Choi Woo-Shik (also spelled Choi Woo-sik / Woo-Sik Choi) is a South Korean Canadian actor and singer who gained international recognition for his portrayal of “Yong-Sik” in the movie “Train to Busan”. (2016) and ‘Kim Ki-woo’ in the movie “Parasite” (2019).
Wiki/Biography
Choi Woo-Shik was born on Monday March 26, 1990 (32 years old; in 2022) in Seoul, South Korea. Her zodiac sign is Aries. His English name is “Edward” and his friends and family members affectionately call him “Eddie”. At the age of ten, when he was in fifth grade, his family immigrated to Vancouver, Canada, and he was educated at Pinetree High School in Coquitlam, Canada. He attended Simon Fraser University (SFU) in Burnaby, Canada to pursue his studies in the arts. In 2011, at the age of 21, he left SFU and came to Korea to pursue his acting career. He majored in cultural studies at Chung-Ang University, Seoul, South Korea.
Physical appearance
- Height: 6′
- Hair color: Black
- Eye colour: Brown
Family and ethnicity
Parents and siblings
Not much is known about his family. He has an older brother and his family lives in Canada.
Relationships/Business, Spouse and Children
It was rumored that he was in a relationship with South Korean actor Park Seo-Joon. Later, he dispelled the rumor that Seo-Joon was his friend. He further clarified that he was not gay and that he was straight.
Choi-Woo-shik with Park Seo Joon
Career
Agency
- JYP Entertainment (October 2012-October 2018)
- Management SOOP (November 2018-present)
On the television
He made his acting debut with MBCS K-drama “The Duo” (2011) as a young “Gwi-dong.”
Choi Woo-shik in The Duo (2011)
He appeared in supporting roles in many popular dramas including Living in Style (2011), Special Affairs Team TEN (2011), Rooftop Prince (2012), Special Affairs Team TEN Season 2 (2012), You Are My Destiny (2014) and Pride and Prejudice (2014). He first appeared in a lead role in the drama “Hogu’s Love” (2015) and appeared as the title character in the dramas My Fantastic Funeral (2017) and Fight for My Way (2017).
Choi Woo-shik in Hogue Love 2015
He participated in the reality TV shows Beating Hearts (2013-14) and Law of the Jungle in Nicaragua (2015).
Choi Woo-shik in Law of the Jungle in Nicaragua (2015)
Movies
In 2011, he acted in a short film called “Etude Solo”.
Choi Woo Shik in a scene from Etude Solo (2011)
He made his big-screen debut in the movie “Secretly, Greatly” (2013) as “Yoon Yoo-Joon.”
Choi Woo-shik in Secretly, Greatly 2013
He played his first leading role (Young-Jae) in the movie “Set Me Free” (2014).
Choi Woo-shik in Free Me 2014
He achieved international recognition with “Train to Busan” (2016). The film premiered at the 2016 Cannes Film Festival. He has starred in many successful South Korean films including In the Room (2015), Okja (2017), The Witch: Part 1. The Subversion (2018) , Parasite (2019) and The Divine Fury (2019).
Choi Woo-shik in Train to Busan (2016)
Choi Woo-shik in Parasite (2019) as Ki-woo
Other works
He appeared in music videos for many K-pop songs such as IU’s “My Old Story”, “Congratulations” By Day 6 and Im Seulong’s “That Moment”.
Besides acting, he is also a good singer and sang the OST of the drama “The Boy Next Door” (2007) titled “Some Guys”.
Awards and Achievements
- Screen Actors Guild Awards for Outstanding Performance by a Cast in a Motion Picture for the film “Parasite” in 2020
Choi Woo-shik with his award
- Blue Dragon Film Awards for Best New Actor for the film “Set Me Free” in 2015
- Korean Association of Film Critics Awards for Best New Actor for the movie “Set Me Free” in 2015
- Busan Film Critics Awards for Best New Actor for the movie “Set Me Free” in 2015
- Busan International Film Festival – Actor of the Year for the film “Set Me Free” in 2014
To note: In addition to the awards mentioned above, he has received other awards and nominations
Signature
Autograph of Choi Woo-sik
Facts and stories
- Choi enjoys playing video games, hiking, surfing, skiing and snowboarding.
