“I was afraid of being forgotten. Being evaluated is an actor’s fate. Facing anxiety is unavoidable.”
Actor Ji Chang-wook, now in his 17th year since debut, shared these thoughts candidly as he continues to run more passionately than ever.
On December 11, Ji Chang-wook met with reporters at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. Beyond discussing the Disney+ original series The Manipulated, he spoke at length about acting, anxiety, responsibility, and the passage of time.
The Manipulated is an action drama that follows Tae-jung, portrayed by Ji Chang-wook, an ordinary man whose life is shattered after he is falsely accused of a brutal crime and sent to prison. As he discovers that everything was orchestrated by Yo-han, played by Do Kyung-soo, Tae-jung begins his path toward revenge.
In the series, Ji Chang-wook takes on the role of Tae-jung, a man whose life has been torn apart. By portraying the complex and multifaceted emotions of a wrongfully accused character with striking realism, he once again delivers what many consider a career-defining performance.
Ji Chang-wook said, “About ten years ago, I heard rumors that Fabricated City might be turned into a series. I thought it might actually suit this stage of my life better, and then the offer came. The script was so engaging that I wanted to do it right away. I felt a strong desire to do better, and I was curious about how I might appear now within the same universe compared to ten years ago.”
He continued, “When I first read the script, I couldn’t completely erase the character Kwon Yoo from Fabricated City. But the more I read, the more I realized that the story and the characters were entirely different. At that point, Kwon Yoo no longer came to mind. All that remained was the desire to do better than before.”
Ji Chang-wook explained, “Kwon Yoo and Park Tae-jung are fundamentally different characters from the very beginning. Kwon Yoo is a former athlete who becomes unemployed and drifts through life, while Tae-jung is an ordinary person living a sincere, hardworking life. When portraying Tae-jung, I started with the mindset of representing an average person. The challenge was how to make audiences emotionally connect with someone who is wronged by powerful forces and falls all the way to rock bottom.”
The Manipulated features numerous intense, almost comic-book-like action sequences. Ji Chang-wook performed several high-difficulty scenes throughout the production.
“Action scenes are always sensitive and demanding,” he said. “There has never been a time when they weren’t difficult. The prison scenes, in particular, were extremely tough. They were emotionally exhausting, and with all the scenes involving being beaten and thrown around, they were physically challenging as well.”
He added, “There have been many stories where powerless characters awaken while in prison. I kept thinking about how to make something familiar feel more compelling. That was another major challenge for me.”
Ji Chang-wook also recalled the physical toll of filming. “I didn’t intentionally try to lose weight, but while shooting the prison scenes, the weight just came off naturally. We spent five days filming a single fight scene in the prison infirmary involving Yeo Deok-soo’s group, played by Yang Dong-geun. The exhausted and worn-down look came through naturally, which actually worked in our favor.”
He spoke fondly of his co-stars as well. “When I watched Yang Dong-geun behind the monitor, his eyes were so intense that I sometimes wondered if they were even human,” he said. “As for Eum Moon-suk, we’re very close in real life. Working with him was simply fun. We were always laughing on set.”
The intense confrontation between Ji Chang-wook and Do Kyung-soo drew attention even before the series premiered.
“I was really excited when I heard I would be working with Do Kyung-soo,” he said. “I thought it would be a lot of fun, but we didn’t actually have many scenes together, which was a bit disappointing. Still, Kyung-soo portrayed Yo-han so powerfully that the synergy was undeniable.”
He continued, “Watching Do Kyung-soo’s portrayal of Yo-han is one of the key viewing points of The Manipulated. In some ways, Yo-han may be just as important as Tae-jung, or even more so. The success of the series depends on how frightening and mysterious that character feels.”
Ji Chang-wook laughed as he recalled one particular moment. “There were times when Kyung-soo genuinely scared me. In the final scene where he swings the knife, his eyes looked completely different. I honestly thought, ‘What if he actually hits me?’”
Comparing Fabricated City from ten years ago with The Manipulated today, Ji Chang-wook said it was difficult to determine which performance was better.
“If you ask which one is better, I honestly don’t know,” he said. “Sometimes the earlier work feels better to me. There was a freshness that came with youth, even though it was clumsy. Technically, I may be better now, but I don’t think the two works can be easily compared.”
Looking at his recent filmography, the pace of his work is striking. Since 2020, Ji Chang-wook has either released or is preparing to release around 16 projects.
Currently awaiting release are Netflix’s Scandal (tentative), the JTBC drama Human X Gumiho (tentative), the Disney+ Korea–Japan co-production Merry Berry Love, and the film Colony.
“These days, I try to do as much of what I want as possible,” he said. “I want to express more, and I want to try more diverse things. I think I have more colors to show now than when I was younger. This may be the most passionate period of my life. Even though I’ve had almost no personal time, I still enjoy working and talking with people.”
He reflected on his work ethic. “When I think about it, I really haven’t rested much. I started with independent films and theater, then did morning dramas, weekend dramas, daily dramas, and even a 51-episode historical series. I think it’s simply my personality. I like working.”
He added, “Even though I turn 40 next year, I’m proud that I never let go of acting. When I look back on my life, I realize I’ve given up on far more things than I’ve held onto. But acting was never one of them. I want to continue challenging myself.”
As a lead actor, responsibility and pressure are unavoidable.
“It’s my job,” he said. “I work and get paid, so responsibility naturally follows. That can make me sensitive and stressed at times. Sometimes there are conflicts and struggles during production. Rather than thinking about representing Korea or representing actors as a whole, I just want to make work that I’m not ashamed of. When I focus too much on commercial success, I find it harder to perform. I try to communicate as much as possible with the director to create something I can stand behind.”
As he approaches 40, Ji Chang-wook spoke openly about anxiety and competition.
“Facing anxiety is unavoidable,” he said. “What matters is how you deal with it. I was anxious even when I was younger. I was afraid of work disappearing, of being forgotten, of receiving negative evaluations. That’s something actors always live with. You do your best, but you can’t eliminate that anxiety. It’s an actor’s fate.”
He added with a smile, “But I actually feel that the range of roles I can take on has widened compared to before. Someday it may narrow again, but when that happens, I’ll do my best within that space. All senior actors went through the same thing. It’s something everyone experiences, so I don’t worry too much.”
Ji Chang-wook also briefly mentioned his upcoming projects.
“Colony was my first time working on a zombie story, and it was a lot of fun,” he said. “On the set of Scandal, director Jung Ji-woo really put me through it. Personally, it’s a project I’m very curious about. I wonder how he shaped me as an actor.”
When asked whether he would consider a second season of The Manipulated, Ji Chang-wook smiled.
“I’d be grateful,” he said. “That would mean the series was well received. But honestly, I think I’d have to think carefully about it. It was extremely tough. To be honest, I’d like to avoid action projects for a while.”
Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press
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