Yoo sheds child actor image with ‘The Emperor’
After I got into Yi’s character, I recovered my confidence as an actor.
Actor Yoo Seung-ho, 23, who took the role of Crown Prince Yi Sun in the recently ended MBC fantasy period drama “The Emperor: Owner of the Mask,” has been one of the few child stars who has grown into a successful actors as an adult.
Although the drama received some criticism for its plot, the Wednesday-Thursday drama, helped by Yoo’s great acting, did well in the ratings, closing with over a 14 percent viewership and maintaining the top place until the last episode.
The drama has been also a springboard for Yoo to completely shed the cute child actor image of “The Way Home,” (2002) where he played a young city boy who learns to appreciate country life while spending summer with his deaf and mute grandmother.
In the drama, Crown Prince Yi, who had to hide his identity by wearing a mask from birth, fights against the organization, Pyeonsoohwe, which controls the country, by manipulating the king through its monopoly on the nation’s water supply and taking over the throne.
Yoo says “The Emperor” has brought back his confidence as an actor.
“After I completed military service, the two films I starred in — “The Magician” and “Seondal: The Man Who Sells the River” — didn’t do well at the box office. I felt responsible as a lead actor for the outcome and for a while I was worried about what I should do next to bring commercial success,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Wednesday. “After The Emperor, I now think about what I should do to hear from others that I have done as well as in this one. I used to feel that I fell short in playing a grownup role, but after I got into Yi’s character, I recovered my confidence as an actor.”
So many young male actors have played crown prince roles and many of them including Park Bo-gum of “Love in the Moonlight” shot to instant stardom with such roles. Through Yi, Yoo wanted to portray what kind of a leader the country should have.
“Yi frequently says ‘for the people’ in this drama. I thought that Korea needs such a leader who listens to the voice of the people,” said the actor. “Before, I paid little attention to politics like many others. After all these recent events in politics, I couldn’t agree more with a quote from the film ‘V for Vendetta,’ which states: ‘Since mankind’s dawn, a handful of oppressors have accepted the responsibility over our lives that we should have accepted for ourselves. By doing so, they took our power.’
“The Emperor” began filming while the country was going through the impeachment of for- mer President Park Geun-hye and its first episode premiered May 10.
“I then asked myself what have I done, and reached the conclusion that I should also deliver a message through my project,” Yoo said.
In many post-army projects, Yoo has taken roles with twisted fates. In his 2005 work “Remember: War of the Son” he played the role of a son who had to prove the innocence of his father, who was wrongfully convicted of murder and awaits execution. In “The Emperor” his father, the King, is murdered by the head of Pyeonsoohwe.
“I found such characters interesting to play. But now I feel the need to expand my acting spectrum. I plan to work on lighter projects such as romantic comedies or melodramas,” he said.
Regarding his past career as a child actor who debuted in the drama “Daddy Fish” in 2000, Yoo said he didn’t like acting. “When I was young, I didn’t like my work. Actually it is rather recently that I truly discovered the fun in acting. Each cut is put together to make a scene, and the scenes are then made into the drama. And I appreciate the fact that I’m taking part in the process and realize more than ever that my acting has great impact on the drama’s outcome and viewers. This development might be how I can become a true actor,” he said.
Unlike many of his colleagues, Yoo doesn’t have any social network service accounts. He doesn’t appear on TV variety shows or have many celebrity friends either.
“When I’m not shooting dramas or films, my personal life isn’t anything special. I don’t leave my house for a week or I just help out my friend on his farm,” said the actor, explaining why his personal life is not revealed on social media. “There’s nothing special enough for me to share on social media and taking selfies and pictures of food makes me cringe.”
Yoo who says he doesn’t want to enjoy “overnight stardom” added, “It is great my work receives strong responses and as a result I can enjoy popularity. But, that is not my purpose in acting. Money or fame is not my priority. I want to become an actor who can continue his career for a long time.”