Actor You Need to Know: Ahn Hyo-seop

Ahn Hyo-seop is gifted. He steals the show and has a face that will capture your attention right away, in part because of his stature, piercing eyes, lovely grin, and captivating profile. The Canadian actor is one of Korea’s popular stars, with an excellent singing voice to go along with his killer charm, acting abilities, and multilingualism. For those who don’t know, Ahn was discovered by JYP Entertainment and hired as a trainee, giving him the opportunity to make his debut in the K-pop boy band Got7. He reportedly turned down the offer, though, preferring to focus on other projects.

In 2015, Ahn made his K-pop debut with the band One O One. Later on, however, the group became inactive. Between 2015 and 2016, the nascent artist split his time between a range of supporting roles in various shows, making his acting debut in the fantasy romance time-travel drama Splash Splash Love. Ahn acted with authenticity and assurance throughout this time, even though his characters weren’t always successful, and that may have primarily caught people’s attention. In fact, the actor possesses an array of skills that may wow you even when he’s portraying a very simple character.

Following his first-ever major parts in Queen of the Ring and My Father is Strange (2017), Ahn’s reputation expanded, paving the way for a number of subsequent lead roles. He won the Best New Actor award at the 2018 MBC Drama Awards for his portrayal of the passionate high-school student Yoo Chan in Still 17 (2018). Later on in the year, he co-starred with Cha Eun-woo and Seo Eun-soo in the drama Top Management, modeled on Jang Woo-san’s novel, about idols who dream of performing onstage. Thus, starting in 2017, Ahn’s ascent to fame has been steady.

He has a distinctive screen presence, as I had previously mentioned, that speaks for his performance. By the end of the story, he transforms from the usual to a distinct voice — his best attribute, I believe. I loved his character in Abyss (2019). As a rom-com fantasy crime drama, the plot overall was good, but Ahn’s on-screen persona and his over-the-top cute chemistry with Park Bo-young were what hooked me.

At barely 27, Ahn has accomplished a great deal. He has effectively matured as an actor, going from happy to sad to angry to funny without ever losing the inherent gentleness he carries. Ahn co-starred with Lee Sung-kyung in season two of the hit drama series Dr. Romantic (2020), playing doctor Seo Woo-jin. His portrayal in the narrative received plaudits, and the show was a huge success. In addition to the Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Action/Genre Drama at the 2020 SBS Drama Awards, it garnered him the Best New Actor in Television Award at the 56th Baeksang Arts Awards.

In the historical-fantasy drama Lovers of the Red Sky (2021), Ahn was paired with Kim Yoo-jung as Ha Ram, a blind astrologer, while also leading a dual existence as Ilwolseong, the head of an information organization whose body is possessed by Ma Wang (the Demon King). Besides winning the Best Couple Award with Kim, Ahn received the Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries Genre/Fantasy Drama at the APAN Star Awards for his depiction of multiple characters in the story. 

But his trajectory has more to it. So far, the actor has done well, but I believe he hit the jackpot as Kang Tae-moo in the super-successful rom-com K-drama A Business Proposal in 2022. As much as it received international acclaim, Ahn’s performance as Kang cemented him as an international star actor whom we would like to see at any time. He is someone who knows how to entice us through an act, as evidenced by his smoldering chemistry with co-star Kim Se-jong’s character and his evocative depiction of the dapper gent CEO Kang.

Carrying on with his acting that’s inextricably charming, Ahn is coming up with Doctor Romantic 3, reprising the role of Woo-jin, and will also star in A Time Called You, the Korean remake of the famed Taiwanese drama Someday or One Day, romancing with Jeon Yeo-been through the conundrums of time and space, with their characters swathed in the layers of a meticulously intertwined narrative.