EXO member and actor Doh Kyung Soo shared behind-the-scenes stories related to filming The Manipulated.
On the afternoon of the 11th, at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, an end-of-series interview was held with Doh Kyung Soo, the lead actor of the Disney+ original drama The Manipulated.
The Manipulated is an action drama in which Taejung (played by Ji Chang Wook), who led an ordinary life, one day is wrongfully embroiled in a heinous crime and sent to prison, and then discovers that everything was planned by Yohan (played by Doh Kyung Soo) and carries out revenge against him. With all episodes released through the final episode on the 3rd, Doh Kyung Soo said, "I am so happy. Many people watched it and I heard so many people say they really enjoyed it. It feels like the first time. Among the works I have done so far, this is the one I received the most messages saying it was so fun to watch, and many people said they liked seeing a new side of me, so I am very happy and I think it became an opportunity for me to work even harder going forward."
In this work, Doh Kyung Soo, who challenged himself with a villain role for the first time, said, "I always wanted to play this kind of role but I couldn't because I hadn't had the chance." He said that being able to express something new brought more fun than burden or worry. Doh Kyung Soo said, "I don't normally express emotions strongly or raise my voice. Through this character I got to shout, push my emotions to the extreme, and vicariously experience that, which was fun."
He said he agonized over many external details, such as spending four hours on hair setting to portray the character An Yohan, who is like "pure evil." He said, "Actually, I always thought that saying 'I am a bad person' would be less frightening than being simple like a child. I always thought that. I referred to other works and documentaries, and people with that kind of (psychopathic) tendency really focus simply like a child. I thought that kind of appearance itself is scary, so I set Yohan up that way."
Co-stars Ji Chang Wook and Lee Kwang Soo, who worked on the project with him, even described Doh Kyung Soo as having "madness within." Doh Kyung Soo said, "I didn't take out my true self at all. If Yohan actually had that side, it would be a big problem," and added, "The hyungs said things like 'he has madness,' but I still don't really know about that. I don't know what kind of madness they are talking about. I think they just expressed it positively." He felt awkward. But watching the finished product, he also said with special emotion, "I felt a lot that 'I make this expression,' and 'I have this side.'"
He also shared anecdotes from action scenes. Doh Kyung Soo said, "Actually, compared with Taejung, Yohan didn't get put into action on set very often, so it feels like the action I did can't really be called action. Still, I thought a lot about the knife Yohan uses. Yohan could have used his fists, but the stunt director and I talked a lot about how to make it look more brutal and simple. There were many kinds of knives. There was a knife with a hole that would bleed just by being stuck in, but that was a short blade, and I thought a long sword might look more brutal to viewers." He said, "Rather than doing many moves, I thought it suited Yohan better to injure a lot at once, so I thought simply during the martial arts. I reduced what might have been ten moves to three and depicted Yohan that way."
In the work, An Yohan overturns Park Taejung's life through "pieces." But Park Taejung, contrary to An Yohan's intention, never died and ultimately becomes the person who most threatens An Yohan. From An Yohan's perspective on Park Taejung, Doh Kyung Soo explained, "I thought simply. In the dialogue he calls him an 'ant.' (Yohan) thought of everyone as ants. He saw Taejung as an ant who got lucky and wasn't stepped on among ants. Asphalt isn't a flat plane; there are gaps. I think he thought Taejung was an ant who by chance fell into a gap when stepped on and thus wasn't crushed."
Regarding Park Taejung's choice not to kill An Yohan in the end, he said, "From Yohan's perspective, it's an emotion he had never experienced in life. The feeling that an ant you didn't even think of as truly human saves you—that's an emotion Yohan and I both felt for the first time in life, and I think it's the extreme of rage." He also candidly said, "I think Yohan died at the ending."
In the actual ending, a figure of unknown identity sitting in a chair planning 'pieces' again was shown, leading viewers to speculate that "An Yohan might still be alive." But Doh Kyung Soo said, "No one knows whose back that was. I didn't shoot that. A minor actor likely sat and was filmed. I think they left it as an open ending." He added, "I think Yohan died. If you think realistically, a knife was stuck in his chest. There was an explosion and fire. Taejung has always acted helpfully, so I think someone would have come to rescue him at the right moment, but Yohan committed so many murders and only did the worst things, so when he was stabbed and left alone, I don't think anyone would have come. I think he was a person who should naturally meet death there, so I think Yohan died."
He added, "Although I think he died, the writer or director might think otherwise. The nanny could have come to save him. I don't know about that either." When asked, "What if you were offered to appear in season 2?" he said, "Then I'll think about it. I would say, 'Is he alive? I'll think about it again,'" making everyone laugh.
Asked about the impact The Manipulated might have on his future work, he said, "When I act, I want people to see me only as the character of that project. If I were to play another villain next, I want to do a villain in which Yohan doesn't show up at all. Right now I think I want to try something really contrasting to Yohan, for example a romantic comedy. Having done a villain once, I want to try a bright role that is completely opposite."
