Seo Hyun-woo

Seo Hyun-woo (born 20 November 1983) is a South Korean actor who began his career on stage and made his debut in a musical in 2010. In the same year, he won an acting award at The 9th Off Daehakro Festival.

Seo faced a period of obscurity that lasted for five years following his graduation. Seo naturally turned his attention to Daehakro plays and independent films. He starred as the main lead in Hyung Seul-woo's film Allergy (2015) that received the grand prize at the Fukuoka Independent Film Festival. He also starred in Shin Dong-young's short film Hatred, which received an official invitation to the 70th Cannes Film Festival.

He is widely recognized for his portrayal of reporter Kim Moo-jin in the 2020 drama Flower of Evil. In 2022, Seo played the role of Sa Cheol-seong in Park Chan-wook's film Decision to Leave. His performance earned him the New Actor Award at the 21st Director's Cut Awards.

Early life and education Seo was born in Busan on 20 November 1983. He attended elementary and middle school in Tongyeong before moving to Gongju, South Chungcheong Province, to attend , a prestigious boarding school. His alumni include actors Park Jeong-min and Cho Hyun-chul.

In high school, Seo was known for his lively personality and served as both class president and vice president. However, he felt a lack of direction due to the immense academic pressure. This changed at the end of his first year when he saw a school play for the first time, written by his literature teacher. Inspired by the performance, he joined a theater class in his second year, which helped him manage his emotions. Despite his newfound passion for acting, he kept it a secret from his parents and lacked the courage to pursue it professionally.

He enrolled in the English literature department at Kookmin University, believing that excelling in English was important. He soon felt that this path was not for him, as many of his classmates had more experience living in English-speaking countries. Feeling lost and facing challenges, he took a hiatus after his first year. He worked as a bartender in Daehak-ro, where he encountered the local theater scene, which reignited his desire to become an actor. "Every night, theater people from Daehak-ro came to the bar where I worked. They were like uncle figures, but they engaged in serious discussions every night. They recited lines from Greek tragedies like Sophocles and Aeschylus, and they pondered if Hamlet felt this way or if Othello's anger was like this. I secretly observed them every night. I'm not sure if this expression is appropriate, but it was like 'adults playing make-believe.' It was cool. And I was curious about what made them so obsessed. It was from this time that I made up my mind to become a real actor." He then appeared in the Korean production of Kiss Me, Kate, a musical based on William Shakespeare's The Taming of the Shrew. From July 9 to August 14, 2010, he played the character Ralph at the National Theater Haeoreum Theater.

In 2011, Seo began his on-screen acting career with a role in the film White: The Melody of the Curse (2011). That same year, he took on a darker role as Malcolm in Lee Young-seok's production of Shakespeare's Macbeth. This production was staged by the troupe Elephant Manbo at the Jeongmiso installation theater as part of a performance commemorating the troupe's 25th anniversary and the 2011 Guerrilla Theater Overseas Director Special Exhibition.

In March 2012, Seo appeared in the three-person play Hamlet, directed by Seong Cheon-mo. In this unique adaptation, he played Campbell, while Ryu Ji-wan played Hamlet and Jeong Soo-young portrayed five different characters, including Ophelia and Queen Gertrude. The play ran at the Seoul Arts Center's Jayu Theater until May 6. Seo portrayed Doo-su, a detective in Fatal Intuition. Doo-su suspects Jang-woo (played by Joo Won), of being a murderer. Through his performance, Seo effectively depicted a seasoned character who skillfully balances with the harsh realities of the situation. Seo, being a native of Busan, played a crucial role in assisting Joo Won with his acting in the movie. Joo Won had to deliver all his lines in the Gyeongsang dialect, and for two months, he received private tutoring from Seo. Furthermore, at the director's request, Seo created personalized textbook containing all of Joo Won's lines, which he personally recorded.

In 2015, he starred in the film Byeong-gu (Allergy). In August 2016, Byeong-gu became the first foreign film to receive the grand prize at the 2016 Fukuoka Independent Film Festival. Also 2015, Seo auditioned for the Korean revival of Sam Shepard's Two-hander play True West, directed by Oh Man-seok and produced by Aligator Theater Company. He was cast in the role of Lee, alternating with Jeon Seok-ho, Kim Jun-won, and Lee Dae-il. They performed opposite Kim Seon-ho, Lee Hyun-wook, and Moon Sung-il, who shared the role of Austin. The play, which ran from August 13 to November 1 at the University Road A Art Hall, ranked first in theater ticket sales on Interpark when tickets were released.

