In the recently concluded MBC Friday-Saturday drama “When the Phone Rings,” Yoo Yeon-seok played Baek Sa-eon, the youngest presidential spokesperson with a family background, impeccable appearance and skills. Wearing elegant clothes that accentuated her amazing physique and giving passionate and devoted looks, she showed a touching romance with the character of Chae Soo-bin. The performance garnered fervent reactions not only in Korea but also in South America and other international regions.
Yoo Yeon-seok, who has openly expressed his desire to be associated with the nickname “Sexy Eyebrows,” shared in a recent interview: “As an actor, earning even a single nickname is no easy feat. Sometimes, these tags persist so long that it becomes frustrating if you can’t overcome them with a new character. I am grateful to have earned the nickname “Sexy Eyebrows” and to have been remembered fondly. It’s energizing when I turn 40 as an actor.”
While the show’s ratings haven’t been particularly high compared to its time slot competitor, SBS’ “The Fiery Priest 2,” it has gained traction through word of mouth, reaching its highest nationwide rating of 8.6%. during the finale. After the drama, Yoo Yeon-seok’s SNS followers doubled to 4.2 million, and he ranked first in December’s TV and OTT actor ranking, even surpassing the cast of “Squid Game 2.”
Reflecting on the success, Yoo Yeon-seok said: “It was an intense recovery, but the love received abroad swept away all the difficulties. I think people really liked the male protagonist ‘tsundere’.”
When asked about memorable reactions to his character Baek Sa-eon, he laughed and said, “I found the term “Hee-chin-ja” (a man obsessed with Hee-joo) funny.“He added:”I played and acted as a man deeply devoted to a woman. The character was fun to play because it allowed me to explore various elements such as comedy, romance, action and thriller.“
For this performance, Yoo Yeon-seok won the Top Excellence Award and Best Couple Award at the MBC Drama Awards. He noted: “My first drama was with MBC, so receiving such a major award there after 16 years was significant.”
From Chilbong in “Reply 1994” to Goo Dong-mae in “Mr. Sunshine,” Kang Dong-joo in “Dr. Romantic” and Ahn Jeong-won in “Hospital Playlist,” Yoo Yeon-seok’s career has been defined by memorable characters. Now in his 40s, he shared: “I was worried about whether I could still do romance at 40, but this gave me courage. I want to explore more mature romances and boldly tackle genres I’ve never tried before. I also want to work in various mediums, such as variety shows and musicals, and if opportunities arise abroad, I would like to gain experience there too.“
His next project is the human comedy-drama “God and Law Firm.” Expressing excitement at showing a new side of himself, Yoo Yeon-seok also mentioned his hopes for a new season of “Hospital Playlist.” However, he noted, “It’s not easy to get all the cast members together as everyone is now leading their own projects. We always ask the director in our group chat when the next season will happen.”
