Edited by Seo Hayne
Translated by Esther Lee
Choi Woo Shik is an actor who has a young and innocent look. Despite being over thirty, his youthful appearance and natural acting contribute to the realistic portrayal of the characters he plays. Choi Woo Shik made his debut in 2011 in MBC’s The Duo as young Gwi Dong (played by Lee Sang Yoon.) The following year, he drew attention when he took the role of eunuch Do Chi San in Rooftop Prince, who survives every day by flattering the crown prince.
Choi Woo Shik became a known actor with the movie Set Me Free (2014). He played the role of a seventeen-year-old boy who flees his home and seeks refuge in a shelter facility. Choi Woo Shik was praised for delicately expressing the emotional struggles of an adolescent boy who was struggling to survive, carrying too heavy of a burden at such a young age. He accepted the role after turning it down twice and eventually overcame his acting slump. Choi Woo Shik won Actor of the Year at the Busan International Film Festival and Best New Actor at the Blue Dragon Film Awards for his performance in Set Me Free.
Choi Woo Shik then starred in Train to Busan (2016) as Min Young Guk, an innocent high school student who finds himself in a disastrous situation, and in Okja (2017) as truck driver Kim, who made a brief appearance but left a lasting impression. Through these two films, he began to gain popularity among foreign fans.
Director Bong Joon Ho recognized Choi Woo Shik’s potential as an actor after seeing him perform as a young struggling man in Set Me Free. As a result, he asked him to join the cast of Okja and Parasite. Choi Woo Shik played an ordinary young man who grew up in a poor but happy family, and with his innocent face, he brings unexpected danger to the family. As Parasite became a global sensation, Choi Woo Shik and his co-actors took home the Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance By an Ensemble.
He is currently starring in SBS’ Our Beloved Summer as Choi Woong, an architectural illustrator who reunites with his ex-girlfriend who he broke up with five years ago. Choi Woo Shik, who is best known for his thriller movies, demonstrates his versatility as he plays both the young and the grown-up Choi Woong in the play. With his compelling interpretation of the character who stands in between the career of his dreams and the love of his life, he is currently receiving great reviews on his new work and his chemistry with his co-star Kim Da Mi.
You’ll be able to see Choi Woo Shik on the big screen on January 5th of next year through The Policeman’s Lineage, which will be his next movie after Parasite. He will play the role of Min Jae, a rookie policeman who secretly monitors Kang Yoon (Cho Jin Woong), the team leader of an investigation team. I look forward to seeing the various faces of Choi Woo Shik as he takes on different characters in the future.
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 Esther Lee: I’ll be providing you with up-to-date, reliable Korean entertainment news. Enjoy!
