Actor Yoo Seung-ho, who debuted as a child actor, is pushing his limits by taking on a new type of charajohnny manziel jersey Florida state seminars jerseys fsu jersey asu jersey rowan university new jersey fsu jersey Florida state seminars jerseys asu jersey custom football jerseys College Football Jerseys brandon aiyuk jersey Ohio State Team Jersey drew allar jersey aiyuk jersey brock purdy jersey cter in Wavve’s latest original series, “The Deal.” Now 30, Yoo portrays an unstable, financially struggling young man ― a distinct shift in his 23-year acting career.
“I’ve always wanted to challenge myself with something new. I’ve been interested in the thriller crime genre, but knew changing the image I already had wouldn’t be easy. When the series’ director reached out, I read the script and found its concept very intriguing,” he told The Korea Times, during an interview held in Yeouido, Yeongdeungpo District, Seoul, Monday.
“There were two reasons. I think every actor desires a project they haven’t tried before. Also, I had a lot of curiosity about the crime thriller genre. So when the project came along, I was delighted.”
Based on the webcomics of the same name, the series centers on three former high school classmates in their 20s, Lee Joon-sung (Yoo), Song Jae-hyo (Kim Dong-hwi) and Park Min-woo (Yoo Su-bin). On the night of their reunion, Park passes out drunk so the other two bring Park to Song’s house. When Park’s mother calls, Song decides, on an impulse, to hold Park hostage, demanding a 10 billion won ransom from his wealthy family to split with Lee.
The 8-part series, which started streaming on Oct. 6, is led by filmmaker Lee Jung-gon, whose previous work was the 2021 film drama “Not Out.”
Yoo’s character goes through complex emotions throughout the story, struggling with the moral dilemma between an unexpected kidnapping scheme and his financial needs, having to pay off a snowballing gambling debut to a loan shark.
Although this character has a completely different image than his previous characters, Yoo found some common ground in his new character.
“I’ve usually done serious and honest characters and a fair amount of romance as well. But in this project, the character of Jun-sung is also actually not a completely different character, since he has honesty and goodness as a basis,” he said.
“He is also a kidnapper, like Jae-hyo, but there was good and evil between the two; Jae-hyo took evil and I took the side of good. I haven’t strayed too far from the characters I’ve played in the past, at least in terms of trying to maintain a moral compass throughout.”
Filming scenes that involved smoking and cursing was a novel experience for Yoo, inducing a fair amount of nervousness.
“It was my first time cursing and smoking in front of a camera, so it was embarrassing. My hands were trembling when I filmed those scenes,” he said. “I was nervous and wondered how it would be seen. I’ve never shown such a side of myself on TV so I was worried that it might appear awkward. I wanted to smoke and swear naturally, so I was tense.”
As he steps into his 30s, the actor has started making new changes in his life, from exploring new roles and finding a new agency to making new habits on a more personal level.
“As I entered my 30s, it felt strange, although there were no direct differences. It’s hard to explain. I used to be quite anxious when meeting people. So I liked being alone. Over time, I realized that I couldn’t just only do things I’m comfortable with. I thought if I tried things that I hadn’t done, I might learn something about myself. I felt the need to embrace new challenges,” Yoo said.
“I’m not sure what the future holds, but I’ll continue to challenge myself with things I’ve never tried before. So, I hope my 30s will bring something for people to look forward to.”