In 2016, Seo made a special appearance in the drama The Good Wife as Baek Min-hyuk, a cold-blooded prosecutor known as the "Knife Holder." He appeared in episodes 7 and 8, broadcast on July 29 and July 30, respectively, and received favorable reviews for his performance. His character confronts Yoon Kye-sang's character while searching for the truth about his lover, who was a victim in a case. To win the trial, he demonstrates his cool-headedness by collecting GPS data from a car's navigator after the evidence inside the vehicle was nullified due to illegal handling.

That same year, Seo did two back-to-back plays with the Aligator Theater Company. He reprised his role as Lee in the Korean encore performance of Sam Shepard's play True West Return. He then appeared in the 2016 revival of Patrick Marber's play Closer, directed by Roh Deok. He was triple-cast as Larry, sharing the role with Bae Seong-woo and Kim Jun-won, and acted opposite actors including Kim Seon-ho, Park Eun-seok, Lee Dong-ha, Kim So-jin, Song Yu-hyeon, Lee Ji-hye, and Park So-dam.

In November 2016, Seo's short films Byeonggu, Jackboy, 6D Theater, and Men in the Basement were introduced on the opening day of the 10th Gyeongnam Independent Film Festival. The festival, hosted by the Gyeongnam Film Association,was held from November 18 to 20 at Lotte Cinema Changwon and Cine Art 'Rhizome'.

In 2017, Seo appeared in a diverse range of five films, including three commercial films: 1987: When the Day Comes, Heart Blackened, and A Taxi Driver. He also acted in the independent film Coffee Noir: Black Brown and the short film Hatred (Baekcheon), in which he had the lead role. He also appeared in Bring Me Home. That same year, Seo played In Dong-gu in the OCN drama series The Lies Within, directed by Lee Yoon-jung. In the series, his character is the head of the strategic planning office for JQ Group and a loyal subordinate to Chairman Jeong Young-moon , willing to commit murder for him. While filming an action scene for the series, Seo sustained an injury and focused on rehabilitation at the end of the year. He also served as the emcee for the closing ceremony of the Seoul Independent Film Festival 2019.

That same year, Seo had notable roles in two films. In Son Jae-gon's Secret Zoo, he played Secretary Oh. He also strengthened his public profile with a role in The Man Standing Next, portraying Chun Doo-hyuk, a character based on Chun Doo-hwan, the former Director of the KCIA and Chief of the Defense Security Command who later became South Korea's fifth president. To embody the role, Seo shaved his head. His performance earned him a nomination for New Male Actor of the Year in the film category at the Director's Cut Awards.

Seo also landed his first lead role in the tvN drama Flower of Evil, a series written by Yoo Jeong-hee, directed by Kim Cheol-gyu, and produced by Studio Dragon and Monster Union. He played Kim Moo-jin, a reporter who is described as carefree, self-centered, and cunning. His character's life becomes complicated when he encounters Do Hyun-soo (Lee Joon-gi), someone from his past who had caused him trauma. Kim Moo-jin also has a romantic relationship with Do Hyun-soo's older sister, Do Hae-soo (Jang Hee-jin). "It was my first lead role, so I felt pressured, but I was able to take on the role in an interesting way because it changes like a chameleon depending on the situation. I was really moved when I first started receiving calls after auditioning non-stop. I had really mixed emotions. It's my first time doing a melodrama, and it's my first time acting with someone my age. Even in my 20s, I mainly played roles older than my age, such as teacher rather than student, but everything was new to me. I got to discover new sides of myself while playing roles of people my age." In 2021, Seo participated in Exotic Garden, a live dubbing performance directed by Jeon Gye-soo that combines film with musical theater. The show re-created Love with an Alien, Korea's first color film, which had been restored after being found in a Hong Kong warehouse in 2013, but was missing its sound. Using a script with recorded lines, the performance featured actors doing on-site dubbing and Foley artists creating sound effects. Alongside Seo, the show features musical actors such as Park Si-won, Park Hyeong-gyu, Lee Su-an, and Son Hyun-jung. The show was held at the Seoul Arts Center CJ Towol Theater from April 29 to May 2. It then toured to the Busan Cinema Center Haneul Theater on May 8, the Bupyeong Arts Center Haenuri Theater from July 9 to 10, and the Gimpo Art Hall from October 22 to 24. In September 2021, while participating in this project, Seo signed an exclusive contract with Just Entertainment.

