On the morning of the 11th, an interview was held with Ji Chang Wook, the lead actor of the Disney+ original drama The Manipulated, at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
The Manipulated is an action drama about Tae Jung (played by Ji Chang Wook), who lived an ordinary life but one day is wrongfully caught up in a heinous crime and imprisoned, only to discover that everything was orchestrated by Yo Han (played by EXO‘s D.O., also known as Do Kyung Soo), prompting him to seek revenge.
When asked about D.O. taking on the role of the ultimate antagonist, An Yo Han, Ji Chang Wook immediately answered, “I was thrilled.” He said, “When I first heard that Kyung Soo was going to play Yo Han, I thought he had a charm that would fit the character perfectly, and I had high expectations that Kyung Soo would bring a very unique Yo Han to life.”
He continued, “Honestly, I wanted to do many scenes with Kyung Soo. It’s quite unfortunate that we had so few scenes together and did many separate shoots. For example, in the motorcycle escape scene where Yo Han shoots his gun, I couldn’t see Yo Han’s expression, nor could he see mine since those shots were filmed separately. I wanted to act face-to-face more, so that was disappointing, but I was pleased when I watched the final cut.” He added, “The two characters were clearly contrasted in their settings, spaces, and costumes. I actually watched the edited footage frequently and imagined how Yo Han was being filmed.”
Regarding D.O.’s particular “charm,” Ji Chang Wook said,
First of all, he plays a villain. Sometimes, his face reveals both innocence and madness. Seeing that expressed through Yo Han was interesting. Even without labeling him as a villain, I thought it would result in a distinct character. Viewers could have high expectations. From start to finish, the most important thing in this work was how scary Yo Han should appear when people look at him. We paid a lot of attention to how mysterious and terrifying he should be from Tae Jung’s perspective. In that regard, Kyung Soo’s unique presence makes Yo Han mysterious and allows for a dramatic portrayal.
– Ji Chang Wook
Speaking about Tae Jung’s perspective on Yo Han, Ji Chang Wook said, “Everything is infuriating, and it’s frustrating. It’s so aggravating — imagine if it were your own situation. And in front of that, he feels so powerless. He can’t do anything, and no one listens to him. More than anger, I think what was scary was the fear and helplessness I felt within myself.”
