 |
| ▲ This photo, provided by Netflix, shows actor Yoo Tae-o. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
 |
| ▲ This photo, provided by Netflix, shows a scene from Netflix original drama series 'Love to Hate You.' (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
 |
| ▲ This photo, provided by Netflix, shows actor Yoo Tae-o. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Feb. 14 (Yonhap) -- South Korean actor Yoo Tae-o, who is known for his roles in “Arthdal Chronicles” and “New Year Blues,” has taken the lead on the now-trending Netflix original rom-com series “Love to Hate You.”
During an interview with Yonhap News Agency that was held at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul on Monday, the actor replied with a smile to the journalist who cautiously mentioned rather negative remarks on how the actor delivered his lines. He said, “I have been catching up on all the feedback, which also pointed out how my lines were not delivered very well and how my acting needed improvements. I believe they are the most honest and rational comments on my acting, which is something to be gratified.”
The drama series sees Yoo as the top star Nam Kang-ho, who returned home after studying abroad for a long time. Yoo meticulously described the emotional ups and downs that one may when falling in love, along with actress Kim Ok-vin. Nevertheless, the character supposedly being from abroad was insufficient to cover up his rather incomplete Korean accents and diction.
The actor said, “When I skim over the feedback on my acting, I realized that about a third of them pointed out my wrong pronunciations,” adding, “I am rather thankful to be receiving such reviews.”
As for the reason why he keeps trying to act in the Korean language, Yoo mentioned the identity crisis he experienced as a teenager who was born and raised as a second-generation immigrant in Germany.
“I was born to a father who worked as a miner and a mother who served as a nurse in Germany, which naturally made me constantly anxious and confused about my identity. Korean is not my first language, but I have the desire to make it my first due to my childhood deficiency,” the 41-year-old actor explained.
Yoo said, “I believe one of my strengths as an actor is my endurance,” explaining, “I wish to have overcome my deficiency in pronunciation in my future works. I will put on more effort based on my endurance, so please keep an eye on me.”
“Love to Hate You” is the first drama series in which the actor has been slated to play the lead in 15 years since he first started acting.
The actor confessed, “At first, I had this thought that I wanted to make viewers laugh with a more outstanding and pleasant appearance since this was my first time playing the lead,” adding, “But then, I analyzed the script and realized that showing reactions to the co-star’s acting was more important than taking actions. So, I just focused on getting in sync with actress Kim Ok-vin.”
Yoo, who burst into laughter several times throughout the interview, said that he has been living his dream recently, with “Love to Hate You” entering the Top 10 series in several countries, including South Korea, Japan, Indonesia, Thailand, and Vietnam. In addition, his American film “Past Lives” was recently invited to take the stage at the Berlin Film Festival.
The 41-year-old said, “It has been my lifetime dream to became an actor who can act in Korea and abroad simultaneously, and now that my dream became real, it is so amazing and I just can’t believe it.”
“It is also quite nerve-wracking but I think it is a positive side of having some burden. If I fall and get hurt, I will just shake it off, get up, and chase after my dream again,” the actor added, showing his strong ambition.
“Love to Hate You,” which was unveiled on Feb. 10, is Netflix’s new rom-com following a war-like romance between a woman who has no trust in men whatsoever and a man who is secretly sexist. Actor Yoo Tae-o and actress Kim Ok-vin took the lead to play these opposites who ironically are attracted to each other.
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Ha eun Lee)
(END)
(C) Yonhap News Agency. All Rights Reserved
