Choi Woo-shik (Korean: 최우식), or Edward Choi, is an actor from South Korea. He first gained widespread recognition for his leading role in the film Set Me Free (2014). He then co-starred in the films Train to Busan (2016) and Parasite (2019), both of which received international critical acclaim and success, the latter winning the Palme d'Or at Cannes and the Academy Award for Best Picture. He also played the lead role in the popular television series Our Beloved Summer (2021–2022).
Early Life[]
Woo-shik was born in Seoul, South Korea, the younger of two sons. He migrated to Vancouver, Canada with his family when he was ten years old, in grade five, where he spent the next ten years of his life. He attended high school at Pinetree Secondary School. His English name is Edward Choi and he goes by the nickname Eddie.
In 2010, while attending Simon Fraser University, then-20-year-old Woo-shik was given permission by his parents to attend an acting audition in Korea, subsequently leading to him making his acting debut. Whilst in Korea, Woo-shik enrolled at Chung-Ang University, where he majored in cultural studies, the reason was because when he was little he didn't have the opportunity to know or learn Korean culture before, because he lived and grew up in Canada.
Career[]
2011-2015[]
Woo-shik made his acting debut in the period drama The Duo in 2011. Supporting roles followed, and Woo-shik was cast in crime drama Special Affairs Team TEN as detective Park Min-ho. Woo-shik reprised his role when the series was renewed for a second season in 2013. He made his big screen debut that same year, starring as a supporting character in the film Flu and Secretly, Greatly. In the interim, Woo-shik played several characters on television series such as Rooftop Prince, You Are My Destiny and Pride and Prejudice.
In 2014, Woo-shik took on his first leading role in the coming-of-age independent film Set Me Free. He played the role of Young-jae, a sixteen-year-old student living in a group home, who pretends that he wants to become a priest in order to prolong his stay at the home. The film was well received by critics, and Woo-shik was praised for his portrayal of the protagonist's inner conflict. He won several awards for his acting, including Actor of the Year at the Busan International Film Festival. Later that year, Woo-shik also starred in the action comedy film Big Match, playing the role of genius hacker Guru.
Woo-shik starred as the titular character in the romantic comedy cable series Hogu's Love. The series began airing on February 9, 2015. Woo-shik also took part in the R-rated Hong Kong-Singaporean film In the Room later that year. The film featured an anthology of characters, set in a single-room brothel at a hotel in Singapore.
2016–present[]
Woo-shik first gained international recognition with the blockbuster zombie thriller film Train to Busan, where he played the role of high school baseball player, Yong-guk. Premiering at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival on May 13, the film was a critical and commercial success, going on to gross over $93.1 million worldwide. He followed this up with a short, but memorable role as a truck driver in action-adventure film Okja. This marked his first collaboration with director Bong Joon-ho and featured an international cast, including Tilda Swinton and Paul Dano. Okja was screened in several independent theatres domestically, and released on streaming platform Netflix worldwide.
Woo-shik continued starring in several other films after this, including The Princess and the Matchmaker and Monstrum. In 2018, Woo-shik was cast as a mysterious assassin called the "Nobleman" in the action film The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion. The dark persona of the Nobleman was a shift from the characters Woo-shik usually played. In a press interview, co-star Park Hee-soon remarked that Nobleman could be Woo-shik's once-in-a-lifetime character.
In 2019, Woo-shik reunited with director Bong Joon-ho for the black comedy thriller film Parasite. Woo-shik played the main character Ki-woo, the son of a poor family, who schemes to become employed by a wealthy family by infiltrating their household and posing as unrelated, highly qualified individuals. Woo-shik was first approached by Bong after their first collaboration with Okja in 2016, who told the actor to "stay skinny" to play the character. Parasite premiered at the 2019 Cannes Film Festival on May 21, 2019, where it became the first South Korean film to win the Palme d'Or, and was the first film to win with a unanimous vote. Among other numerous accolades, Parasite won a leading four awards at the 92nd Academy Awards. It became the first South Korean film to receive Academy Award recognition, as well as the first film in a language other than English to win Best Picture. The cast also won the award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture at the 26th Screen Actors Guild Awards. In addition to his role as Ki-woo in Parasite, Woo-shik performed the end credits song "Soju One Glass," which made the shortlist for the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
In December 2021, Woo-shik starred in the SBS drama Our Beloved Summer alongside Kim Da-mi. It marked his return to the small screen in 4 years since 2017, as well as the reunion of the two actors after their film The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion (2018).
In 2022, Woo-shik returned to the big screen with the film The Policeman's Lineage which premiered on January 12, 2022.
On April 28, 2023, it was announced that Woo-shik's contract with Management SOOP has expired after he decided not to renew it.
He stars in the upcoming South Korean sci-fi fantasy film Wonderland.
