the ground to prevent injuries. However, on set we had to do the stunts on cement and stones, which caused me to get some bruises and injuries after completing the scenes. But, funnily enough, doing the action scenes in this way added an extra layer of thrill and exhilaration when shooting. I may have gotten a little greedy [about wanting to do more action scenes] by the end of of the series, haha. If I have another opportunity to do action scenes, I’m confident that I’ll be able to do an even better job than how I did on Rugal.

CJY: How was working with the whole Rugal team?

PSH: It was really great. We all grew pretty close throughout filming and really developed a strong bond. Even during our downtime in between filming, we’d try to take care of each other. We really felt like a real team, both on and off-screen - which played a vital role in allowing us to do our best even amidst struggles.

CJY: So is that why you all were able to really gel together as a team even though you were the youngest?

PSH: Well, it was also important to have chemistry between the team - regardless of age. For example, if the veteran actors were uncomfortable or having a hard time on set, it was super noticeable. So I tried hard to approach them first before things became worse [to help support them]. We would lighten the mood by cracking jokes in-between takes, which allowed us to overcome any challenges and barriers we encountered while on set.

CJY: But you were also known as being bubbly and lively besides being the youngest team member, right?

PSH: Something like that, haha. Actually, when I first auditioned, it wasn’t for a specific role. However, I was eventually offered the role of Lee Gwangchul, and I thought it was a great fit so I didn’t hesitate to accept the offer. While I have both a silly and cute side, I think [in doing this role] I was able to also show a more serious and charismatic side of myself.

CJY: It seems like you identified strongly with Lee Gwangchul. How much of his character would you say is similar and/or different that your real self?

PSH: There is actually a lot of similarities between myself and Lee Gwangchul. We both let our a cute and playful side come out once we’re comfortable around other people. We also tend to do our best to find commonality with people we meet, regardless of the shared feeling is good or bad. If you want to break it down, we’re about 80% similar. I’d say the 20% where we’re different comes from that fact I tend to be more serious and more sensible than Gwangchul.

CJY: You’re gradually building up your filmography that showcase your range as an actor. What types of roles are you looking forward to tackling?

PSH: Honestly, I’d love to do another action role in the future. Being able to explore a whole other side of acting via Rugal has made me greedy in wanting to do more action roles. There are so many different types of action roles, such as doing hand-to-hand, boxing, judo, and Jeet Kune Do - and I want to try all of them.

CJY: You previously tried to debut as an idol last year [on Produce X 101], do you still plan on pursuing that dream?

PSH: At the moment, I’m putting all my attention and focus on acting. The chance of me debuting as a singer is unlikely to happen any time soon. However, I love singing and dancing and definitely want to continue to show off that side of me whenever I have the chance. If possible, I want to show off my musical side via an acting role or during a fanmeeting/SNS live stream.

CJY: I heard that you’ve also dabbling is composing and lyric writing too.

PSH: Yup, I’ve done a bit of both. It’s actually a hobby of mine - though I haven’t been able to write anything recently. The process is very cathartic for me, as it gives me an outlet to relieve myself of powerful emotions and feelings that I experience. Even if I’m feeling worn out but still want to write a song, I at least try to create a basic melody and/or write some lyrics.

CJY: Wow! You’ve done so much while in your 20s. As you’re going to turn 30 in a few years, how do you want finish out your 20s?

PSH: Just this year, I did both Produce X 101 and Rugal, and while the experience has been exhausting, I was able to push myself past my limits of all the love I received over the past year. I’m so thankful to my family and close friends who gave me so many words of encouragement. Also, I want to take this opportunity to thank my fans for all their love since it’s pretty difficult to find ways to express how much my fans mean to me. So, to repay all the love back in kind, I’m going to do my best to always give 110%.