Stars get acting lessons in new TV show

Park Shin-yang, center on the bottom row, with his seven celebrity students in TV variety show "Actor's School" on tvN. / Courtesy of tvN

Seven stars will go through “tear-jerking, fun-packed training” to brush up their acting skills in new TV variety show “Actor’s School” on tvN.

Actor Park Shin-yang, who the program’s homepage describes as “a luxurious actor with 27 years of acting experience,” is the charismatic instructor.

The trainees who applied for the fictional school include seasoned actor Lee Won-jong, actor-wannabe singers Jang Soo-won and K-pop boy band WINNER member Nam Tae-hyun, and comedy screenwriter Yoo Byeong-jae.

“I found the show’s idea intriguing,” Park said at a press conference before the show’s first airing on Thursday, according to Chosun Ilbo.

“Yet, it was also a harsh idea, to push those trainees into developing their skills in a short time. But I will go as far as I can with them and see if I can make a miracle.”

Jang, who coined the term “robot acting” with his rigid style, said: “Although fans like me for my robotic acting, I want to discard the image, even if that costs the fans disliking me for my improved version as an actor.”

Nam said he struggled with acting while filming a music video for his solo number “I’m Young” from the band’s album “EXIT: E,” where he filmed a kissing scene and a bed scene.

“I learned from ‘Actor’s School’ that I must be prepared before filming, rather than improvising in front of cameras,” he said.