The Ultra Fan Guide to Woo Do Hwan

The Ultra Fan Guide to Woo Do Hwan

Woo Do Hwan is another rising actor that had his -non-extra- drama debut in 2016, and he is currently acting in the drama My Country: The New Age. 

He technically had his debut in 2011 with a really minor role, and most people (including me) started noticing him in Save Me where he literally stole the show with his amazing acting abilities.

❤❤ Welcome to the ultimate Woo Do Hwan fan guide ❤❤

Basic Facts

• Born: July 12, 1992 (age 27).
• Hometown: Anyang, South Korea.
• Star Sign: Cancer, Monkey (Chinese zodiac).
• Height: 180 cm.
• Education: Dankook University, Majoring in Performance and Film. 
• Talent Agency: KeyEast.
• Instagram: @wdohwan.

Debut

His official "debut" came from these 2 dramas, Come, Come, Absolutely Come - I can't find any pictures - and Shut Up: Flower Boy Band as a random extra like those silent classmates that hover and blend in the background but look at him now getting lead roles left and right. ❤

DRAMA

Dramaworld (2016)

This is the 1st official drama I saw him in, but back in the day I still didn't "know" him as THE Woo Do Hwan, though he was the 2nd lead in the drama inside the drama(?), and I immediately felt the SLS. He was Seo Yeon (Bae Noo Ri)'s best friend that was a sweet and awkward florist who had a crush on her, and the best thing was that he got his girl! So it's the SLS dream❤ What's the best way for the 2nd lead to get the girl? We need a viewer to steal the main lead (though I'd have chosen the 2nd lead). xD

Click the gif for the video of his beautiful voice.❤

Sweet Stranger and Me (2016)

I put this drama on hold so I never had a chance to see him there, though I think this will be the number 1 drama I'd repick up from that list soon(and yes, 90% of it is for him). 

This is the description of him I found on subtitledreams, and that seems the perfect qualification for an SRS.

'He was intimidating as hell as a gangster, but you could see the wheels in his head-turning… as he muddled through feelings of betrayal and anger and ambition and disappointment in the world. You kinda wanted to hug him… or run screaming.  If we’d had this kind of intensity with our first male lead, the entire show might have been significantly better.' 

Save Me (2017)

And this is THE drama I really noticed him in. Right from the moment, he walked in - and that 1st gif - he immediately grabbed my attention. I mean just look at that swag and intense gaze, plus the contrasting soft uwu vibes. I think this will forever be my favourite Woo Do Hwan character; it feels nostalgic now to look at those gifs. ;)

Dong Chul was Sang Hwan best friend, but he gets tangled in with his own personal problems early on, so he's not around when Sang Mi is kidnapped; therefore, he's the only one who can go undercover to save her. I was actually really worried they'd not explore his character well enough, or that they'd kill him off right away or keep him in prison, but he literally stole the show, and I couldn't be happier with this drama.

When the drama started, 90% of my attention was on Seo Ye Ji and 5% on Ok Taec Yeon, while the remaining 5% was for the intriguing plot, but the moment Seok Dong Chul started talking I was 50% in it for him. ;)

Mad Dog (2017)

Kim Min Joon was a genius-former swindler whose brother was a victim of the same airplane crash that killed Choi Kang Woo (Yoo Ji Tae)'s wife and son and with that, they decide to team against their common enemy while also working on their contrasting personalities.

Seeing him get another lead role right after Save Me made me so happy, granted I wasn't that interested in the plot, but this drama was a great character-driven story, plus the team here is one of my favourites. Adding the small hints of romance between him and Ryu Hwa Young just made this even better~

The Great Seducer (2018)

This had the potential of becoming THE model angsty teen romance drama. They had a great cast, and the trio Kwon Shi Hyun, Choi Soo Ji (Moon Ga Young) and Lee Se Joo (Kim Min Jae) were actually one of the best characters for this kind of drama, but then the writers ruined everything with their weak plot and weaker female lead.
I really love Joy, and she really had the visuals for a strong independent woman, I remember how excited I was while looking at the preview pictures, but she's as bad as Yeo Joo Da, though sadly it was not a parody...

Woo Do Hwan was a great male lead though; he carried the whole show on his own, I hope this won't stop him from trying other romance dramas. And maybe it's a suitable drama for someone who just entered the drama world, I mean it's better than BOF. xD

My Country: The New Age (2019)

The drama is about the falling of the Goryeo dynasty and the start of the Joseon dynasty from the viewpoints of three young people; Nam Sun Ho, Seo Hwi (Yang Se Jong) and Han Hee Jae (Kim Seol Hyun) and their struggles while fighting for their own interpretation of "my country".

This role was made for Woo Do Hwan, I honestly can't see anyone else doing a better job, and once again he's stealing the show even when he's the "second" lead ~ though everyone else in this drama are all doing a great job too, so maybe it's because I'm his fan I mostly just see him. xD

I could literally share 100+ screenshots and gifs that highlight how emotionally raw and detailed his acting is in this drama, but that'd be too much so I'll just share THIS ep 9 spoiler.

Movie

After making his drama debut as an extra, Woo Do Hwan started on the same path with his movie roles, and he acted as characters so unimportant that they were named Subordinate #2 or Hired gun #2 and got almost no screentime in movies like Operation Chromite and Master.

I watched Master, though I do not remember seeing him (or TBH anything else about the movie), but that was such a LOOK and a total SRS! 

I can't find any pictures for Operation Chromite; he must've been a random soldier in the background or something, I'll take it on as an Easter egg hunt and watch that movie soon. ;p

The Divine Fury (2019)

Basically, the movie is about demons and exorcists, and Woo Do Hwan did a great job in this movie. Though I wish they explored his character more, he had so much more potential... Seeing your favourite actor in a horror movie as the villain is a dream, and he was so scary and alluring, I needed more. ;)

Photoshoot

He's just so beautiful!

Writing this article and seeing Woo Do Hwan's full filmography just makes me so proud, he really has such great diversity in his projects, and even though he gets more "second lead" roles, he still steals the whole show and the viewers' hearts. He's one of those rare talents that have a great balance between the dark and complex character that can easily flip a switch and turn into a soft, awkward and non-threatening character, and I see a long bright future ahead of him~

The great thing about being a fan of dramas since 2013 is that I got to discover a lot of great actors like Woo Do Hwan right from their debut and I'm so happy to witness their growth, I hope they keep achieving their dreams and get the recognition they deserve.

Gif and picture credits to owners, all found around Google, Instagram, Twitter, Youtube or recap pages.

Info credit goes to Wikipedia, blogs, recap pages, MDL and my memory (one of the side effect from watching too many dramas are that one can easily forget minor details, so I needed basic reminders ;p).