[K-Star’s Best Character] All-Time Top Actor, So Ji Sub

Edited by Seo Hayne
Translated Cho EK

So Ji Sub entered the entertainment industry as a model, and he began his acting career with the 1996 MBC sitcom Three Guys and Three Girls. In 2004, eight years after his debut, he established himself as a leading actor by playing Kang In Wook in SBS Something Happened in Bali, a hit drama that peaked at 40.4%. In a romance drama about two men falling in love with one girl, So Ji Sub brilliantly portrayed the frustration of a man with unrequited love.

In the same year, on KBS I‘m Sorry, I Love You, his line, “Will you eat with me or live with me?” became famous. He played Cha Moo Hyuk, who was abandoned by his birth parents, later by his adoptive family, and risks his own life for love. He gave a heartbreaking performance in the role and made the hairband, which he used to fix his coarse hair indifferently, and sunglasses fashionable. They were not simple accessories; they were vivid expressions of the rough side of a person who grew up on the street.

Distinguished himself in romance, he showed that he could also pull off a good rom-com by playing the role of Joo Joong Won in SBS Master’s Sun (2013), who falls in love with a woman who sees ghosts. He showed various facial expressions in each episode, reminding the viewers of his funny side in his acting.

In the film Rough Cut (2008), he played Lee Gang Pae, the underboss of a gang who dreams of becoming an actor. So Ji Sub called this movie “The beginning of a new chapter in his acting career.” He found that the character and himself share things in common and melted them into acting. Regarding his character, who is just like himself, he said, “We both like acting, and we both don’t talk much.” As a result, he swept the Rookie of the Year awards at various events, including the 29th Blue Dragon Film Awards.

In MBC My Secret Terrius (2018), he played Kim Bon, a former NIS black agent. Instead of living a complicated life full of tension, he yearns for a quiet life; however, he gets entangled with the woman next door. He won the Grand Prize at the 2018 MBC Acting Awards by expressing the boredom in repetitious contemporary life without exaggerated expressions.

So Ji Sub is making a new drama comeback with MBC Dr. Lawyer in 4 years. His role is a genius doctor-turned-lawyer specialized in medical litigation. In addition, he will be meeting with the audience through the film Confession and Alien.

Editor Seo Hayne: I like actors as they faithfully lead through their long running-time. I also like idols who accomplish everything on stage within 3 minutes.

Translator Cho EK: I’m a big fan of Korean dramas and movies.