'Manager Kim' Joo Sang-Wook rewrote his acting career how?
Joo Sang-Wook plays Joo Kang-chan, chairman of "Juhak Construction," an absolute ruler and former hired thug, in the SBS Friday-Saturday drama "Manager Kim" (written by Nam Dae-jung, directed by Lee Seung-young and Lee So-eun), delivering his most radical acting transformation since his debut and surprising viewers.
Joo Kang-chan's first appearance imprinted the character's menace in just a few minutes. Ahead of an important business deal, he met Rep. Shim (Kim Kyung-ryong) in a bathhouse for a private talk; when Shim, seeing the burn scars covering his body, asked why, Joo Kang-chan answered calmly, "I regretted it after the business. I was ashamed in front of my daughter. So I just burned it with a torch," freezing the atmosphere in an instant. Joo Sang-Wook conveyed the madness of a man who carved scars into his own body using an extremely serene expression and ordinary tone, announcing the appearance of a "psychopath who burned tattoos with a torch."
After learning of his daughter's accident, Joo Kang-chan went to his daughter Joo Hye-ri's (Yoo Ji-an) school and met Manager Kim (So Jisub), a parent in the same class, for the first time. He seemed to soothe the other person, saying, "It's like raising the same kind of daughter. Raising a daughter isn't easy, is it?" but then coldly warned the principal, "If something like this happens again, then there will be no school and no you," without raising his voice or showing emotion. Yet the single sentence wrapped in a calm tone and a gentle smile imposed even greater pressure. Joo Kang-chan's characteristic way of smiling while tightening the noose foreshadowed the evil to come and heightened the drama's tension.
Joo Kang-chan's past made his true nature even clearer. It was revealed that he had pulled out every tooth of Geum-ee-ppal (Jo Bokrae), with whom he had a bitter history during his hired thug days. He mercilessly trampled the man who defied him, clearly showing that he dominated and broke others through fear. Joo Kang-chan's cruelty, pulling out teeth without mercy when someone disobeyed, shocked viewers. According to reports, Joo Sang-Wook believed that scene best explained the character and acted accordingly.
Joo Kang-chan's twisted paternal love for his daughter also left an impact. After learning that his daughter Joo Hye-ri had hurt Kim Min-ji (Seo Su-min), he slapped his daughter's cheek and said, "If you wanted to kill someone so badly, you should have asked your father to kill them. Do you think I can't do that?" But he immediately hugged his daughter and whispered gently, "I've never denied you what you wanted. It's nothing serious. Did you confirm the death?" It was a brilliant performance by Joo Sang-Wook, who maintained a perfect poker face while portraying the sociopath's duality of erasing even murder as if nothing under the name of paternal love.
Joo Kang-chan's terror was completed through psychological warfare rather than violence. Facing Kim Min-ji, who was under his control, he saw through Min-ji's act of pretending to have lost her memory. Approaching in a gentle tone, he said calmly, "Maybe because you're still a student, your hiding of emotions is clumsy. Even pretending to have lost your memory is clumsy," and relentlessly pressured her. Each word created even more suspense and chilled viewers. In particular, the line "If only Kim Min-ji student disappears from the world, that would be enough" showed his cruel willingness to sacrifice others' lives to protect his daughter. His dangerous belief that justifies all crimes under the name of love and even legitimizes murder imprinted Joo Kang-chan as an even more chilling villain.
Joo Sang-Wook completed a three-dimensional villain who hides madness behind an ordinary face, going beyond a typical villain who relies on money, violence and power. His restrained acting, which creates a chilling presence without losing his temper and an intimidating atmosphere without shouting, amplified Joo Kang-chan's terror. Viewers are eager to see what other faces Joo Sang-Wook will overwhelm them with in the remaining episodes.
Joo Sang-Wook said, "You will see how far Joo Kang-chan can become cruel to defeat Manager Kim and a side of Joo Kang-chan different from before. Please give us your continued love until the end."
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