- When he was 10, his family moved to Vancouver in Canada. During his first days in Vancouver, he was expelled from his school, which made him less social. Speaking, he said,
“One day I brought my rice and my kimchi and my sides because I didn’t know, and I just brought a whole bunch of food with me, and then they said, ‘Oh, what’s that smell? ? ? They were like, ‘Oh, he’s the newcomer from Korea, but he smells bad.’ So they didn’t come to talk to me.
- In high school, he made fourteen best friends, all Korean, who helped him become a people person. He calls his friend FF14 (Friend Forever 14). Speaking of them, he said,
“They are really reliable. I can really chat with them.
- He is also a member of the Wooga Squad. The Wooga Squad includes five powerful men from the South Korean music and film industry: Park Seo Joon, Park Hyung Sik, Choi Woo Shik, BTS’ V and Peakboy.
- Choi wanted to become an actor and auditioned online to become an actor in Korea. Later, he begged his parents to let him audition in person in Korea. At first, his parents did not. They didn’t agree, but in the end they lent him money to go to Korea.
Choi Woo-shik in a scene from Parasite (2019)
- Cho Woo-shik is the best friend of actor Park Seo-joon, singer Peakboy and singer V (of BTS). They are often seen hanging out together.
Choi Woo-shik with Park Seo-joon, Peakboy and V
- He also sang the OST of the internationally acclaimed movie “Parasite” (2019) titled “A Glass of Soju”. The song was shortlisted for Best Original Song at the 2020 Oscars.
- He loves animals and has a dog named Choco.
Choi Woo-shik’s Instagram post about his pet dog
- He is a huge fan of Canadian singer and rapper Drake.
- He played the role of Kim Ki-woo in the film “Parasite” (2019), which won the Palme d’or at the Cannes Film Festival in 2019, and the Oscar for best film in 2020.
- In an interview, Choi Woo-Shik, talking about his drinking habits, said:
“My tolerance is one and a half bottles of Soju. I like the vibe, but I can’t drink too. I’m happy when I drink about one and a half bottles.
- He is non-vegetarian. He once made the Indian dish, biryani itself.
Choi Woo-shik posts his food on Insta
Choi Woo-shik makes biryani at home
- Since his rise to popularity, he has been featured in various major magazines like Cosmopolitan Korea and Elle.
Choi Woo-shik on the cover of Elle magazine
Choi Woo-shik on the covers of Cosmopolitan Korea-
Choi Woo-shik in a photo shoot for Cosmopolitan Korea
- He participated in Nike Korea’s advertising campaign.
Choi woo shik in an ad campaign for Nike Korea
- He loves playing board games and having a beer with his friends to relax. Her favorite board game is Catan.
Choi Woo-shik posted about playing Catan with his friends
- His first Instagram post was on November 28, 2018, where he was on the beach with his friends and with the caption “until next time”.
Choi Woo-shik’s first photo on Instagram
- Choi Woo-shik felt more pressure in Netflix’s K-drama Our Beloved Summer than in the Oscar-winning film that was a worldwide hit.
“There was tremendous pressure [in leading]. As the day of the premiere approached, the burden grew heavier each day. The feedback on the show is completely different from what I would get from acting in a movie,” Choi told The Korea Times.
- Choi Woo-shik in a recent interview with My Daily talked about South Korean boy band, BTS’ V singing an OST for their recently completed romantic drama series, Our Beloved Summer. He said,
“First of all, I really like the song. The song was like MSG which helped me express my game better. When my friend said he would sing the song, I was really grateful and I really am happy to have worked with this friend on a project that would last a lifetime.
- Choi Woo-shik says the most important reason for him to be in ‘The Policeman’s Lineage’ movie was Jo Jin Woong. He says,
“I wanted to work with him. Because of him, we had great chemistry and I was able to act with a diverse set of emotions. I think it would be fun to work with him again in the future. I didn’t know that he was a fun guy who liked to joke around. I’d love to see him back where our roles don’t require fighting.
- Choi Woo-shik says his goal for 2022 is that he wants to be bulkier. In his words,
“It’s not just that I want to get muscular. I want to show a new side of me that also matches me. When I was younger I wanted to look more masculine, but I got to a point where I came to reevaluate what it really means to be masculine. I’m not sure what it means to be masculine.
“Because of my appearance, the roles I get are very limited. That’s why I want to change my physical appearance, like my weight, so I can try out new roles.
- Choi Woo Shik is a Canadian citizen and has expressed his desire to work in the foreign film industry since he is fluent in English.
“I’m fluent in English, so I want to work in other films, but I think it’s even better when a well-produced Korean film or drama is released worldwide.”
