"When it was first revealed that EXO’s D.O (Do Kyungsoo) would be starring in the SBS Wednesday-Thrusday drama, ‘It’s Okay, It’s Love’, quite frankly, there were more of those who were worried outnumbered those who were expectant, irrespective of his being an eye-catching rising young idol. ‘It’s Okay, It’s Love’ was D.O’s first official role, and as an idol - SM idols perhaps more than most -, he faces the usual prejudice stemming from a view of SM idols’ alleged tendency of failue to come up to expectations in the acting depattment, which even went so far as to inspire the creation of a new phrase - the ‘SM curse’.
But that was to be the least of their worries. The first role given to D.O was not one of a regular, sweet and passionate fan boy of Jang Jaeyeol’s (Jo Insung), as was initially portrayed. The role D.O was in charge of, was one of a character that was a figment of imagination, created out of guilt that Jang Jaeyeol felt towards his brother. Kangwoo had a childhood identical to Jaeyeol’s, characterised by physical abuse at the hands of his stepfather.
Three years prior, when character Jaeyeol’s hyung stabbed him with a fork, Kangwoo appeared before his eyes and stayed by his side ever since. The reason why Jae Yul treated Kangwoo like a real brother and allowed him stay near him, in spite of being annoyed, was because Jaeyeol was seeing his younger self. Kangwoo, who dreams of becoming a writer, hopes to win in the writing contest. But Kangwoo’s actions were very irrational. He says that if he doesn’t win, he would want to die. And, of course, Jaeyeol tries his best to dissuade Kangwoo from committing suicide.
But things don’t progress as planned, and after witnessing his stepfather beating up his mother again, Kangwoo decided that he cannot watch it anymore and makes a sudden choice in front of Jaeyeol. Jaeyeol immediately throws his own body forward, in effort to protect Kangwoo, and luckily, Ji Hae Soo and Jo Dongmin, along with other psychiatrists following behind, managed to safely admit him into hospital in time.
A character that only exists in Jaeyeol’s mind.. To add to that, one exposed to long-term domestic abuse by his stepfather, but smiling brightly in spite of it, though unable to hide the deep pool of sadness in his eyes - this is a character requiring very detailed and sensitive acting. It is the sort of acting undoubtedly requiring extraordinarily talent.
This isn’t the sort of character that can be pulled off by simply memorizing the script and using the idols’ signature cute expressions. With this not being the typical high school student that we normally encounter, but a student with a special connections with only Jaeyeol, the acting needs to show meticulous emotions, to help the viewers understand Kangwoo’s character. Most importantly, with this being a character that is the sole key to explaining Jaeyeol’s illness, the role of Kangwoo in ‘It’s Okay, It’s Love’ is a very important one, indeed. Luckily, D.O perfectly understands Kangwoo’s character, and in that moment, he becomes Kangwoo and intensifies the sadness, which allows Jaeyeol to rely more upon Kangwoo.
In ‘It’s Okay, It’s Love’, you cannot see the hottest idol group EXO’s D.O. Only Han Kangwoo, with his bright smile. The reason behind all the past SM idols’ acting controversies and the criticism they faced, also had to do with acting skills and talent, as well as their strong image of idols, which made it hard for viewers to immerse themselves in their characters.
Critic Huh Jiwoong commented that he did not know that D.O was a member of EXO, and felt that D.O’s natural portrayal was more akin to that of an actor trainee who practiced for a long time and was receiving recognition and acknowledgement as a rookie actor by being given a role in a challenging drama.
D.O broke through the prejudice and criticism saying that whichever character they take on, SM idols will still be just pretty SM idols, and proudly got acknowledged as a talented actor. It seems like it would be justified to have high expectations of D.O’s first movie role in ‘Cart’ bringing an end to SM stars’ embarrassing history of attempts in acting. Actually, correction. While he is promoting as an actor, instead of as EXO’s D.O, it would be more appropriate to refer to him as actor Do Kyungsoo.”
Credit Translation: dailyexo@tumblr
News Source: MediaUs
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