Edited by Hwang Hong Sun
Translated by Kim Hoyeun
Yoo Ah In, who made his debut in 2004 with the teen drama Sharp 1, received much love for starring in the film Boys of Tomorrow (2007), dramas Strongest Chil Woo (2008), and Sungkyunkwan Scandal (2010). Since then, he has been noted as one of the best actors in their 20s with his even more mature performances in the 2011 film Punch and 2014 drama Secret Love Affair. Yoo, who showed off his irreplaceable presence in various movies and dramas, presented a completely different side of him in film Veteran, the last project he worked on in his 20s.
Veteran is a comic-action film about a confrontation between a persistent detective and a tyrannical heir to an untouchable mega-corporation. In the movie, Yoo Ah In played Jo Tae Oh, a tyrannical heir who’s behind various crimes, and challenged his first-ever villain role.
Yoo wanted to depict Jo Tea Oh as a free-spirited villain who felt no guilt. He tried to avoid imitating the acting that was considered the “bible of villains” and craved to create his own new villain. Despite the role that could have been burdensome to the actor who was at the height of his popularity, Yoo tried his best to portray the role, and as a result, he completed the most prominent character in the film.
With Yoo’s dramatic transformation, Veteran was released in 2015 and became a huge box office hit, surpassing 10 million viewers. Especially, endless rave reviews about the actor’s performances were followed. The line, “It’s ridiculous,” left such a deep impression on people that it’s still parodied in numerous places, and Jo Tae Oh, played by Yoo, became one of the best villains of all time. Later, Yoo starred in films The Throne and Default leading to success in both box office and criticism, and has now grown beyond being one of the best actors in their 20s to become a one of the best actors in Korea.
Having recently wrapped up all activities for his movie #ALIVE, Yoo is getting ready to meet the audience with another new film Voice of Silence. The movie revolves around the two men, whose job is to clean up the messes done by the crime organization, getting caught up in an unexpected incident. Yoo will star as Tae In and only act with his eyes and gestures without a single line. I’m already looking forward to what kind of unconventional performance he will shock us with.