Actor Scope: Choi Tae Joon

Tae Joon is one of the actors I believe need more attention from the public. He is not as famous as other actors internationally despite being a great actor with a good resume. He started his career as a child actor. However, he stopped for a bit during puberty and returned as a handsome guy through Padam Padam (2011). He is also a full-round entertainer. I always look around searching for more content for this guy which is why I think this article will be the most prolonged Actor Scope ever for me. 

Variety Shows 

I can’t mention this guy without mentioning his appearances on Korean variety shows. I got to know him as the Choi Tae Joon of Hello Counselor at first so I will start from it. 

Hello Counselor (2010)

Tae Joon is probably the only actor to join the cast of this famous Korean variety show. It is a show that receives citizens concerns and tries to solve them through discussions. He first appeared as a regular guest on the show, but his empathy and compassion towards the guests allowed him to continue hosting the show with the rest of the hosts for more than a year. His episodes remain my favourite until now. I still rewatch his episodes on KBS World Channel, which you can read about on my previous blog. 

We Got Married (2016)

Choi Tae Joon and Bomi are amongst the top couples who appeared on We Got Married. If you are not familiar with the TV show; it is a show that pairs celebrities together in a made-up marriage giving them a chance to understand each other and maybe fall in love later in real life. Tae Joon and Bomi were very popular as a couple on the show, and you could see how honest and straightforward both of them were in real life. I especially adored their passion for food.

Celeb Bros  (2016)

Celeb Bros is a mini-show that allows fans to see their favourite actors, K-pop stars, etc. together with their best friends. Choi Tae Joon and Block B Zico appear on a 4-episode installation of the program where they walk around, visit Tae Joon’s house and play games. It is fun to watch celebrities doing things other than photoshoots and interviews.

Dramas

As an actor, this guy played diverse roles from a prosecutor to a lawyer, a killer, a doctor and even a good for nothing husband. I will try my best to discuss my favourite roles for this talented guy. 

1. Ugly Alert (2014)

When I first started this show, the fact that there is a character as selfless as the main guy kinda frustrated me — although I get how big it is for a child to carry the guilt of his father and survive thinking about ways to help his family, still maintaining the same level of love after years of harsh and cold treatment is kinda unrealistic to me. Anyway, Joon Soo played by Im Joo-hwan was definitely a confusing character to me. Still, Im Joo-Hwan acted that character hella well that I managed to continue the drama despite my initial disagreement with the way the character is written. 

Choi Tae Joon plays the second lead and the younger brother of Joon Soo in this series. He has the key to the paradox box that should not be opened. He himself does not know how much his brother sacrificed for him. He appears resentful after his brother returns from jail, but he also seems empathetic and emotional for finally seeing his brother after so long. He plays a prosecutor with a half-brother who has a criminal record that he doesn’t want to reveal. He falls in love with Shin Joo-young played by Shin Su Yul and they face multiple ordeals together. 

2. Missing 9 (2017)

Ever wanted to see if there was a Korean version of Lost, there you have it here. Missing 9 is a drama that starts with the initial idea of the famous American series Lost. A group of friends and colleagues on a plane end up crashing on an unknown island. Lost had more valuable content during its first season for me, but Missing 9 definitely had my blood drained during certain scenes. Choi Tae Joon plays the worst type of guy ever in this drama. Wanna see a real transformation? Watch this guy in Ugly Alert and then watch Missing 9, or worse watch his real character on Hello counsellor then check this drama. One scene that had fans literally ready to kill Tae Joon is when his character Choi Tae Ho accidentally killed Yeol played by Chanyeol from EXO. 

3. All About My Mom (2015)

A Makjang drama with just the right amount of romance and touching scenes, this drama focuses on the relationship between a family of the parents and three children, one of which is majorly spoiled and pampered. The heroine is a responsible and caring woman, and the lead is a supportive guy who is stuck in the normal mother-in-law vs daughter-in-law drama, except he is supportive of his wife. The main couple is the ideal husband and wife while the rest of the cast represent the dysfunctional, confused and spoiled family. Tae Joon plays Lee Hyung-soon, a guy who falls in love with a rich girl from a different world. He is unemployed and slightly unconfident, so he tries to avoid any relationship with the girl. However, despite being a spoiled brat, the girl is hardheaded when it comes to love. His other side in this drama was a bit confusing to me, but she sure was an ace of all trades. She had all the traits I usually hate, but she somehow managed to stay adorable. The ending of their story was also very charming.

4. Suspicious Partner ( 2017)

I could write poetry for this one. I mean it is Ji Chang Wook and Choi Tae Joon together in one drama. They both are known to be close. They gather regularly with a couple of friends, so when I first heard they will act together, I looked forward to some good bromance. I got what I wanted ^_^. Choi Tae Joon acts the bad guy again in this drama except he is not a murderer or anything; he is just a cheater. He betrayed his best friend and tried to have a relationship with his girlfriend. He sure is not a murderer, but he killed a good relationship for his own selfish reason. Still contradictory to what you might think, when you see his character in this drama, you won’t be able to hate him. He regretted his actions enough, and throughout the story, he did more than enough to atone for his sin. There is still a bunch of bromance between him and Ji Chang Wook despite the complicated history. 

5. The Undateables (2018)

I started this one without even knowing he was gonna be in it. I heard a new drama for Nam Gongmin was airing and decided to watch it. He was surprisingly the second lead again here. He is the childhood friend who is friend-zoned and afraid to lose it all if he confesses. Kinda cliche but considering the story and the genre of this drama, you can’t expect more from it. This drama is light and heartwarming, so there is really nothing complicated in it. Tae Joon is adorable in most scenes, and his confession had me in tears because it is doomed and I knew. The hints and the developments in his character later were enjoyable to watch as well.

Interesting Facts:

•  He won Best Supporting Actor for Ugly Alert in Asian Rainbow TV Awards in 2014 and Best New Actor award in MBC Drama Awards for Mother’s Garden in the same year as well.
•  He has an Instagram account that you can follow. Unfortunately, he is currently serving in the military so you won’t get any new updates soon. 
• Choi Tae Joon and Park Shin Ye are currently dating.