Choi Woo-Shik (also spelled as 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 (aged 32; as of 2022) in Seoul, South Korea. His zodiac sign is Aries. His English name is “Edward” and his friends and family members lovingly call him “Eddie”. [1]Choi Woo-Shik – Interview 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. [2]Korean Film Council 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. [3]Asiae
Physical appearance
- [4]Management Scoop Height: 6′
- Hair Color: Black
- Eye color: Brown
Family & Ethnicity
Parents and Siblings
Not much is known about his family. He has an older brother and his family lives in Canada.
Relations/ Affairs, Spouse & Kids
He was previously rumored to be in a relationship with South Korean actor Park Seo-Joon. Later, he dispelled the rumor that Seo-Joon was his friend. He further cleared up that he is not gay and is straight. [5]Scoompi
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 the 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 main 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 starred 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 Set Me Free 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 has 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
Note: In addition to the awards mentioned above, he has received other awards and nominations
Signature
Autograph of Choi Woo-shik
Facts and Anecdotes
- 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 were like, ‘Oh, what is that smell? ? They were like, ‘Oh, he’s the newcomer from Korea, but he smells bad.’ So they didn’t come and 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 says,
“They are really reliable. I can really talk things over with them.”
- He is also a member of the Wooga Squad. The Wooga Squad comprises five powerful men in the music and the South Korean movie industry- Park Seo Joon, Park Hyung Sik, Choi Woo Shik, BTS’ V, and Peakboy. [6]Hindustan Times
- Choi wanted to become an actor and gave online auditions to become an actor in Korea. Later, he begged his parents to let him audition in Korea in person. At first, his parents did not. They disagreed, 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 et 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 pet 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 as well. I’m happy when I drink about a bottle and a half.”
- He is non-vegetarian. He once made the Indian dish, biryani himself.
Choi Woo-shik posting about his food on Insta
Choi Woo-shik making biryani at home
- Since his rise to popularity, he has been in various major magazines like Cosmopolitan Korea and Elle.
Choi Woo-shik on the covers of Elle Magazine
Choi Woo-shik on the covers of Cosmopolitan Korea-
Choi Woo-shik in a photoshoot for Cosmopolitan Korea
- He has been in the ad campaign for Nike Korea. [7]Choi Woo-Shik – Instagram
Choi woo shik in an ad campaign for Nike Korea
- He loves playing board games and having a beer with his friends to relax. His 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.” [8]Choi Woo-Shik – Instagram
The first picture of Choi Woo-shik on Instagram
- Choi Woo Shik photobombed a reporter at the Oscars 2022. [9]Gossip Chimp [10]Twitter
Choi Woo-shik photobombing a journalist at the Oscars
- Choi Woo-shik felt more pressure starring in Netflix K-drama Our Beloved Summer than Oscar-winning film that was global hit.
“There was enormous pressure [in leading]. As the premiere day came closer, the burden felt heavier every day. The feedback for the series is completely different than the feedback I would get from starring in a film,” Choi told The Korea Times. [11]South China Morning Post
- Choi Woo-shik in a recent interview with My Daily talked about the South Korean boyband, BTS’ V singing an OST for his recently-ended romantic drama series, Our Beloved Summer. [12]Republic World He said,
”First of all, I really like the song. The song was like MSG which helped me to express my acting better. When my friend said he would sing the song, I was really thankful, and I am really happy to have worked with that friend on a project that would last my whole life.”
- Choi Woo-shik says that the most important reason for him to be a part of the movie “The Policeman’s Lineage” was Jo Jin Woong. [13]Soompi He says,
“I wanted to work with him. Thanks to him, we had great chemistry, and I was able to act with a diverse set of emotions. I think it’d be fun to work with him again in the future. I didn’t realize that he was a fun guy who likes to joke around. I’d like to meet him again where our roles don’t require fighting each other.”
“It’s not just that I want to become muscular. I want to show a new side of me that suits me as well. When I was younger, I wanted to look more masculine, but I’ve come to a stage where I came to re-evaluate what being masculine really means. I’m not quite sure what being masculine entails.
“Due to my appearance, the roles I get are very limited. That’s why I want to give a change to my physical appearance, like my weight so that I can try new roles.
- Choi Woo Shik is a Canadian citizen and has expressed his desire to work in the foreign film industry since he speaks English fluently. [15]Soompi
“I do speak English fluently so I want to work in other films, but I think it’s even better when a well-produced Korean film or drama gets released globally.”