Fans of EXO's D.O., rejoice! "Swing Kids" director-writer Kang Hyung Chul has praised the 25-year-old singer-turned-actor, whose real name is Do Kyung Soo, for his amazing acting skills and dedication to the role.
In a recent interview, director Kang Hyung Chul admitted he did not know much about EXO's D.O. before working with him. Upon working with him in "Swing Kids," he was stunned by the K-pop idol's acting skills.
"An actor being able to make his lines his own is a truly extraordinary thing," director Kang Hyung Chul said, as quoted by Soompi. "It was something that I was surprised by when working with [actor] Cha Tae Hyun on 'Scandal Makers.' He was definitely reciting his lines as written, without getting so much as a single word wrong, and yet everything he said sounded like he was improvising it on the spot... Do Kyung Soo was doing the exact same thing."
Director Kang Hyung Chul went ahead to say that he considered EXO's D.O. a perfect fit for the lead role as he both have the immaturity of a boy and the sincerity of a young man. In the film, the latter plays a rebellious North Korean soldier, Ro Ki Soo, who falls in love with tap dancing and ends up joining a motley dance crew at a prisoner-of-war camp.
To effectively portray the role, D.O. underwent intensive workshop and training for tap dancing. He also shaved his hair off and studied the North Korean dialect.
Also starring in "Swing Kids" are actors Jared Grimes as Jackson, a military officer from Broadway; Oh Jung Se ("How to Use Guys with Secret Tips") as Kang Byung Sam, a man who dances with the wind in hopes of finding his wife; Park Hye Su ("Hello, My Twenties!") as Yang Pan Rae, an ordinary woman who makes money through dancing; and Kim Min Ho ("Queen For Seven Days") as Xiao Fang, a Chinese soldier who stop dancing due to chest pain.
Park Jin Joo, Baek In Kwon, Joo Hae Eun, Lee Sang-Min, Park Chan Woo, Kim Tae Yoon, Ha Dae Yong, Yoon Seok Hwan, Choi Eun Kyung, and Choi Min Woo have also been cast in undisclosed roles.
"Swing Kids" opens in theaters across South Korea on Dec. 19, 2018. It is also expected to be released in 23 countries including America, Australia, Canada, Malaysia, Singapore, Japan, Indonesia, Hong Kong, and Macao in a later date.
