“I had my doubts about playing a high school student in my thirties”: 20th Century Girl’s Byun Woo-seok spills on his experience and more

20th Century Girl’s lead actor Byun Woo-seok, in a recent interview, dished on several aspects of his experience and shared some personal details about his life.

Describing his opinion on transforming into a high school student on screen at his age, the Record of Youth Star said:

“I had my doubts about whether it’d be okay to play a high school student in my thirties, but when I first read the script, I really liked it. I imagined myself in it, and each and every scene was beautiful.”

20th Century Girl is a nostalgic romantic comedy set in 1999. It tells the story of teenage love and friendship. Beong Woo-seok plays the male protagonist Poong Woon-ho, who features opposite Kim Yoo-jung. Both play high schoolers who, over the course of time, develop an intimate bond that transcends the boundaries of friendship.

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“I did feel some pressure because of it”: Byun Woo-Seok on starring opposite Kim Yoo-jung in 20th Century Girl

Kim Yoo-jung, who has been nicknamed the nation's younger sister, is an immensely acclaimed actress in the Korean entertainment industry despite her young age. This made starring opposite her an intimidating yet exciting role for Byun Woo-seok, especially since 20th Century Girl is his debut lead role.

Sharing how he felt about this, the actor revealed that it created some pressure on him but he was excited to be a part of it.

“I couldn’t believe that my co-star would be Kim Yoo Jung, the ‘nation’s younger sister,’ and I did feel some pressure because of it—but another part of me was also extremely excited.”

Byun Woo-seok was all praise for his co-star. He revealed that he was initially intimidated by Kim Yoo-jung as he had only seen her on television and never got the opportunity to interact with her in person. His apprehensions were alleviated when Kim Yoo-jung approached him first and was extremely considerate towards him throughout the shoot.

Byun Woo-seok shared his experience of the shoot and expressed his gratitude towards the production for giving him the much-needed international breakthrough. Due to the immense global success of the movie, the popularity of the actor has surged enormously overnight and continues to grow at a steadfast pace.

Looking back on his struggles in the industry now that he finally has a taste of sweet success, the actor shared:

“In this line of work, there are moments that are difficult. There are times when you even wonder if you’re cut out for this line of work and if you should quit. I want to pat myself on the back for enduring those moments and making it all the way here.”

He continued:

“There were really happy moments, but there were also difficult times. I’m really proud and grateful that I didn’t give up during those hard times and that I got where I am today. Every project that I’ve been a part of up until now has helped me.”

20th Century Girl was released on October 21, and can be streamed on Netflix.