2003–2005: Career beginnings and hiatus Yoo made his debut in a TV commercial in 2003. His first management wanted to create an attractive stage name for him that fit an idol image because the name Uhm Hong-sik was considered too heavy and old fashioned. He then chose Yoo Ah-in, Ah-in taken from the German word meaning "one". Yoo was then cast in the teen series
Sharp after auditioning, playing the role of a model student majoring in painting. After the series aired, Yoo gained popularity and was cast in romance drama
April Kiss and
one-act drama
Shi-eun & Soo-ha. Yoo also appeared in various commercials including school uniforms and youth apparel. After that, however, Yoo took a break from acting and disappeared from the spotlight. According to Yoo, he became an actor without any prior knowledge about acting and entertainment industry. At first, he was thrilled by the accolades and popularity of the profession, but then became confused about whether or not that was what he truly desired in life. Yoo felt the need for a hiatus to reflect upon what he wanted for himself instead of catering to others, and what kind of path as an actor he would want to take in the future. Having taken the time for introspection, he discovered his passion for serious acting. Yoo recalls of his career beginnings:
2006–2009: Film debut Resuming his acting career, Yoo starred in low-budget
indie film
Boys of Tomorrow, taking over the role of a young man Jong-dae, who carries the psychological scars of a traumatic childhood accident. The film premiered at
Busan International Film Festival in October 2006, and competed for the
Golden Leopard at the 2007
Locarno International Film Festival. He said about the meaning of his first film, "If I have drawn a picture of the actor career, this film must be within that picture." Director Noh Dong-seok met Yoo when he couldn't make up his mind even though he has met several actors interested in the role of Jong-dae. Noh decided to cast Yoo within five minutes of meeting him, saying, "I can't forget the first five minutes I met Yoo at the audition. When I asked other actors about Jong-dae character, they usually answered, 'I think he's going to wear something, have some hairstyle and some kind of personality'. But he stared out the window for a long time, and suddenly said one word as if he choked up slightly, 'It's sad.' At that moment, I thought, 'Jong-dae is him.'" During the film's press junket, Noh said, "In contrast to his noticeably good looks, he was filled with a furious energy. When I hear the word 'youth,' I think of Yoo Ah-in. The true main character of this movie, I think, is [not Jong-dae but] Yoo Ah-in." Noh also recalled Yoo's audition in an interview, saying, "I fell for Yoo Ah-in at first sight. Of course, he also had good looks. But he had an extremely different feel from the other actors whom I had met during casting. Yoo Ah-in was nervous when he met me. Before his identity as an actor, he possessed twenty years of his natural self as Yoo Ah-in." Yoo's role as a boy looking for a gun in order to escape from his frustrating reality earned positive reviews, and he won the Best New Actor award at the
Busan Film Critics Awards. Yoo then starred in
Jeong Yoon-cheol's
black comedy film
Skeletons in the Closet, playing the role of an eccentric boy who believes he was a king in previous incarnation. Yoo was nominated at the
Blue Dragon Film Awards. In 2008, Yoo starred in historical drama
Strongest Chil Woo, playing a cruel but lonely assassin adopted by a nobleman. He gained recognition from critics and viewers for his performance, despite it being the first
historical drama for him. He was also featured in
Min Kyu-dong's
comedy-drama film
Antique, adapted from
Yoshinaga Fumi's
manga Antique Bakery. For his role as a patisserie aspirant and former boxer, Yoo took boxing and baking classes. Min purposefully gave Yoo long sets of lines in the film, saying that Yoo already knew exactly how to act with rhythm, "No matter how long his lines were, just one sentence could tell you how good his rhythm was." And, "Most rookie actors wait around for their turn in the script and then get so nervous that they mess up their first lines and everything else completely falls apart, but Yoo Ah-in got it done in one stroke of the knife. That's why I purposefully gave him long sets of lines. He's an actor whose talent is most evident in long takes and full shots." Yoo received the Best New Actor award at the
Director's Cut Awards and emerged as one of the most promising actors in
Korean film industry. In 2009, he was cast in romance drama ''
He Who Can't Marry'', as cheeky assistant who works at the architectural office, portraying the bright side of being in one's twenties. He next starred in the film
Sky and Ocean as a pizza delivery man who strives to make his own livelihood.
