Korean Drama Prince Returns, Joo Won Appears More Muscular In Carter

JAKARTA - One of the actors nicknamed the Prince of Korean Drama, Joo Won has finally returned to play in the drama Carter. For the sake of this film, Joo Won changed his physical appearance by gaining about seven kilograms of weight, shaving his hair, and going through four months of dieting and training to prepare for a challenging role.

"It was a tough but exciting journey. Carter was not like any character I've played before. I've done a lot of action in TV dramas like 'Bridal Mask' and 'Alice,' but it can't be compared to 'Carter'," he told the media. South Korea, in Seoul, quoted from The Korea Times on Wednesday, August 4.

Directed by Jung Byung-gil, Carter follows the story of Carter (played by Joo), an agent with amnesia who is on a mission to bring a child named Jang Ha-na to North Korea amid a viral outbreak.

Carter then realizes that the child is the "cure" for a deadly virus, so he embarks on a risky mission to save Jang Ha-na. The latest Netflix original film Carter is an action-espionage blockbuster starring Joo Won as a secret agent. The film will premiere on Netflix on August 5, 2022.

Regarding Joo's physical changes, director Jung said he wanted to show the actor's muscular side in his new film. Jung wanted to distance Joo from the image of a handsome boy in his youth and give him the image of a stoic action hero.

Jung also praised Joo's versatility in action. "He is the biggest action star in Korea," he said.

Two of the most difficult scenes to shoot were the parachuting scene and the helicopter scene. Jung said the production team minimized the effects of computer generated imaging (CGI). He believes that “Carter” is capable of delivering the most thrilling action scenes the audience has ever seen.

Meanwhile, according to Joo, Carter is a difficult role but that's what makes it interesting. He admitted that he really wanted the role after reading the script.

“It really piqued my curiosity and wanted to challenge myself,” she said.

Joo said that almost all the scenes he did alone without a stunt. He is also assisted by a martial arts team to perform dangerous and unexpected action scenes in front of the camera.

"For each death-defying scene, we rehearsed about 10 times before actually filming. Fortunately, we didn't experience any terrible incidents," said Joo.

Joo, whose real name is Moon Jun-won, made his debut in the acting world through the musical theater Altar Boyz (2007) and rose to fame after appearing in the KBS TV series King of Baking, Kim Takgu (2010). Joo is reportedly involved in an upcoming Hollywood project in the action adventure film "Afterburn" starring Gerard Butler.