Rising Star Cha Woo-min: From BL Debut to Upcoming Projects

Spotlight on Rising Stars: Catching the Brightest in the Entertainment Industry

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"I was 170cm and 64kg in sixth grade. I've always been tall since I was young. After graduating from an all-boys middle school, I felt popular in high school (laughs)."

Born in 2000, actor Cha Woo-min made a bold debut in 2021 with the BL genre project 'Florida Spot'. He has since captured the public's attention with his intense roles in 'Weak Hero Class 1' and 'It's Night'.

On the 9th, an interview with Cha Woo-min was conducted at the TenAsia office in Jungnim-dong, Seoul. With his sharp features reminiscent of a cat or fox and natural acting skills, Cha Woo-min enhances the immersion of his roles. He is a promising new actor with more than three upcoming projects.

Cha Woo-min mentioned that he had long hair since his sophomore year in high school but cut it for a role. Long-haired male students were rare back then. When asked if he was famous for his looks during school, he shyly admitted, "I think so," with his head down.

He drew attention last year with his role as Go Kyung-joon in 'It's Night'. Although he has confirmed roles in upcoming projects like 'Study Group', 'Melo Movie', and 'Spirit Fingers', no new works have been released this year. When asked if he felt disappointed, Cha Woo-min said, "Not at all. I've been busy filming without time for such feelings. I only have expectations and pressure for next year's releases," showing a positive attitude.

Cha Woo-min revealed that he swam from fourth grade to second year of middle school and practiced judo until his sophomore year in high school. He explained, "It wasn't for entrance exams. I started following my dad to the center when I was young, and it became a habit."

Although he lived in Busan for a long time until entering university, Cha Woo-min didn't use the dialect. He said, "I started correcting my dialect in my sophomore year to enter the theater and film department. Most Busan friends don't like Seoul speech, saying it's cheesy, but I found their reactions amusing, so I used it more. It naturally stuck."

"I had no aversion to queer or BL. I thought it would be fun as soon as I saw the script, so I chose it without hesitation. The significance of it being my first project and first set was much greater than the genre."

In 'Florida Spot', Cha Woo-min portrayed tender romantic emotions, including a kissing scene with Yoo Hwan. He said, "BL and queer are different. I've encountered a lot of queer works, which involve homosexual oppression, but BL doesn't. Capturing love between people was important. So, I focused on expressing human emotions by engaging in many romance works."

He continued, "The competition was fierce, but I'm grateful I could participate. I think it's not easy to do such works," he smiled. "If the script is good, I'd like to do (the BL genre) again. I only look at the script, regardless of the role's importance," he emphasized.

Contrary to his strong on-screen image, Cha Woo-min was very calm and shy during the interview. When asked about his real personality, he said, "I like being alone at home, reading books or watching movies all day. Sometimes, I go out late at night for a light 'solo drink'."

"I've been living alone in Seoul since 2020, and I love it (laughs). I lived with my parents for a long time as an only child before becoming independent. I was just excited thinking, 'Yay, I'm alone!' But these days, especially this year, I envy friends living at home. I miss home when I see more than three side dishes at meals."

He originally enjoyed being alone, but after raising a cat, he goes out even less. "I've been raising a cat for about four years. I wasn't planning to because of allergies, but a friend who was temporarily fostering a cat asked me to take care of it for three months. After three months, I couldn't let it go," he shared.

He added, "Since raising a cat, even when I'm out having fun, I think about going home to feed the cat, so I go home quickly," he joked. Throughout the interview, Cha Woo-min appeared shy, but his energy noticeably increased when talking about his cat.

Cha Woo-min chose 'Study Group' as his next project, being cast as a popular character from the original work. He said, "I once asked the director why I was cast, and he firmly said, 'There's no one but you, Woo-min.' I heard that the synchronization with the original was high, and the looks from the staff changed during the script reading," raising expectations.

In June this year, Cha Woo-min held his first fan meeting. "I was so nervous. I don't remember anything except the ending remarks and the atmosphere," he recalled. He added, "I want to hold another fan meeting. I can't forget the energy I received then. I also want to meet overseas fans," he smiled.

Born in the Year of the Dragon, 2000, Cha Woo-min is wrapping up the last month of the 'Year of the Blue Dragon'. Reflecting on the year, he said, "Thankfully, I was able to work on projects continuously. Time flew by so quickly that it's already December. It really felt like time was 'snatched away'."

When asked about his goals for next year, Cha Woo-min expressed, "I want to shoot a movie. In 'Confession History', it felt like the breath was short, so I want to do a longer project, preferably a melodrama."

"It's cold, but spring will eventually come. Stay warm, and please look forward to my future endeavors. I will work harder as an actor Cha Woo-min, matching the interest you give me. Let's spend the new year happily together."

Lee So-jung, TenAsia Reporter forusojung@tenasia.co.kr