[TF Interview] Ahn Woo-yeon Opens Up About His “Desperate” Performance in ‘Doctor Shin’

He gave a passionate performance as successful game developer Ha Yong-jung, stating, “I want to become an actor who naturally fits into any role.”

Actor Ahn Woo-yeon recently met with reporters at The Fact office in Sangam-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul, for an interview celebrating the conclusion of the TV Chosun Saturday-Sunday drama ‘Doctor Shin’ (written by PB (Im Sung-han), directed by Lee Seung-hoon). Playing the role of Ha Yong-jung, he shared various stories about the project.

‘Doctor Shin’ is a medical thriller drama about a genius doctor challenging the realm of God and a woman who loses her soul as her brain is destroyed overnight. The 16-episode series ended on the 3rd. It garnered attention even before airing by featuring the “brain change” concept, which is rarely handled in dramas, and concluded with a personal best rating of 2.3% (Nielsen Korea, based on nationwide paid households).

Ahn Woo-yeon was also strongly drawn to the unique worldview of the work. He recalled, “The setting of ‘brain change’ itself was fresh. Since technology is developing so rapidly these days, I thought it could be a story of the not-too-distant future.” He added, “Above all, writer Im Sung-han already had the worldview of ‘Doctor Shin’ very clearly established in her mind, so the level of immersion was truly incredible.”

Ha Yong-jung, played by Ahn Woo-yeon, is a successful game developer who possesses a sophisticated look and charisma, as well as warm humanity. However, as the drama progressed, he triggered viewers’ anger by showing an unexpectedly vicious side, such as getting Geum Ba-ra (played by Ju Se-bin) pregnant before marrying Momo (played by Baek Seo-ra), and later displaying jealousy when Geum Ba-ra attempted to marry Shin Ju-shin (played by Jung Yi-chan).

“Since Ha Yong-jung is a role where a certain age needs to be felt, I focused on removing the child-like feel in my usual way of speaking. I even received voice training about three times. I spent all day practicing tones to create a voice that fit the character, and it felt like I had equipped a new weapon.”

Since most of the actors he worked with, including Jung Yi-chan, Baek Seo-ra, and Ju Se-bin, were rookies, it was also Ahn Woo-yeon’s role to lead the atmosphere on set. He recalled, “Rather than trying to teach them because I’m a senior, I just answered when they asked. Since everyone was nervous and awkward at first, I tried to break the ice by joking around first.”

“Everyone was truly kind and diligent. Above all, their greed and passion for acting were amazing. Since they were actors cast by the writer herself after auditions, their skills were truly outstanding. Thanks to that, the chemistry on set was great.”

‘Doctor Shin’ became a hot topic, creating various memes through writer Im Sung-han’s unique style of speech and plot development. Ahn Woo-yeon burst into laughter recalling the filming. He said, “I’m usually not the type to laugh much while filming, but there were times I had NGs because it was just too funny.” He emphasized, “But the amazing thing is that no matter how unique the writer’s script seems, she never misses the character’s emotions. There is a reason for every single line.”

Having debuted in the 2015 web drama ‘Alchemist’, Ahn Woo-yeon has steadily expanded his acting spectrum through various works such as ‘Five Children’, ‘Jealousy Incarnate’, ‘Strong Girl Bong-soon’, ‘Young Lady and Gentleman’, ‘King the Land’, and ‘Idol Eye’. He smiled, saying, “My desire to show something through acting has become more ‘desperate’.”

However, there was burnout during his time running without rest. He confessed, “During the filming of ‘Let’s Eat 3’, I received criticism for my acting for the first time. After that, I gained 15kg in just two weeks. I think I kept eating without even realizing how hard it was for me.”

“People around me even said I was acting a bit strange lately. At the time, my sister was living in Australia, and she told me to visit because she was worried about me. I was going through a period where I really couldn’t sleep, and after meeting my sister for the first time in a while and going to a park, I fell asleep as soon as I sat on a bench. My sister said I slept for two hours, even snoring. I think my heart felt much more at ease after meeting my family and seeing the nature of Australia.”

After passing through those difficult times and steadily walking his path again, Ahn Woo-yeon confirmed new possibilities through ‘Doctor Shin’. He said, “This was almost the first time I took on a role with this much screen time and weight. I think it’s a work that showed a different side of me compared to the Ahn Woo-yeon of the past.”

“My thoughts on acting have deepened significantly. In my next project, I think I’ll analyze and research more fiercely on my own, even if no one tells me to. Since I acted ‘desperately’ in ‘Doctor Shin’, the process itself was so fun. That’s why I’ve developed a desire to be remembered as a truly charming actor by the viewers. My goal is to become an actor who naturally fits any role and possesses diverse faces.”