Cha Eun-woo was recognized for his ‘acting’, not his ‘looks’

Actor Cha Eun-woo is showing off his unrivaled presence even in a tense battle of nerves with Kim Nam-gil on TV's 'Island'. Cha Eun-woo, who had been the main character with his handsome visuals rather than his acting skills, succeeded in erasing the controversy on his own with his further improved acting skills in 'Island'.

Cha Eun-woo is playing the role of John, the youngest exorcist in the Vatican, in 'Ireland', which was first released on the 30th of last month. 'Ireland' is a drama depicting the journey of characters who are destined to fight against evil that seeks to destroy the world. It is based on a cartoon/webtoon of the same name.

Cha Eun-woo, who appeared briefly in episode 2 and became active in episode 3, captured attention with his delicate acting that alternated between slyness and coolness while staying at Won Mi-ho's (played by Da-hee Lee) house to fulfill his calling to protect the savior mentioned in the prophetic book.

In the scene where he drinks with Won Mi-ho, he calls her "sister" and captivates the woman's heart with his cuteness and jokes. In front of the dangerous half-human, half-yo (played by Kim Nam-gil), he provokes her by saying, "You're a cute girl," creating tension. .

Above all, at the end of the 4th episode, the scene in which he takes out a staff member showing off his sexual power and duels with Ban, aroused admiration for the handsome visuals and splendid action acting.

Cha Eun-woo, who has been attracting attention as a 'face genius' since his debut, took his first steps as an actor with a brief appearance in the 2014 English movie 'My Exciting Life', and his first leading role in 2018 was JTBC's 'My ID is Gangnam Beauty' (2018). It was a box office success and solidified his position as a leading actor. However, in 'Gangnam Beauty', it was not enough to evaluate his acting skills because he did not have many lines or facial expressions as he was a cold and handsome character.

Afterwards, Cha Eun-woo, who attempted a historical drama through 'Rookie Historian Goo Hae-ryeong', was embroiled in controversy over his acting skills due to his monotonous facial expressions and awkward vocalization. In 'True Beauty', like in 'Gangnam Beauty', he had a chance to win with a cool and handsome character, but the prevailing opinion was that his character expression was still awkward.

Getting attention for his appearance rather than his acting is a challenge that Cha Eun-woo must overcome. I began to overcome that challenge through ‘Island’. Yohan was different from the characters Cha Eun-woo has played so far, and he had to digest a lot of lines as well as lines in Latin and Italian. However, Cha Eun-woo was able to digest a large amount of lines without any awkwardness with his stronger vocalization, and even expressed difficult actions realistically.

Cha Eun-woo, who clearly held the central axis of the play by showing off his unrivaled presence even in front of a talented actor named Kim Nam-gil, the grand prize winner of the '2022 SBS Drama Awards'. Attention is focused on his actions, as he is recognized not only for his appearance but also for his acting skills, truly revealing his true value as an actor.

Taeyuna, Ten Asia Reporter youyou@tenasia.co.kr