Meanwhile, Doh Kyung Soo also showed intense acting chemistry with Lee Kwang Soo, who he previously worked with on the tvN show KongKongPangPang. About Lee Kwang Soo, who plays Baek Do Kyung, he said, "Seeing Kwang Soo hyung act like that on set for the first time felt different. I saw his everyday side and then his immersed acting on set and thought, 'That's not the hyung I knew.' I knew he acted well, but his momentary concentration was unbelievably good. I actually learned a lot." He added, "I thought acting with close friends would make me feel 'I can't watch because it's not a familiar side,' but instead it felt like I could concentrate more. I thought maybe it's because he acts so well."
But when asked if he was worried that airing at a similar time to KongKongPangPang might affect viewers because of a variety show image, he said, "I didn't know they would air together. The Manipulated was supposed to come out much earlier but was delayed bit by bit, so they overlapped. I thought there are pros and cons. Some people might see KongKongPangPang and then think, 'A drama came out? I should watch it,' and some might see The Manipulated and then think, 'He filmed a variety show? I should watch it.' So I think it produced an even better effect. Of course, some people say, 'He's funny on variety so I can't focus,' but I think that's also a good effect, so I wasn't worried."
Regarding feedback from acquaintances appearing on KongKongPangPang, such as Lee Kwang Soo and Kim Woo Bin, he said, "I gratefully received many compliments. The hyungs said, 'He didn't look like a typical villain' and 'It's not easy to pull off, but you expressed it well,' which made me feel good."
Doh Kyung Soo was also in the spotlight recently over the issue of not attending the wedding of couple Kim Woo Bin and Shin Mina. Their wedding day is Dec. 20, and it coincides with EXO's attendance at the 2025 MMA awards ceremony. When this was mentioned, Doh Kyung Soo sighed sadly but said, "But it's natural. It's work, so it's very important. A wedding is also very important, but if you think about what comes first, of course I think EXO comes first. It hurts a lot, but I have to do better for Woo Bin hyung. I know Woo Bin hyung can't help it, so it's disappointing, but it's all understandable, so it's okay."
When asked, "Will you compensate financially?" Doh Kyung Soo showed a troubled expression and said, "I'm worried about that too. What should I compensate with?" He was asked if recording a video message or congratulations in advance and playing it would work, and he replied cautiously, "If I appear in a video, I might spoil the wedding atmosphere." He said he had originally promised to sing at the wedding and revealed, "I assumed I would sing the congratulatory song. I learned of the couple's wedding news early, and afterward I had to go to the 2025 MMA. I wondered how to tell Woo Bin hyung, but I had no choice but to tell him, and he was very disappointed. I also planned to sing 'Popcorn' in my heart, but both were disappointed." When asked who would take the new congratulatory song, he joked, "I don't know. I was excluded from that and became someone outside Woo Bin hyung's sight. It felt like, 'You are not needed!'"
Doh Kyung Soo said, "It's truly a blessing when someone you've known for a long time gets married. I didn't see how they lived up close, but I felt it from the side. I could tell they dated healthily and happily, so I'm very happy for them. You could tell at a glance they would just be happy. It felt rosy. Even after a long relationship, he still gives flower gifts recently. On Pepero Day I asked, 'Hyung, what is this?' and he said he prepared it because it was Pepero Day. He even went into a convenience store and bought nicely packaged Pepero. I'm not the type to celebrate Pepero Day or birthdays well, but seeing him prepare flowers as well I thought, 'Those two will inevitably be rosy forever.'"
He also spoke about EXO's full-group comeback next year. Doh Kyung Soo said, "I've been meeting the members a lot recently, and actually we had a big shoot as recently as yesterday. We have a fan meeting this week and an awards show next week. Thinking about it, it's really been a long time. I think the last time I did a group stage was in 2018 before I entered the military. A few members left and we released new songs like 'Cream Soda' a couple of times, but we never performed old songs like 'Growl,' 'Call Me Baby,' or 'Monster' together. Now it feels like we're restarting as a group, so practicing is fun. But it's not easy. In my 20s I had the stamina to be so energetic, and I definitely feel a difference. Of course I'm still young, but maybe because I haven't been doing it continuously, my concentration has improved, but my stamina seems to deplete quickly. Still, I'm working hard."
Having worked as both a singer and actor for more than 10 years, Doh Kyung Soo said, "Honestly it feels similar. There's nothing that can be different: I can't do only acting, and I can't do only EXO. Rather than a different mindset, the resolve of 'I have to do it' has come into my heart more strongly."
After leaving SM Entertainment in 2023 and establishing a one-person agency, Company Sussu, Doh Kyung Soo recently joined Blitzway Entertainment. He said, "I just wanted to cleanly finish the contract and try a new experience," and explained, "I thought Blitzway is a company that is well prepared not only for acting but also for music and albums, so I made the decision because I wanted to join a company like this and try new experiences."
When asked about plans for album activities as a singer in the future, he replied, "Of course. We have to keep going, EXO. I'll work hard to show a good side, and personally I'll release albums and work hard on projects. If there's a chance, I'll do everything." He also said about project plans after EXO's full-group comeback next year, "If it's a work I can do in parallel, I will do it as much as possible," foreshadowing his unchanged work ethic.
[Photo] Disney+
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