2010–2013: Rising popularity and breakthrough Yoo's rise to fame came in 2010, when he acted in fusion period drama
Sungkyunkwan Scandal, adapted from a book with the same title. Yoo became famous due to the drama's popularity. He played the role of an unpredictable man who moonlights to reveal the corruption of rich nobles. Yoo's popularity was later referred to as "Geol-oh-al-yee" (Geol-oh fever), coined after the name of his character. The drama's scriptwriter Kim Tae-heui said in her interview, "[t]he most charming character in the book was Geol-oh but I don't think I'm cut out exactly for portraying such raw and rough male character. That's how my Geol-oh is more sensitive and less in words compared to other characters. This combined with additional interpretation of actor Yoo Ah-in who happens to be a very sentimental actor, the Geol-oh in the drama became someone completely different from the original story." In 2011, he played a leading role of biracial teenager in the
coming-of-age film Punch, a critical and commercial hit. The film premiered at the 2011 Busan International Film Festival, and competed for Crystal Bear at the
Berlin International Film Festival. His co-star, veteran actor
Kim Yoon-seok praised him that "In the next 10 years, he will be one of the biggest names in Korean cinema." The next year, Yoo starred in drama
Fashion King, taking over the role of a self-made but obsessed-with-success fashion businessman. The drama portrays the love and success of young people, but poorly received due to its weak narrative and controversial ending. Still, he described his joining the project as an adventurous and satisfying step as he was able to play a character with worldly desires. Cast as
King Sukjong in the 2013 period drama
Jang Ok-jung, Living by Love, a
revisionist take on infamous royal concubine
Jang Hui-bin. Yoo called the role one of the biggest challenges of his career and he garnered favorable press reviews for his mature, charismatic and versatile portrayal of Sukjong. He then played the titular character in the film
Tough as Iron, about a
Busan pier worker who takes care of his mother afflicted with
dementia and kidney disease. Yoo and
Tough as Iron co-star,
Jung Yu-mi later collaborated again as
voice actors in the animated film
The Satellite Girl and Milk Cow.
2014–2017: Acclaim in film and television In 2014, Yoo appeared as a quirky supporting role in
Lee Han's
Thread of Lies (this was Lee's second film adaptation of a
Kim Ryeo-ryeong novel after
Punch). This was followed by a leading role in cable melodrama
Secret Affair (
Secret Love Affair), in which Yoo played a poor piano prodigy in love with his married, much older teacher. To prepare for his role, Yoo practiced the piano and listened to classical music. The drama occupied the number one ratings slot throughout its run and became the
highest rated general cable drama of the year. Due to his popularity, Yoo was dubbed as "kukmin yeonha-nam" (the nation's younger boyfriend). Yoo garnered favorable press reviews for his delicate, three-dimensional and passionate portrayal of a genius pianist.
10 Asia praised, "
Secret Affair is Yoo Ah-in's turning point in acting. He makes the affair looks so irresistible and concrete, he makes the viewers sympathize for his forbidden love and follow his journey till all hell breaks loose." And, "His piano concerto scene will be the talk of the town for a long time and is worth lasting memory." In 2015, Yoo starred in two top-grossing films. He played an amoral young millionaire who faces off with a detective in
Ryoo Seung-wan's crime thriller/comedy
Veteran with
Hwang Jung-min and
Yoo Hae-jin among the cast, and as the tragic
Crown Prince Sado in
Lee Joon-ik's period drama
The Throne alongside
Song Kang-ho.