In 2022, Seo appeared in Park Chan-wook's film Decision to Leave. The film was selected to compete for the Palme d'Or at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where Park Chan-wook won Best Director. The film was released theatrically in South Korea on June 29, 2022. Seo played Sa Cheol-seong, a character who creates conflict, particularly with Seorae (portrayed by Tang Wei). Seo secured the role after an audition, despite having lost a significant amount of weight at the time. The director, while impressed with his acting, was concerned about his lack of an intimidating physical presence for the character. In order to collaborate with the director, Seo dedicated himself to gaining weight for the role. For his portrayal, he was honored with the New Male Actor of the Year award in the film category at the 21st Director's Cut Awards.

Seo also starred in the film Thunderbird, directed by Lee Jae-won from the Korean Film Academy. The film follows his character, Tae-gyun, a taxi driver searching for his brother's pawned car. The film had its world premiere at the 24th Far East Film Festival on April 27, 2022, and was released theatrically on September 21, 2022, in South Korea. It was also selected at 26th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival in 'Korean Fantastic: Features', where it won two awardsand Seo was honored with the Korean Fantastic Actor Award.

A week later, on September 28, 2022, Seo's film Honest Candidate 2 was released. He played the role of Cho Tae-joo. Seo later shared that after the release of his 2020 film The Man Standing Next, Seo watched the first Honest Candidate film and developed an interest in trying the comedy genre. When director Jang Yu-jeong later sent him the script for the sequel, he was initially excited. However, he found the character of Cho Tae-joo challenging, as it was a new role in an already established movie. Concerned about how to naturally integrate the character without disrupting the existing dynamics, he began researching ways to blend in with the original cast members. His casting was officially confirmed on August 6, with principal photography having already begun on July 31, 2021, and wrapping up on October 31.

In November, Seo appeared in the tvN drama Behind Every Star, a Korean adaptation of the French TV series Call My Agent!.He starred alongside Lee Seo-jin, Kwak Sun-young, and Joo Hyun-young, playing Kim Jung-don, a team leader at Method Entertainment, a good manager having a good personality. It premiered on tvN on November 7, 2022, and aired every Monday and Tuesday at 22:30 (KST) for 12 episodes. It is available for streaming on Netflix in selected regions.

In 2024, Seo had three series released on Disney+. He began the year in the series A Shop for Killers, aired from January 17 to February 7. He portrayed Lee Seong-jo, a cold-blooded sniper who spoke with a Jeolla-do dialect. To prepare for the role, which involved close-quarters combat with guns and an axe, he attended action school for three months. His second series, Uncle Samsik, premiered on May 15 and ran until June 19. The show, set in the 1960s, is actor Song Kang-ho's first drama series. Seo played Jung Han-min, an elite soldier from the Military Academy dedicated to military reform. On September 11, Seo starred in the crime comedy Seoul Busters. He played Jeong Jeong-hwan, a detective and former national shooting team member who is also a father of four seeking a promotion.

Filmography Film

Feature Film

Short Film

Television series

Stage Hosting +Hosting appearances Year Title Notes 2018 Closing ceremony of 44th Seoul Independent Film Festivalwith Kim Hye-na 2019 Closing ceremony of 45th Seoul Independent Film Festivalwith Kim Sae-byeok 2020 Closing ceremony of 46th Seoul Independent Film Festivalwith Lee Sang-hee 2021 Closing ceremony of 47th Seoul Independent Film Festival 2022 Closing ceremony of 48th Seoul Independent Film Festival with Gong Min-jeung 2023 Closing ceremony of 49th Seoul Independent Film Festival Opening Ceremony of 27th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival with Park Ha-sun

Musical + Musical play performances of Seo Hyun-woo Year Title Role Venue Date English Korean2010 The Organ of My Heart 내 마음의 풍금 Son Yeong-gam Seoul Arts Center CJ Towol Theater January 16 to February 21 2021 Live Dubbing Show: Exotic Garden 라이브 더빙쇼: 이국정원 (異國情鴛) Cheol-go Seoul Arts Center April 29 to May 2 Busan Cinema Center Haneul Theater May 8

Theater

Awards and nominations