[Herald Interview] Do Kyung-soo says idol past helped his gravity-defying performance

Do Kyung-soo (SM Entertainment)

Do Kyung-soo, the main vocalist of K-pop idol group EXO, said his idol background was especially helpful in playing an abandoned astronaut in “The Moon.”

“I have been doing choreography as a singer and I’m good at memorizing body movements in a short period of time. I personally think action sequences are like memorizing choreography, so it was very helpful to shoot action scenes using wires with movements like swimming in space,” Do said in an interview with The Korea Herald in Seoul on Monday.

He said the core strength and body balance gained from years of dancing had been a benefit to his overall acting. Do also had put his training to work in 2018’s “Swing Kids,” where he portrayed the main tap dancer.

Having debuted as an actor in 2014 in drama flick “Cart,” Do said he has always separated his idol and acting career, although many still focus on his idol background.

“I considered myself as an actor since my very first project ‘Cart,’ when I do the acting. It is an undeniable fact that I may have been receiving more offers thanks to my EXO background. Because of that, I think I try my hardest to not cause trouble or negatively impact fellow actors or staff,” the 30-year-old actor said.

“The Moon.” (CJ ENM)

“The Moon.” (CJ ENM)

Nothing really worries him when choosing projects or singing. And he sets his goals very high.

“My focus is to keep proving what I can do as an actor as well as a singer. My mindset has never changed. It has been such a joyful ride up until now (both as an actor and a singer),” he said.

“But every time I see my acting, it is really disappointing. I have a high target. When I watched ‘The Moon,’ I saw so many scenes that I could have done differently. Because now I learned what I can do to improve, I feel like I’m advancing step by step now,” Do said.

He still expressed his appreciation for EXO.

“We always say to each other that we should really be together as a team. As I have continued my acting and idol career without causing trouble, I want to continue to do that for the rest of my life,” he said, adding that he is ready to embrace the roles that he can do only at his age. “That way, I’ll be able to show both my acting and characters making improvement and growth.”

By Kim Da-sol(ddd@heraldcorp.com)