Veteran became one of the
highest-grossing films in South Korea and
The Throne was South Korea's submission for the
Academy Awards for
Best Foreign Language Film. Ryoo Seung-wan described Yoo's character in
Veteran as "more like
James Cagney's characters", and praised Yoo's take on his first character as a ruthless
chaebol, "He was more interested and active in expressing this villain character. We were more like supplementing each other rather than one guiding the other." And, "Yoo Ah-in's character being like a boy made this character even more special. If you watch James Cagney's movies, his characters have this childish side; Yoo Ah-in doesn't have it, so that's what makes it even more scary. It's something that not even
Lee Marvin can make." Lee Joon-ik said he hand-picked Yoo and wrote the
Crown Prince Sado character for Yoo after watching
Punch, "When I watched
Punch, I already saw Sado's heart in Yoo Ah-in. He's an actor with so much dissatisfaction and anxiety, who has an internal flame bottled up inside", and, "He showed the essence of people in their 20s." For his roles in both
Veteran and
The Throne, Yoo received Best Actor awards at influential film awards including
Blue Dragon Awards, Korean Film Reporters Association Awards,
Chunsa Film Art Awards, and Golden Cinematography Awards. The same year, he was named
Film Actor of the Year by
Gallup Korea and ranked number two on
Korea Power Celebrity 40 by
Forbes. Yoo was then cast in the historical drama
Six Flying Dragons, reuniting with
Fashion King co-star
Shin Se-kyung. The drama occupied the number one ratings slot throughout its run. Yoo's portrayal of ambitious prince
Taejong of Joseon won him
Best Actor in the TV Category at the
Baeksang Arts Awards. Due to his success in both film and television, the entertainment media coined 2015 the "A-in-shi-dae" (Ah-in Era). The following year, Yoo played a Korean wave star in
ensemble cast film
Like for Likes, his first romantic comedy since his debut. This was also his first film directed by a woman. Yoo said of his desire to work on the film, "I discussed the topic of
feminism with the director. This film depicts the stereotypical perception of women that is deeply rooted in Korean society. When a man articulates his opinion, he is considered as cool and having self-confidence, but when a woman does the same she is called overly opinionated. This part went straight to my heart." For his contribution in art, Yoo received the Prime Minister's Commendation at the 7th Korean Popular Culture & Arts Awards in October 2016. In 2017, Yoo starred in fantasy-romance drama
Chicago Typewriter. He played double roles of a now famous novelist and the leader of a resistance group during the 1930s
Japanese occupation of Korea.
2018–present: International acclaim and activism In 2018, Yoo starred in
Lee Chang-dong's film
Burning opposite
Steven Yeun, portraying a pure and sensitive young man, Jong-su, who tries to solve the mystery surrounding the woman he loves. Lee said the reason he cast Yoo, "Yoo Ah-in is one of the most famous Korean actors in that age group, and he's known for being good at delivering emotionally charged performances. In contrast to that, Jong-su is such a passive and shy character who doesn't show his emotions and who doesn't react, so I thought that would be really interesting for this actor to play this role." Lee then praised, "No one else could inhabit the character of Jong-su like he did. Yoo Ah-in is irreplaceable for this role, he is capable of conveying great nuance and sensitivity."
Burning had its premiere at the
Cannes Film Festival, where Yoo walked the red carpet. It was selected as the South Korean entry for the
Best Foreign Language Film at the
91st Academy Awards, became the first Korean film to make it to the final nine-film shortlist of the
Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Yoo's performance was praised.
Justin Chang of
Los Angeles Times said on
NPR, "As the movie's inarticulate male lead, Yoo Ah-in has, in some ways, the trickiest task. But he reaches almost subterranean depths of feeling." Jessica Kiang of
The Playlist wrote, "Yoo's Jong-su is the very definition of still waters that run deep and dark and conceal who knows what in their murky reaches. Only a flawlessly assured performance could make the film's devastating yet ambivalent and enigmatic finale work as well as it does here." Pierce Conran of
Screen Anarchy wrote, "Even more impressive is Yoo Ah-in, who is most well known in the West for playing the slimy son of a corporate head who serves as the villain in
Ryoo Seung-wan's
Veteran. Never better, Yoo embodies a sense of confusion, which eventually turns to dread in a performance that doesn't allow us to make any easy judgments about his character. Jong-soo's intentions throughout the story may seem innocent, but coupled with references to emasculation and his timid physicality, Yoo crafts an unusually compelling lead." Tim Grierson of
Screen Daily wrote, "Ah-in Yoo is remarkable as
