INTERVIEW From JYP trainee to rising star, Ahn Hyo-seop has no regrets leaving K-pop for acting
Ahn Hyo-seop plays the lead role of Kim Dok-ja in the film “Omniscient Reader.” Courtesy of The Present
Ahn Hyo-seop, now widely recognized as one of Korea’s rising stars, has quietly and steadily built his way to the top. Riding the global success of Netflix’s animated film "KPop Demon Hunters" and set to lead the highly anticipated summer blockbuster "Omniscient Reader," the actor is now firmly in the spotlight, but remains grounded.
“I took on 'KPop Demon Hunters' just because it seemed fun. I never imagined it would become such a hit,” Ahn said in a recent interview at a cafe in Seoul’s Jongno District. “I’m just grateful now, and it’s been bringing good days.”
Since his debut in 2015, Ahn has gained global recognition by voicing Jinu, the leader of the grim reaper boy band “Saja Boys,” in “KPop Demon Hunters.”
He will return to theaters on July 23 as the lead in "Omniscient Reader," a 30 billion won ($21.5 million) production and one of the most anticipated Korean films of the summer.
The movie marks Ahn’s first-ever live-action feature film appearance. Based on the popular web novel of the same name, the story follows Kim Dok-ja, a contract worker whose world begins to mirror the events of a web novel he once read, a novel that only he had finished.
As the world heads toward destruction, he teams up with characters from the novel to fight for survival. Ahn plays Dok-ja, while Lee Min-ho takes on the role of the novel’s protagonist, Yoo Jung-hyuk. The cast also includes Chae Soo-bin, Shin Seung-ho, Nana, and BLACKPINK’s Jisoo as fellow survivors. The film is directed by Kim Byung-woo, known for "The Terror Live" and "Take Point."
Ahn said he was immediately drawn to the freshness of the concept. When he first met with the director, he was told, “You were cast because you’re ordinary.” “When I read the script, I was excited and curious how it would be filmed,” Ahn said.
“What I liked about Dok-ja was his ordinariness. My previous characters have either been larger-than-life or deeply flawed, but Dok-ja isn’t extreme in either way. He’s just very normal, and I was intrigued by the challenge of how to express that.”
Ahn Hyo-seop as Kim Dok-ja, center, in "Omniscient Reader" / Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment
To portray Dok-ja, who is constantly fighting off dragons, monsters, and villains, Ahn had to undergo intense physical training and action scenes.
“I was running non-stop, sometimes while carrying a child, sometimes suspended on wires, swinging swords at imaginary creatures,” he said. “By the end, I had lost six or seven kilograms. It was physically draining, and the idea of saving a dying world made it mentally exhausting, too. But the film set suited me. Each scene is shot with care, and everyone gives their all toward the same goal. I thought, ‘This is a world I want to be part of. I’m glad I chose acting.’”
Born in Seoul and raised in Canada, Ahn entered the entertainment industry through the K-pop system. He was scouted as a JYP Entertainment trainee and briefly performed in the project group One O One during his early acting career.
But he made a firm decision to leave behind a career in music and focus on acting, a choice he has never looked back on. “I often think it was the right move to keep music as a hobby,” he said. “I’ve never once regretted not becoming a K-pop idol.”
Ahn began his acting journey in the web drama "Splash Splash Love," gradually gaining recognition with roles in "Thirty but Seventeen," "Dr. Romantic 2," and "Business Proposal."
“When I first started acting, I didn’t really know what I was doing,” he said. “I often asked myself, ‘What am I even doing here?’ But while filming "Dr. Romantic 2," I started enjoying acting for the first time. That project gave me a broader perspective on what it means to be part of a production.”
Actor Ahn Hyo-seop / Courtesy of The Present
He still recalls the words of veteran actor Han Suk-kyu, his co-star in "Dr. Romantic." “He told me, ‘Acting is fun, right? And it gets even better when you get good at it.’ That moment really ignited something in me.”
Ahn’s greatest strength as an actor lies in the balance between the extraordinary and the ordinary. His striking 188-centimeter frame and eye-catching visuals contrast with a disarming sense of relatability, a combination that gives him remarkable range.
“If I had to name a strength, though it feels awkward to say it myself, I think it’s my eyes,” he said. “They’re the one part of your face you can’t change. I believe your life shows through your eyes. And maybe that’s why Dok-ja felt right. If I didn’t have that spark of sincerity in me, I couldn’t have made him my own.”
This article from the Hankook Ilbo, a sister publication of The Korea Times, is translated by a generative AI and edited by The Korea Times.