Actor Um Tae-goo masters everything from rapid-fire train-style rapping to gut-wrenching comic acting.
With charisma that dominates the screen, Um Tae-goo's radical transformation has been a hot topic day after day. He plays Sang-gu, the youngest member and storm rapper of the mixed-gender dance group "Triangle," in the film Wild Thing (provided/distributed by Lotte Entertainment | produced by About Film | directed by Son Jae-gon, opens June 3), showing a different side of himself.
Um Tae-goo appears with actors Gang Dong-won, Park Ji-hyun and Oh Jung-se in Wild Thing, a comedy about the three-member mixed-gender dance group Triangle, which once swept the music scene but suddenly broke up overnight after an unexpected incident, mounting a reckless challenge to seize a comeback opportunity that arrives 20 years later.
Um Tae-goo has won public affection by showing everything from intense performances to a friendly and quirky charm in films such as Night in Paradise, Ansi Fortress, The Age of Shadows, The Pansori Boxer, the drama Woman Who Plays, and the YouTube show Workman.
In Wild Thing he undergoes a complete makeover: Sang-gu, who dreamed of being a true hip-hop warrior but in reality had only a line or two, sits on a mountain of debt after even his eagerly released solo album failed following the group's breakup and scrapes by as an insurance salesman. Um Tae-goo delivers both the overzealous passion of the "storm rapper" and the poignant sorrow of the "failed rapper" with a mix of seriousness and deadpan humor to produce bittersweet laughter.
Um Tae-goo spent five months commuting to the JYP Entertainment building for "trainee mode" training for the role. He received rap making and lessons as well as training across hip-hop including costume styling, hair and stage gestures from producer Kass, who has collaborated with GOT7, Stray Kids and NMIXX. He said, "The 'Sang-gu' character was new to me in every way, and participating in the project itself was a challenge."
A representative said, "Um Tae-goo perfected a unique comic character by fully executing everything from his signature husky voice in the so-called 'rapid-fire train-style rapping' to a variety of facial expressions, poses and choreography." [Photo] Wild Thing [OSEN]