Actor Heo Sung-tae has revealed a series of touching behind-the-scenes stories about Park Bo-gum, proving once again why the actor is praised industry-wide for his sincerity and kindness.
Appearing on the December 10 broadcast of MBC’s “Radio Star,” Heo confessed that he initially didn’t believe the overwhelmingly positive things people said about Park Bo-gum.
“I’m someone who doubts people a lot,” he admitted. “So I approached Bo-gum with suspicion. Everyone says he’s perfect how could that be true?”
But his doubts didn’t last long. Heo shared that from the script reading of their drama Good Boy to the filming process, Park Bo-gum’s sincerity was unmistakable.
“Actors can always tell if someone is being fake. Park Bo-gum is the real deal,” he emphasized.
Heo then revealed several moments that deeply moved him. After filming a scene where Bo-gum had to hit him, the younger actor privately approached him and apologized — gifting him a high-end skincare set without anyone noticing.
“It wasn’t performative,” Heo said. “He waited until nobody was watching. It came from a genuine place.”
Another story left the studio smiling: Heo once casually remarked that he liked the detective outfit Bo-gum wore in the drama. On his birthday, Park Bo-gum surprised him by gifting him that exact outfit.
There was also the now-viral “meal payment” moment. Heo, as the senior on set, kept secretly paying for meals — but Bo-gum gently stopped him.
“He told me, ‘Sunbae-nim, we need to go Dutch if we want to keep seeing each other for a long time.’ He was right. I was acting with old-fashioned pride.”
Heo also shared how Bo-gum encouraged him to quit smoking, prompting him to attempt a five-month break earlier this year. Now planning to join a government-run smoking-cessation camp in mid-December, he joked, “Bo-gum really made me try the ‘live like Park Bo-gum’ challenge.”
As Heo’s stories spread across SNS, fans praised Park Bo-gum once again for his modesty, warmth, and quiet gestures proving that the actor’s reputation as “the industry’s gentleman” is well-earned.