Yoo Seung-mok, who played Cha Moo-jin in the ENA drama ‘Scarecrow’. Photo SM C&C

Among the countless actors in South Korea, many never once receive the label ‘prime’. In that sense, the present for actor Yoo Seung-mok (57) feels all the more overwhelming. This attention was earned not by luck or chance, but by standing up on his own strength. As it was also his first time gathering media for interviews, he looked a bit nervous.

Employees of his agency SM C&C decorated the interview venue with photos that recalled key moments from his performances and put his name up in large letters to commemorate his first interview. With the JTBC series ‘The Story of Manager Kim Who Owns a Home in Seoul and Works at a Large Company’ (hereafter Manager Kim) that aired last year, he recently won the Baeksang Arts Awards Best Supporting Actor in the TV category, and he also appeared on tvN ‘You Quiz on the Block’. His latest ENA title ‘Scarecrow’ received praise for both its craftsmanship and its popularity.

Yoo Seung-mok, who played Cha Moo-jin in the ENA drama ‘Scarecrow’. Photo SM C&C

“These days I am simply very grateful. Many people watched ‘Scarecrow’ and liked it. My family is also happy. When my daughters heard I was nominated for Baeksang and that an invitation had come from ‘You Quiz’, they went, ‘Is that for real? What the f***?’ and were delighted. When I walk my dog along the street, I used to hear ‘I enjoy your work’, but these days I receive congratulations.”

In ‘Manager Kim’, the executive Baek Jung-tae he played was adept at office politics and calculating, yet showed a multilayered side as he wrestled, on a human level, with the personnel issue concerning Manager Kim (Ryu Seung-ryong). In ‘Scarecrow’, he was a classic villain. He portrayed the politician Cha Moo-jin, who even pressures the detective investigating the case out of fear that his daughter, born out of wedlock, might become a stumbling block to his ambition. Together with Cha Si-young (Lee Hee-jun), who has inherited his DNA, he drives the tragedy of the drama.

A scene featuring Yoo Seung-mok, who plays Cha Moo-jin, in the ENA drama ‘Scarecrow’. Photo KT Studio Genie

“I am already doing a fifth project with Director Park Jun-woo. Even ‘Crash 2’, which I am filming now, is Director Park's work. I believe he first suggested we work together around ‘Mary Kills People’. Whether or not I had read the scripts, I had trust in the director's meticulous storytelling and tension, so I decided to do it.”

The Hwaseong serial murders, whose real culprit was later identified as Lee Chun-jae, were a notorious case in which a total of 10 victims lost their lives from 1986 to 1991. Until 2019 it remained an unsolved case with no arrest of the real culprit. Director Bong Joon-ho's film ‘Memories of Murder’, which used this case as material, became the template for the Korean thriller. Yoo Seung-mok also appeared in Bong's film at the time, playing Park the reporter, who shows up early and harasses Detective Park Doo-man (Song Kang-ho).

A scene featuring Yoo Seung-mok, who plays Cha Moo-jin, in the ENA drama ‘Scarecrow’. Photo KT Studio Genie

“In ‘Memories of Murder’, the line ‘I feel relieved now that Reporter Park is gone’ was an ad lib added by elder Song Kang-ho. Thanks to that, many people were able to remember me. The film then focused on who the real culprit was, but this project had to be different because it takes place after the culprit was caught. It was a work that carried the hope that viewers would feel empathy together for those who struggled at the time.”

Director Park Jun-woo, a former producer on SBS ‘Unanswered Questions’, heightened authenticity with vast data and meticulous verification regarding the case. Yoo also strove, as the villain he played this time, to ratchet up the tension. He was deeply moved watching the acting of Lee Hee-jun as his son and Park Hae-soo as Detective Kang Tae-ju, and the efforts of many supporting actors and staff. After his mid-series exit, he watched the finale and texted Lee Hee-jun and Park Hae-soo. He laughed, saying that because the broadcast was beginning, his message to Kwak Sun-young went late and he is looking for the next chance.

Image of the interview venue decorated by his agency staff to celebrate his first interview schedule. Photo by reporter Ha Kyung-heon

“I think I have been fortunate. Of course, even if I had not received the recent award, I would not have lived carelessly, but to me it felt like it gave me courage and told me to keep doing well. It also felt like applause for having acted steadily all this time. For now, many people are speaking to me and giving me attention, but I am sure it will become quieter after a while.”

In person, Yoo Seung-mok was, as on ‘You Quiz’, thoughtful and delicate in temperament. On ‘Manager Kim’, he was moved when Ryu Seung-ryong gathered their projects together for him in a photo album, and he fretted over a text he had not sent to Kwak Sun-young. With such a disposition, he needed time to steel himself when playing villains; before performing his first villain role in the film ‘Black House’, he even climbed the hill behind his home and swung a wooden practice sword.

Yoo Seung-mok, who played Cha Moo-jin in the ENA drama ‘Scarecrow’. Photo SM C&C

“Because I have played many villains, I often hear even from senior actors, ‘I did not know this actor was this kind of person’. I also played good characters in ‘Level 7 Civil Servant’ and‘ Potato Research Institute’. That does not mean I can separately choose only the roles I want. I only do the roles I am given. If I may be a little ambitious, I want to deliver performances that move viewers and audiences and touch their emotions.”

Since he began acting in 1990, for 36 years he did nothing more than pray each day to become an actor who can act well. That modest wish, together with daily effort, allowed the seemingly ordinary Yoo Seung-mok to become an extraordinary actor. The extraordinary made by the ordinary. That small thing made the Yoo Seung-mok of today.