Burning's ineffectual, withdrawn protagonist: he's the perfect vessel for Lee's grand treatise on the immutable fact that none of us truly understands anyone or anything." For his role in
Burning,
The New York Times featured Yoo in their list of "The Best Actors of 2018", making him the only Asian to be on the list and the first Korean actor to do so. In November 2018, Yoo starred in the crisis film
Default, taking over the role of Yoon Jeong-hak, who bet on the crisis after leaving the securities company and forecasting
national bankruptcy. This character gave the impression that "is different from the youth that Yoo Ah-in has represented before", as in, "a person who represents the desire of ordinary people" and "a person who embraces the crossroads of the older and younger generations three-dimensionally." and he starred in the film with the thoughts of "how to accept the established system" and it was interesting that a female character deals with the country's major crisis and tries to solve it. In response, co-star
Kim Hye-soo described Yoo as "an actor who has healthy mind", and thanked him for his decision to appear in the movie, saying that understanding message of the film and starring in this film is a possible choice because he is Yoo Ah-in. Yoo was featured in
Forbes as a star to take note of in January 2019. He next became the host, co-writer and co-producer for 12 episodes of
KBS1 special talk show
Do-ol Ah-in Going All Directions with philosopher
Do-ol Kim Yong-ok, broadcast from January 5 to March 23, 2019. His first take on hosting a talk show garnered positive press reviews, noting, "he is the only actor who ever tried creating such a platform of communication", "honestly expressing his beliefs on various topics including gender discrimination", "[h]e met the audience directly with refreshing candor", and "Yoo Ah-in's and Do-ol's open communication method helped narrowing the generation gap." On April 3, 2019, Yoo and Do-ol were invited to participate in the 71st anniversary of
Jeju uprising on
Jeju Island, reading the declaration of peace and "The 71st Jeju Resolutions" in front of more than ten thousand spectators. Yoo said in his speech, "I shamefully did not know much about
Jeju 4.3. I did not know what to call it, nor why we were not supposed to know about it [...] After learning about Jeju 4.3, I realized that it's a moment in history we all should never forget, and that we must continue to talk about and to make the issue current." And, "I could not imagine how the perpetrators could continue to go on with their lives after what they did. I would never have imagined how the victims and the bereaved families endure the years of grief, and how Jeju island bears these unbelievable wounds in its history." In 2020, Yoo starred in a
zombie thriller #Alive as survivor Jun-woo, based on the original script of Hollywood screenwriter Matt Naylor. The film premiered on June 24, 2020, and became the first film to surpass 1 million admissions since February 2020 prior to the outbreak of
COVID-19 in South Korea. In September 2020,
#Alive became the first Korean film to top
Netflix Movies Worldwide chart. By the end of 2020, it became one of the most popular titles globally on Netflix. In October 2020, Yoo starred in low-budget indie film
Voice of Silence as a
mutism character without a single line throughout the film, directed and written by a new female director
Hong Eui-jeong, based on her script which was selected as one of the top 12 projects at
Venice Biennale College-Cinema 2016/2017. Director Hong Eui-jeong said about the casting, "It was not easy to carry on a hardly commercial, small film, but I sent the script to Yoo Ah-in's agent and I was shocked that he responded sooner than I expected." For his role as a mute clean-up worker Tae-in, Yoo gained over 33 pounds (15 kg) and shaved his head. Hong Eui-jeong said that the original character in the script was supposed to be a slender young man, but in their first meeting, Yoo already gained weight because he thought it would suit with the character who worked a lot of physical labor. She recalled she was visually overwhelmed by his appearance, saying, "I didn't recognize him at first." After some discussions, she agreed that his physical transformation would work well with the silent Tae-in who used the
body language to communicate. Later, she sent Yoo a video clip of gorrillas for his character study. She said, "I gave him a gorilla video because I set out Tae-in behavioral much more than I did emotional descriptions." Hong said the reason he cast Yoo, "Yoo Ah-in clearly had this boyish image that Tae-in needed. [...] He is not only excellent in acting, but he also has an image that creates time and space around the narrative. Thanks to him,