Filmography[]
Film[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Etude, Solo | Hwang Kyeong-min | Short film |
| 2012 | Circle of Crime | ||
| 2013 | Secretly, Greatly | Yoon Yoo-joon | |
| Flu | Jeong-Jin | Cameo appearance | |
| 2014 | Set Me Free | Young-jae | |
| Big Match | Guru | ||
| 2015 | In the Room | Min-jun | Singaporean film |
| 2016 | Train to Busan | Yong-guk | |
| 2017 | Okja | Kim Woo-shik | |
| 2018 | Golden Slumber | Joo-ho | Cameo appearance |
| The Princess and the Matchmaker | Nam Chi-Ho | ||
| The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion | Gwi Gong-Ja (Nobleman) | ||
| Monstrum | Officer Hur | ||
| 2019 | Rosebud | Young Soon-cheol | |
| Parasite | Kim Ki-woo / Kevin (alias) | ||
| The Divine Fury | Father Choi | Cameo appearance | |
| 2020 | Time to Hunt | Ki-hoon | Netflix film |
| 2022 | The Policeman's Lineage | Choi Min-jae | |
| 2024 | Wonderland | Hyeon Soo |
Drama Series[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | The Duo | Young Gwi-dong | |
| Living in Style | Na Joo-ra | ||
| Deep Rooted Tree | Young Jung Gi-joon / Ga Ri-on | ||
| 2011–2013 | Special Affairs Team TEN | Park Min-ho | Season 1–2 |
| 2012 | Rooftop Prince | Do Chi-san | |
| Family | Yeol Woo-bong | ||
| Culprit Among Friends | Young Do-hyun | Drama special | |
| 2013 | Who Are You? | Hee-koo | Cameo (Episode 10, 12, 13) |
| Principal Investigator: Save Wang Jo-hyun! | Boo Joong-shik | Drama special | |
| 2014 | You're All Surrounded | Choi Woo-shik | Cameo (Episode 4) |
| You Are My Destiny | Lee Yong | ||
| Pride and Prejudice | Lee Jang-won | ||
| 2015 | Hogu's Love | Kang Ho-gu | |
| My Fantastic Funeral | Park Dong-soo | Two-part special | |
| 2017 | Fight for My Way | Park Moo-bin | Cameo (Episode 1–7) |
| The Package | Kim Gyung-jae | ||
| 2021 | Our Beloved Summer | Choi Woong / Go-oh | |
| 2024 | Melo Movie | Go Gyeom |
Web Series[]
| Year | Title | Role | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Someday | Chae Man-sik | |
| 2015 | Dream Knight | Past student | Cameo appearance |
| 2017 | The Boy Next Door | Park Gyu-tae | |
| 2024 | A Killer Paradox | Lee Tang | Netflix Series |
Television Show[]
| Year | Title | Role |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | I'm Real | Cast member |
| 2013 | Beating Hearts | |
| 2015 | Law of the Jungle in Nicaragua | |
| 2020 | Summer Vacation | |
| 2021 | Youn's Stay | |
| 2022 | In the Soop: Friendcation | |
| 2023 | Jinny's Kitchen | |
| Jinny's Kitchen Team Building | ||
| 2024 | Jinny's Kitchen Season 2 |
Music Video Appearances[]
| Year | Song title | Artist |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | "My Old Story" | IU |
| 2015 | "Congratulations" | Day6 |
| 2017 | "That Moment" | Lim Seul-ong |
| "You Were Beautiful" | Day6 |
Discography[]
| Year | Title | Album |
|---|---|---|
| 2017 | "Some Guys" (with Jang Ki-yong) |
OST of the web series The Boy Next Door |
| 2019 | "Soju One Glass" | OST of Parasite |
| 2021 | "Poom" (with Peakboy) |
Non-album single |
| 2022 | "Polaroid" (With Wooga Squad : Park Seo-joon, Park Hyung-sik, Kim Taehyung, Peakboy) |
Theme Song of In The Soop : Friendcation |
Awards & Nominations[]
| Award ceremony | Year | Category | Nominee / Work | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| APAN Star Awards | 2022 | Excellence Award, Actor in a Miniseries | Our Beloved Summer | Nominated |
| Best Couple | Choi Woo-shik with Kim Da-mi Our Beloved Summer |
Nominated | ||
| Asia Artist Awards | 2020 | Popularity Award (Actor) | Choi Woo-shik | Nominated |
| 2021 | Nominated | |||
| Asian Film Awards | 2020 | Best Supporting Actor | Parasite | Nominated |
| Blue Dragon Film Awards | 2014 | Best New Actor | Set Me Free | Won |
| Blue Dragon Series Awards | 2024 | Best Actor | A Killer Paradox | Nominated |
| TIRTIR Popularity Star Award | Choi Woo-sik | Won | ||
| Buil Film Awards | 2015 | Best New Actor | Set Me Free | Nominated |
| 2019 | Best Actor | Parasite | Nominated | |
| Brand Customer Loyalty Awards | 2022 | Best Male Actor | Our Beloved Summer | Nominated |
| Busan Film Critics Awards | 2015 | Best New Actor | Set Me Free | Won |
| Busan International Film Festival | 2014 | Actor of the Year | Won | |
| Chunsa Film Art Awards | 2017 | Special Popularity Award | Choi Woo-shik | Won |
| 2019 | Best Actor | Parasite | Nominated | |
| Critics' Choice Awards | 2020 | Best Acting Ensemble | Nominated | |
| Director's Cut Awards | 2019 | Best Actor | Nominated | |
| Korean Association of Film Critics Awards | 2015 | Best New Actor | Set Me Free | Won |
| Korea First Brand Awards | 2019 | Best Actor (Film) | Choi Woo-shik | Won |
| Max Movie Awards | 2015 | Best New Actor | Set Me Free | Nominated |
| 2016 | Rising Star Award | Choi Woo-shik | Won | |
| SBS Drama Awards | 2021 | Director's Award | Our Beloved Summer | Won |
| Top Excellence Award for an Actor in a Mini-Series (Romance/Comedy) | Nominated | |||
| Best Couple Award | Choi Woo-shik with Kim Da-mi Our Beloved Summer |
Nominated | ||
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | 2020 | Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture | Parasite | Won |
| Korean Film Actors Association Star Award | 2015 | Popular Actor Award | Choi Woo-shik | Won |
| Wildflower Film Awards | 2015 | Best New Actor | Set Me Free | Won |
Listicles[]
| Publisher | Year | Listicle | Placement |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cine21 | 2021 | Actors that will lead Korean Video Content Industry in 2022 | 6th |
| The Screen | 2019 | 2009–2019 Top Box Office Powerhouse Actors in Korean Movies | 42nd |