Woo Do Hwan recently shared insights about his character in Netflix’s Mr. Plankton during an interview held at a café in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on November 13th.
The actor revealed his fresh take on the character Hae Jo, saying, “Of all the roles I’ve played, Hae Jo is the most romantic. Usually, my characters fight to the brink of death, where it’s a matter of ‘you die or I die.’ But this time, it’s a love story on the verge of death.” He added, “It’s been six years since I’ve done a romance drama like this since ‘Tempted.’ While it’s not soft or dreamy, I wanted to portray the romance realistically—like a couple arguing on the street over something trivial. I focused on making their interactions and dialogue feel authentic.”
The show’s premise sparked some controversy before its release, as it follows Hae Jo kidnapping his ex-girlfriend, Jae Mi, who is about to marry into a prestigious family, forcing her to join him on his final journey. Addressing the controversy, Woo said, “When I first read the script, I also thought, ‘Wait, what?’ I wondered how to convey these emotions convincingly.” He explained, “After discussing with the director and writer, we decided Hae Jo acted impulsively because he learned the night before that Jae Mi was going through premature menopause and that he himself had a terminal condition. I also played it as though Hae Jo knew Jae Mi had tried to run away the previous night.”
Elaborating on their complex dynamic, Woo shared, “There’s a line where Hae Jo says, ‘You don’t want to get married—you want to run away.’ That shows how deeply they know each other. So I played the role, thinking, ‘Isn’t this what you want too? Why are you still lying to yourself? What are you going to do when they find out you lied about being pregnant?'”
Released on November 8th, Mr. Plankton is a romantic comedy about Hae Jo (Woo Do Hwan), a man born out of a mistake, and Jae Mi (Lee Yoo Mi), the unluckiest woman in the world, as they embark on an unexpected journey together.
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