Daniel Choi has not played a lot of bad guys in his k-drama career. He's usually a charming if occasionally awkward character. True, he was a hacker in "Phantom" and initially a slacker of a teacher in 'School 2013," but he is toughening up for his next role as a cold-hearted chaebol Kang Dong Suk in "Big Man."
In "Big Man" Kang Dong Suk is the heir to the powerful Hyungsung Group and he is sure that he will one day lead the family business.
Most people think Kang Dong Suk is a nice guy but he is secretly a ruthless businessman, who will do whatever it takes to achieve his goal. So, outwardly Daniel Choi will seem like some of his previous characters but have a dark side? Interesting.
When asked about the way he chooses roles, which so far have been mostly endearing characters, he said he just wants acting to be fun.
"I look at how fun it might be acting my character," he said.
He thought it might be fun to visit the dark side for his new role, but can he pull it off? His production company thinks he can.
"We think that Daniel Choi has challenged himself by taking many different roles and has thus built his acting experience. He is best suited for the role," said a production company representative.
Only there is one hitch to Kang Dong Suk's fictional grab for power. Kang Ji Hwan, a poor orphan and a self-made success is seeking revenge against the Hyungsung Group and the family who runs it
Kang Ji Hwan recently appeared in "Incarnation of Money" and also played Yoon Eun Hye's pretend husband in "Lie To Me." In this drama his character survives a tough childhood and works hard to succeed. When he learns that he is the secret son of Hyungsung Group, he becomes bitter about all he had to endure and plots his revenge.
The two characters will clash.
In real life, Daniel Choi probably had a harder time growing up. He lost his mother early on, he once said on the tvN talk show "Baek Ji Yun's People Inside."
"I lost my mother when I was five," he said. "Then my father's business failed. I had to live at aunt's house, my older brother at another aunt's and my father at another house again. At that time, I just felt uncomfortable. I didn't feel unlucky or unhappy."
Unlike Kang Ji Hwan's character, Daniel Choi's childhood did not make him bitter. He remained a nice guy, which radiates through most of his previous k-drama characters. Playing a bad guy should be an interesting experience for him and seeing him do so should be fun for his fans.
The drama begins after "Full Sun" on April 14.