We're Hooked On "The King: Eternal Monarch" Second Male Lead Woo Do-Hwan, And We're Sure You'd Be Too!
We're falling in love with "The King: Eternal Monarch" second male lead, and we're happy to know that we'll get to appreciate his characters Jo Yeong and Jo Eun-seop more in the upcoming episodes!
The King: Eternal Monarch has a good cast. From the OG oppa Lee Min-ho to the very, very likable actress Kim Go-eun, the K-Drama has introduced viewers to three other talented leads: Woo Do-hwan, Jung Eun-chae, and Kim Kyung-nam. Although they haven't filmed a scene altogether (perhaps, not yet), we got the chance to see them in one frame, thanks to an interview/video challenge they did with The Swoon, wherein each of them shared what they think of their co-stars.
With the series centered on the idea of two parallel universes, Kingdom of Corea and Republic of Korea, some actors are presented with the challenge of playing two roles—and they're displaying range and flexibility with each shift.
Lee Gon (Lee Min-ho) is the king of the Kingdom of Corea. He crosses the border to a parallel universe and meets a woman named Jung Tae-eul (Kim Go-eun) who he thinks is the savior who helped him during a tragic event in his childhood.
Sure, we can't take our eyes off the handsome and charming Lee Min-ho (especially in that polished white naval uniform!), but his best friend, Woo Do-hwan as Jo Young, Kingdom of Corea's captain of the Royal Guard, is catching our attention, too! Jo Yeong is a professional, stern, and dependable bodyguard (who doesn't smile but we think it's cute), and he's a loyal and genuinely caring friend to Lee Gon as well.
And while we haven't really seen much of his Republic of Korea counterpart, policeman Jo Eun-seop, just yet, the quirkiness of this character makes us want to get to know him more. Jo Eun-seop is such a goofball, and his carefree personality lends an endearing playfulness to the scenes.
He may only be the second male lead here, but he's also leading man material—from his looks and appeal to his award-winning talent in acting—and he's got a number of projects to prove that.
Find out more about Woo Do-hwan in the gallery below:
Get To Know Woo Do-Hwan
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"The King: Eternal Monarch" cast member Woo Do-hwan was born on July 12, 1992 in Gyeonggi, South Korea. That makes him 27 years old.
Photo Credit: Netflix
His zodiac sign is Cancer. A cardinal water sign, those under this sign, according to Allure, are "highly intuitive, and their psychic abilities manifest in tangible spaces: for instance, cancers can effortlessly pick up the energies of a room."
He graduated from Dankook University, where he majored in performance and film. Other Korean stars who also attended this university include Ha Ji-won, Jang Hyuk, Ji Chang-wook, Park Bo-young, and Rain.
Photo Credit: Netflix
He started his acting career in 2011. He is under KeyEast management agency, which also handles the careers of Ju Ji-hoon, Jung Ryeo-won, and Moon Ga-young.
His first TV shows are "You're Here, You're Here, You're Really Here," "Shut Up Flower Boy Band," "Dramaworld," and "Sweet Stranger and Me." But it was only in 2017 when he really made an impact in the K-Drama scene via the OCN series "Save Me" and KBS2 drama "Mad Dog."
In the mystery-thriller "Save Me," he's part of a young group of friends who, in their quest to uncover the truth behind the cult that rules their town, discover controversial corruption issues along the way. For his role here, Woo Do-hwan earned a Best New Actor (TV) nomination at the 54th Baeksang Arts Awards.
In "Mad Dog," Woo Do-hwan's character is Kim Min-joon, a genius former swindler who joins a team of detectives to find out the truth behind his brother's death. For his amazing performance here, he was recognized as the Best New Actor at the 31st KBS Drama Awards. Apart from that, he was also nominated as the Best New Actor at the 6th APAN Star Awards and 2nd The Seoul Awards.
In the 2018 K-Drama "Tempted," he took on the role of wealthy heir Kwon Shi-yun who starts to seduce college student Eun Tae-hee (Park Soo-young) after a bet with his friends. Things become complicated, however, when he realizes he's already in love with her. Proving his acting chops further is the Excellence Award he received from MBC Drama Awards for his noteworthy portrayal in this series. Because the show was well received, Woo Do-hwan also became one of the most talked about actors at the time.
In the 2019 K-Drama "My Country: The New Age," we get to see him showcase his versatility through a period piece set in between the Goryeo and Joseon eras. His role here is an ambitious military officer who happens to be the illegitimate son of a high-ranking official.
His ability to deliver a range of emotions was also noticed via the films he's starred in. His dossier so far includes four movies (two in 2016 and two in 2019).
In the 2016 film "Master," he took on a supporting role but it was impressive enough to earn a Best New Actor (Film) nomination at the 53rd Baeksang Arts Awards which is considered the "Oscars of Korea."
The 2019 movie "The Divine Fury" casts him as Ji Shin, a mysterious figure who has the ability to see others’ weaknesses and uses them to his advantage. Here, he got to work with actors Park Seo-joon and Ahn Sung-ki. Woo Do-hwan and Park Seo-joon, it seems, became really good friends after this film. PSJ even sent this "The King: Eternal Monarch" actor a food truck to congratulate him on his show.
Sharing his thoughts about Park Seo-joon, Woo Do-hwan says, "Park Seo Joon is very mellow. I called him as I got worried for the [movie’s] release. Rather than not being afraid, he has a strong sense of composure. He always takes care of me well."
When asked about the future projects he wishes to do, he told Soompi, "I like melodramas. I want to do a film about love... “Before, I received offers for innocent melodramas, but because of my image, I get offers for passionate melodramas these days... I want to try [acting] at least once in a film about the love [of people] in their 20s, which I can show at my age. I surely feel that love in your 30s will be different." He cites "About Time" as his favorite film.
Now, for the part we're sure you're curious about, "What's his ideal girl?" He told Soompi that it'd be a woman he can communicate with well. He said, "My ideal type is ‘a woman I miss’ rather than ‘a woman I want to hang out with.’ Of course it’s nice to watch movies, eat, and drink coffee together, but it’s important when, how much, and for how many hours I miss her for. I think I use that as a criteria to determine how much I like her, love her, and think of her."
In a July 2019 interview with SpoTV News for the promo of the movie "The Divine Fury," Woo Do-hwan mentioned that it's been a long time since he dated because he's been very busy with work. He said, "I always want to date, and if I were to date now, I would compromise between love and work rather than choosing just one." Now, that's totally our type!
See more of Woo Do-hwan in the upcoming episodes of "The King: Eternal Monarch" every Friday and Saturday at 10:30pm SGT. Available on Netflix.
Photos courtesy of Netflix | Gallery images from @wdohwan
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