Ahn Bo Hyun on his journey from boxing to acting: 'I broke a lot of bones'

Ahn Bo Hyun recently shared his experience in an interview on working in K-movie Pretty Crazy, his thoughts about his first leading role in a commercial film, and how he went from being a boxer to an actor.

Pretty Crazy is a comedy that follows Gil Gu (Ahn Bo Hyun), a young unemployed man who takes on an extraordinary part-time job monitoring Seon Ji (Yoon A), who wakes up as a devil late at night.

The Flex X Cop actor plays Gil Gu, an unemployed man who has been roped into the job of looking after Seon Ji when she transforms into her devilish self at night.

The actor recalls being very fond of the character Gil Gu and described him as having a kind of nerdy charm.

"This character is the opposite of the strong roles I'd played so far, so it made me want to take on the challenge. He's the kind of man you could most likely find somewhere in the world, and someone who makes the other person feel valued. That's why I really liked Gil Gu. When I saw the completed film, I felt proud, thinking, 'The Gil Gu I portrayed has finally found something that makes him happy, and I was the one who led him to that path.'"

Previously, Kim Seon Ho was cast for the role of Gil Gu, but due to the controversy that almost shattered his career, he was replaced by Ahn Bo Hyun. 

"I only found out later, after reading the entire script, that there had been such an issue. I didn't think it would be a problem, so I gratefully accepted the role. Because of that, I didn't even have time to feel the pressure of 'I have to do better than anyone else. I just thought I should make my own version of Gil Gu."

Before shining on the small screen, Ahn was throwing punches in the boxing ring. How did he make the transition?

"When I was young, I planned to join a company-sponsored or semi-professional team [a sports team that is operated and funded by a company or public institution]. But during matches, I broke a lot of bones and had to get multiple casts, so my parents strongly opposed it and wouldn't let me continue. So I thought I'd become a career soldier instead, but my parents told me, 'Before you go to the army, try something else.' Thanks to my height, I became a model. That was fun. 

Then I watched a movie called Crying Fist, and seeing the boxing scenes, I thought, 'I may not know acting, but I can definitely do boxing well,' so I started learning acting. I found it fun to live another person's life through acting. So I kept challenging myself with the mindset of 'Let's just hold on for ten years.'"

The perseverance he built as an athlete became the driving force that helped him endure a difficult life until he established himself as an actor.

"I learned a lot about perseverance. Exercising taught me that if you don't give up, you can achieve anything. When I came up to Seoul — a city where I didn't know a single person — to pursue acting, I couldn't quit. Even when my body was exhausted, I would think back to my days working out and tell myself, 'This part-time job isn't even hard [compared to that],' and I was able to endure it. I think the stamina I built up by working out has also become a kind of nourishment for my acting now. That's why I believe it was my fate to go from being an athlete to becoming an actor. If I hadn't done sports, I probably would have given up on acting early on.

Also, because I can manage changes in my body, it's easier for me to lose or gain weight compared to other actors. So I really love where I am right now. Back when things were really tough, my friends in Busan helped me a lot, and now I'm in a position where I can at least treat them to some good food. I can't help but feel proud."

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