Im Si Wan may have started out as a member of the idol group Z:EA, but he says he can act better than he can sing and much better than he can dance.
"I like singing and I like acting but I'm not a good dancer," he said in a recent interview with the Korean media outlet XSports News. "My singing isn't as good as my acting. That doesn't mean I act well just that I don't think I sing as well as I act."
Given the praise and prizes he's earned for his acting lately, many other people would say he acts well.
The star of the award-winning drama "Misaeng" and the film "The Attorney" has a new film out, the recently released "A Melody to Remember." The film is based on the true story of a children's choir during the Korean War. It's also the story of how music can help create hope in the middle of tragedy and chaos. Im Si Wan plays han Sang Ryeol, a soldier who decides to lead the children's choir.
"I've been in a highly successful movie and drama so I am happy to have had the experience,"said Im. "I'm always thankful to my fans. I consider myself lucky to have been chosen for this film."
The film did draw on some of the singer-actor's musical skills as his character was skilled at playing the piano. To play as well as Han could, Im practiced for hours every day.
"It would have been awkward if I pretended to play and I actually did not know how," said Im.
The 27-year-old actor says that he has learned that acting is not just about following direction. It's all continuously studying, memorizing lines and considering how to deliver authentic emotions. To immerse himself in the moment, he reads his scripts over and over again and tries to imagine the scenes as if he was really living them. He imagines how he might feel.
But he has not completely given up on music. After wrapping up his role in "Misaeng" he decided to write a song every time he finishes a drama or film.
"I write about the emotions I felt," said Im.
"A Memory To Remember" co-stars Go Ah Sung and Lee Hee Joon. And soon it may also be a song.