Voice of Silence could have a more daydream-like fantasy atmosphere, and though I had worries about having a character without lines, his distinctive texture filled up the movie, leaving no void, despite the absence of lines". She praised him on his contribution to the character, saying, "Yoo Ah-in's interpretation of Tae-in's character was new and vivid beyond the script's suggestion. [...] [t]hrough his ideas and suggestions, I had the experience of discovering and learning about aspects of Tae-in, a character whom I created in the screenplay, that were till then unknown to me. [...] Ultimately, Tae-in was born with a look that was different from the feel in the scriptwriting stage". Yoo's performance was critically acclaimed. Jennie Kermode from
Eye of Film wrote, "With a greater focus on character than plot, the film benefits from solid acting all round [...] It's Yoo, however, who is the standout, taking his character through a remarkable arc." Nikki Baughan of
Screen International wrote in his
Fantasia International Film Festival review, "Working without dialogue, Yoo Ah-in resists the easy temptation of extreme physical expression; instead, he deploys restraint in his movements, conveying Tae-in's soul-destroying lack of options in his hangdog expression, his downcast eyes, his frantic attempts to cover up bloodstains in the dust." Nick Allen of
Roger Ebert was similarly positive, saying, "Yoo Ah-in of
#Alive giving a compelling, full-bodied performance." Jack Cameron wrote for
The Film Magazine, "Yoo Ah-in, who was so excellent in
Burning, is just as strong here, communicating everything with his highly expressive body language and his deliberately passive facial expressions. His breathing and grunting noises often hold your attention more strongly than some of the written dialogue". For his roles in both
#Alive and
Voice of Silence, Yoo was named "Actor of the Year" at the
2020 Cine 21 Awards. For his performance in
Voice of Silence, he won
Best Leading Actor and Popular Star awards at the
41st Blue Dragon Film Awards, and became the second actor to win best actor award twice before the age of 40, following
Sul Kyung-gu. He also won
Best Actor in the Film Category at the
57th Baeksang Arts Awards, Cheval Noir Award for Best Actor at the
25th Fantasia International Film Festival, and Best Actor awards at the
30th Buil Film Awards and
15th Asian Film Awards respectively in 2021 for his performance in
Voice of Silence. Yoo's next role was that of the
cult leader Jung Jin-soo in
Yeon Sang-ho's Netflix series
Hellbound that was released in November 2021. The series had its world premiere at the
2021 Toronto International Film Festival in the Primetime program of TV series in September 2021, and became the first Korean drama to make it to the festival. It was also screened at
26th Busan International Film Festival in newly created On Screen section, and at the 65th
BFI London Film Festival in Thrill section in October 2021.
Hellbound became the first Korean series to top Netflix TV Shows Worldwide chart within a day after its release, and topped Netflix's official weekly chart for non-English TV programs. Yoo gained recognition from critics and viewers for his performance, despite him being
antagonist. Nick Allen wrote for
Roger Ebert, "Yoo Ah-in is excellent in this role that has him delivering cryptic words of faith with a certain deadness in his eyes." Andrew Murray from
The Upcoming wrote, "[...] it's Ah-in who steals the spotlight as soft-spoken cult leader Jeong Jin-Soo. Skilfully walking the line between menacing and charming, this charismatic figure has everything needed to become a memorable antagonist." Brian Tallerico of
The Playlist was similarly positive and wrote, "Yoo Ah-in, also in the Netflix hit
#Alive, is such a fascinating young actor, one who really gets what
Hellbound should be about, that the show suffers when he leaves it".
Polygons Zosha Millman wrote, "Yoo Ah-in is particularly inspired casting, letting his chairman be just as virtuous as he is shifty, immovable in his low-key fanaticism. It's on his shoulders that the rest of the players can build their respective roles without ever feeling simply drawn". Hidzir Junaini from
NME wrote, "His quiet demeanor belying an unsettling intensity, Yoo Ah-in's performance as the show's pivotal villain is creepily fascinating". In 2022, Yoo portrayed the "
Sanggye-dong Supreme Team" leader in a Netflix
crime comedy film Seoul Vibe with
Kim Sung-kyun,
Jung Woong-in and
Moon So-ri among the cast. Despite the film's mixed reviews, Yoo's performance received critical acclaim. Divya Malladi from
Digital Mafia Talkies wrote, "Yoo Ah In as Dong Wook brought such a degree of believability to his character, with his blind courage that was balanced by a shrewd calculative nature." Pramit Chatterjee wrote for
High On Films, "Yoo Ah-in is undoubtedly the star here, and he delivers a major chunk of the fireworks." Yoo next will star opposite
Lee Byung-hun, portraying South Korean professional
Go player Lee Chang-ho in
The Match. The film is scheduled to be released on Netflix in 2023. He will also play unemployed man with
superpowers in
Kang Hyeong-cheol's
fantasy film Hi-Five, alongside
Ra Mi-ran, and star in Netflix
apocalyptic drama
Goodbye Earth, a work based on the novel
The Fool of the End by
Kōtarō Isaka, directed by
Kim Jin-min. ==Other works==