At a press conference on Nov. 3 at the Conrad Seoul for Disney+ original series "The Manipulated" (written by Oh Sang-ho, directed by Park Shin-woo), D.O. joked about his longtime pal: "Kwang-soo hyung is usually super opinionated and loves giving the younger guys a hard time," he quipped, drawing laughs―before getting sincere.
"On a set, he's a different person. Having him there was a huge source of support," D.O. said. "I've learned a lot from him, honestly―ever since "It's Okay, That's Love." Watching how he acts and how he treats the people around him on set taught me so much."
"The Manipulated" follows Tae-jung (Ji Chang-wook), an ordinary man who gets framed for a heinous crime and sent to prison―only to discover it was all orchestrated by Yohan (D.O.). He sets out on a revenge mission from there. D.O. plays Ahn Yohan, the CEO of an elite security firm serving the top 1%, while Lee portrays Baek Do-kyung, one of Yohan’s VIP clients with power and money to spare.
Lee admitted he once worried their real-life closeness might make acting opposite each other awkward. "I wondered if I'd get shy when the cameras rolled because we're so close," he said. "But seeing him on set just felt great. Thanks to D.O. and Chang-wook, I did everything I wanted to try―no awkwardness at all. They received everything, supported it, and it honestly felt like I was going to set to have fun."
He also praised D.O.’s first turn as a villain. "We were just hanging out like we always do, and then we shot our first scene together. I literally thought, ‘Is that D.O.?’ He was nothing like the guy I see off set. Watching that level of focus taught me a lot," Lee said with a thumbs up.
"That's a big reason people love him," Lee continued. "He flips a switch for work. Seeing that on set made me realize it's one of his greatest strengths."
D.O. echoed the sentiment, saying their chemistry only deepened the performance. "Because we're so close, I thought looking him in the eye might feel a little cringe," he admitted. "But he embodied Baek Do-kyung so completely that it wasn’t cringe at all―it actually helped me immerse myself in the scene."
From Oh Sang-ho, the writer behind the hit Taxi Driver franchise, "The Manipulated" promises tight storytelling and a cathartic revenge ride. The series drops four episodes on Nov. 5, then rolls out two episodes weekly for a 12-episode run.
[Photo by Baik Seung-Chul]
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)