“More than anything, I wish viewers will find my acting relatable”: Yoo Yeon-seok dishes on his aspirations, career and latest drama

Korean actor Yoo Yeon-seok has collaborated with Harper Bazaar for its upcoming edition. The highlight of the February edition of the renowned lifestyle magazine will be a pictorial of the actor along with an interview in which he candidly discusses his aspirations, career, and more.

Dishing on his latest K-drama The Interest of Love, the Hospital Playlist actor said that the character in the show was different from the usual roles he depicts. He explained that he prefers his characters to be natural and relatable to a varied degree. Moreover, he said that the role of the dashing hero in romantic comedies is not his usual trope:

“More than anything, I wish viewers will find my acting relatable when they watch me. Rather than projects where I’m handsomely dressed up, I prefer projects that give a sense of humanity. Although I’ve tried a lot of roles that were complete opposites of my image, this time, I just wanted to do a good job at something I’m best at.”

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Yoo Yeon-seok reveals that his constant wish is to "act for a long time"

Yoo Yeon-seok has revealed why he chose to do The Interest of Love against his usual preference. According to the actor, what sets this K-drama from the usual rom-com genre shows is its realistic portrayal of romantic relationships. He revealed that the uniqueness of The Interest of Love was "heartbreaking," a fact that piqued his curiosity for the plot:

“I actually had a wish that the last project I did in my 30s would be a romance—a dream I thought was far-fetched. But when I was reviewing and choosing [my next drama], I found it interesting that ‘The Interest Of Love’ depicts a realistic love story. It’s not a love that has a great background narrative or deals with pain and suffering, but it’s so realistic that I found it to be more heartbreaking.”

The Hospital Playlist actor recently celebrated his 20th debut anniversary. Discussing the things in his life that are constant and those that are variable, Yoo Yeon-seok revealed his drive to act and continue to make a mark in society with his shows and movies is something that has not changed in the last two decades. Elaborating, he said:

“The constant is my wish to act for a long time until I’m old, and the variable seems to be every project that I’ve done: all the new characters, new platforms, and new genres that I’ve met. COVID-19 was also a big variable. The market that is now more familiar with OTT platforms rather than movie theaters is also another new variable.

Concluding this discussion, he noted that the love and appreciation he receives keeps him motivated and humbles him to work hard to make them happy.

Yoo Yeon-seok played the role of protagonist Ha Sang-soo in JTBC’s latest drama The Interest of Love.