[INTERVIEW] 5 things you should know about Byeon Woo-seok, rising star from 'Record of Youth' (2024)

Byeon Woo-seok starred in the romance series "Record of Youth." Courtesy of VARO Entertainment

By Lee Gyu-lee

It didn't take long for "Record of Youth" to become the talk of the town with its deliberately paced, riveting storyline and performances of heartthrob actors. The series ended on a pleasant note, scoring an 8.7 viewership rating with its final episode.

The story revolved around three millennials ― aspiring actors and childhood friends Hye-jun (Park Bo-gum) and Hae-hyo (Byeon Woo-seok), and makeup artist Jeong-ha (Park So-dam) ― struggling to pursue their dreams, love and family relationships.

The heartwarming series sent out hopeful messages ― that there can be a new beginning in life ― to those who are living through the trial and error of youth.

And this was what "Record of Youth" meant to Byeon, a star born through the show.

"This series set a new start in my acting career," Byeon told The Korea Times during an interview in southern Seoul last week.

Scenes from "Record of Youth"/ Courtesy of tvN

But despite his growing popularity, little is known about the star. So The Times organized five facts about the actor based on the interview:

His real life actually resembles Park's character ― Hae-joon

Just like his character Hae-hyo, Byeon debuted as a model before he began acting with his first minor role in the 2016 TV drama "Dear My Friends." Since then, he has starred in several TV series, including tvN's romantic comedy "Flower Crew: Joseon Marriage Agency."

The actor said he saw himself more as Hye-jun than as his character. "When I first read the script, I related to Hye-jun more," he said. "As Hae-hyo has such an extraordinary background, I couldn't fully see myself in the character at first."

Hae-hyo comes from an affluent family with a helicopter mom Yi-young (Shin Ae-ra), who deeply involves herself in his acting career. Whereas Hye-jun juggles part-time jobs and auditioning for roles while dealing with his dad and brother who are skeptical of his showbiz dreams.

Byeon said his situations were more like Hye-jun's. "My parents weren't really happy with me pursuing modeling, although they have supported me since I started acting," he said. "I too tried out and failed countless auditions."

Byeon and Park Bo-gum, who plays a childhood friend in the series. Courtesy of tvN

But he came to find himself having things in common with the character, as both are determined to gain a foothold as an actor against the struggles. "I came to understand his determination and passion to make his own success, despite his mother's interference," Byeon said. His favorite feedback for "Record of Youth" is about the three musketeers

Byeon, Park, and Kwon Soo-hyun show great chemistry as friends who grew up in the same neighborhood. Byeon said the three tried hard to bring out the chemistry and their efforts paid off when he saw positive feedback on the trio.

"My favorite feedback was that we looked like real besties," Byeon said. "I was worried at first because we have to look close from the beginning. So we tried to meet up as much as we could to hang out and read scripts together before starting shooting."

Referring to Park as a considerate friend, Byeon said he had learned a lot from the co-star. "I've heard nice things about him before and to no one's surprise, he was so nice, compassionate and had a keen philosophy in terms of acting," he said.

Instagram followers double since "Record of Youth"

Byeon noted that his Instagram followers increased from about 20,000 to 40,000 after the series started to air. And thanks to Netflix, which made it available in over 190 countries, the actor caught the eye of global audiences.

"I do feel that international fans are growing, thanks to this piece that allowed me to work with such a great director, writer and co-stars," he said, adding he now sees many comments in different languages on his Instagram.

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When he was searching for his passion, he came across acting. "It wasn't that I was inspired by a film or a TV series to become an actor," Byeon said. "I started to wonder what I really wanted to do with a great passion, which turned out to be acting."

And as he built his acting career, he came to enjoy the job more and became ambitious. He showed strong hopes to build a wide repertoire ― ranging from sci-fi and thriller genres to heartfelt dramas and rom-coms.

"I want to work on diverse roles in different genres, such as a psychopathic character… or fantasy characters," he said, adding he wants to live a fantasy or fictional life through them. "But I also want to do rom-com or 'healing' genre works that would give comfort to audiences to help get them through tough times like this (pandemic)."

The actor is filming his first movie, "Soul Mate." Courtesy of VARO Entertainment

His next project will be his silver screen debut film "Soul Mate" (tentative title)

Soon after "Record of Youth" shooting wrapped up, he began filming "Soul Mate" (tentative title), which will be his first film.

Directed by Min Yong-geun, the film is a Korean adaptation of a popular Chinese web novel of the same name.

The coming-of-age story, which also stars Kim Da-mi from the JTBC series "Itaewon Class," will follow two high school girls whose friendship is tested by messy matters of secrets and romantic relationships.