Tuesday, November 04, 2025
The press convention for Disney+’s upcoming revenge thriller The Manipulated was something however predictable. Held in Seoul on November 3, the occasion featured stars Ji Changwook, Doh Kyungsoo (D.O.), Lee Kwang Soo, Kim Jongsoo, Jo Yoonsu, and director Park Shin Woo, who dove into the extreme rivalries, on set antics, and weird character notes that outlined the sequence.
The sequence, a brand new adaptation of the movie Fabricated Metropolis, follows Park Taejoong (Ji Changwook), an abnormal man wrongfully imprisoned who discovers the mysterious Yohan (D.O.) is behind the conspiracy. What follows is an intense chase for revenge.
When requested to outline their relationship, Ji Changwook, describing his character’s motivation, was brutally trustworthy. “To Taejoong, Yohan is the objective,” he mentioned, earlier than including with amusing, “He is a man I wish to beat to a pulp.” Ji Changwook even joked, “I’m nonetheless avoiding Doh Kyungsoo proper now.” Ji Changwook additional defined the dynamic, noting that from Yohan’s perspective, Taejoong is “a really cockroach like being. His resilience is unimaginable. Lengthy and tenacious. Though he retains getting stepped on, he survives and crawls again up.”
Doh Kyungsoo, who performs his first villain character, described Yohan as somebody who “would not see folks as folks.”
Whereas the rivalry is intense, the off display screen chemistry was clear. “I used to be fearful it may be awkward working with Kyungsoo since we’re so shut,” Lee Kwang Soo admitted. “However it wasn’t awkward in any respect. Due to Changwook and Kyungsoo, I bought to do every part I needed… I actually simply went to the set like I used to be going to play.”
That “play” apparently triggered some friction. When a reporter requested Doh Kyungsoo about being “persistently bullied” by Lee Kwang Soo, the actor rapidly shut it down.
“That is not true,” Doh Kyungsoo clarified, laughing. “Within the drama, he’s the VIP, however I used to be all the time within the superior place.” He did admit, nonetheless, that Lee Kwang Soo’s character “induces a lot rage.”
“His character may be very ‘skinny,’” Doh Kyungsoo defined. “I used to be irritated. His total function is to scratch at Yohan, and I actually bought scratched.” He confessed he thought performing reverse his shut buddy can be “cringey,” however Lee Kwang Soo’s efficiency was so good “it wasn’t cringey in any respect. I may immerse myself simply.”
Lee Kwang Soo took the “skinny” remark as a praise, contrasting their villainous kinds. “Kyungsoo’s villain is ‘thick,’” he mentioned. “Mine is a ‘skinny’ type of villain.”
TThe sequence is an adaptation of the movie Fabricated Metropolis, which additionally starred Ji Changwook. Director Park Shin Woo made it clear there was no different alternative for the lead. “Ji Changwook confirmed his will to do that earlier than the script was even completed,” Park mentioned. “I could not consider one other actor.”
Ji Changwook, who was drawn to the enjoyable script and distinctive characters, insisted he’s not repeating his efficiency. “I did not match the 2 characters in any respect,” he mentioned. “The author gave me one piece of homework… ‘I need Taejoong to be like a tree.’ That was my greatest problem.”
Director Park Shin Woo defined that the drama makes use of its episodic format to maintain viewers hooked. “Every episode unfolds like a brand new stage,” he mentioned, and he “tried to carry out the attraction of the sequence” with “new developments and unpredictable clashes between characters.”
Stream The Manipulated beginning November 5, completely on Disney+.
