'Taxi Driver 3' actor Yoo Tae-joo's chilling charisma exploded.
SBS's Friday-Saturday drama 'Taxi Driver 3' has resonated with viewers with a narrative that satisfying punishes the absurdities and wrongdoings rooted throughout society, and Yoo Tae-joo, playing the Yellow Star ENT Deputy Minister in the drama, used restrained speech, a solid demeanor, and eye acting that momentarily controls the atmosphere to convincingly portray the face of those in power and raised the show's tension.
In the recent 9th and 10th episodes, the story unfolded of Kang Ju-ri (played by Jang Na-ra) and the Deputy Minister (played by Yoo Tae-joo), who carried out unfair contracts and sexual bribery using trainees' dreams as collateral, and the Rainbow Heroes who dismantle that connection. The Deputy Minister outwardly promoted a rational system and cool judgment, but in reality left a strong impression as a key figure who exerts invisible power by controlling trainees' lives and choices.
Especially, unlike the manager with a fierce personality, the Deputy Minister's relatively soft and rational attitude toward the trainees was revealed to be nothing more than a thoroughly calculated mask, shocking viewers. In a subtle collusive relationship with Kang Ju-ri, he tightened the trainees with illegal filming and, after achieving his goals, forced them to provide entertainment, revealing the villain's true nature and adding weight to the narrative.
Yoo Tae-joo portrayed this dual character with dense acting without exaggeration, making the Deputy Minister a three-dimensional figure who moves the system rather than a simple villain. He accurately captured the characteristics of a person who coordinates flows from behind the scenes rather than stepping forward directly. By reducing unnecessary explanation in his gaze, maintaining a tone that controls situations without revealing emotion, and intervening only at decisive moments, he clearly established the character's hierarchy and menace.
Also, in scenes facing Kim Do-gi, he completed a tense confrontation with subtle tension instead of direct clash, and in his chemistry with Kang Ju-ri he emphasized the chill of an alliance bound by vested interests rather than emotional exchange, persuasively expressing a relationship where coexistence and fissure coexist. The scene at the end of the drama in which an enraged Kim Do-gi executes a high-intensity driving action completed dramatic catharsis and brought the narrative's tension to a peak.
Through this 'Taxi Driver 3,' Yoo Tae-joo completed the most threatening character despite speaking little. His acting style of building density in each scene without excess increased the character's credibility and served as the central axis firmly holding the overall tone of the drama.
In turn, Yoo Tae-joo transformed into a chilling villain and once again proved his limitless ability to inhabit characters and his wide acting spectrum. With an absorbing performance that doubled the show's tension, attention is focused on what kind of-faced characters he will meet viewers with next.<
[Photo] SBS
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