Acting-dol Of The Week: SF9’s HwiYoung, An Untapped Talent Filled With Endless Possibilities

For many idols, especially from 3rd generation below, acting eventually becomes a 2nd career path. It is quite known that sometimes, there are many idols, who originally aspired or trained to be actors, but first made their debut as idols and eventually gravitate towards acting. And there are simply others who may or may have not had any interest in acting prior to their debut but with their growing fame and a clear talent for the art form, they eventually, go from testing the acting waters to becoming full acting-dols.

However, irrespective of how or the reasons why they become actors, many of these idols have proven that they are adequately beaming with the right potential to become incredible actors and others have already made their claim as some of the best actors today.

One of the idols who fall into the former is SF9’s HwiYoung. The members of SF9 could very well be considered as acting-dols, as all of them have starred in dramas, musicals, or both. HwiYoung is one of the members who many would readily associate with acting as he exudes the confidence and charms of an actor.

He made his debut in the web drama “Click Your Heart” released in 2016. Playing the supporting role of Kim HwiYoung, the high teen drama saw him starring alongside his fellow SF9 members. The drama is one that many viewers would really enjoy watching, it is fun, short, and sweet. The kind you can thoroughly binge-watch on a cool evening while munching on snacks or when you need a refreshing burst of energy during the day.

Although HwiYoung played the supporting role in the drama and this served as his debut, there is an air about him and a confidence at which he delivers his lines and expressions that almost makes him look like he’s been acting for a little bit. He might have not had the most lines of screen time but perhaps his delivery was just well enough and it seems the experience of acting for the first time, was a fun one for him as well.

In 2020, he made a guest appearance in the drama “Was It Love?”, as himself. However, we would say he made a real start as an actor with the web drama “DokGo Bin Is Updating” alongside fellow SF9 member, InSeong.

Now, while this would perhaps not classify as the most engrossing storyline that would keep you on the edge of your seats it is still very entertaining nonetheless. Quite similar to “Click Your Heart“, It’s a feel-good kind of drama you could enjoy without being cast with the daunting challenge of understanding the different subplots.

In this slice-of-life drama, HwiYoung plays the character of DokGo Bin, an AI robot in human form who enrolls as a freshman in college. With his handsome visuals and kind-hearted nature, he immediately gains the attention of everyone in his school. He forms an unlikely friendship with Ha DoekHo (InSeong) a cute nerd who is often clumsy and lacks confidence. Their story and friendship blossom beautifully as DokGo Bin helps Ha DeokHo overcome his insecurities and become stronger.

For HwiYoung, the comical series served as a proper way for him to show off his budding acting skills. While we might not classify this as a stellar performance from him, considering his skill level, we would say it was a good enough performance that showed his potential as an actor. One who if given more opportunities, would inevitably grow and shine brightly.

While this drama is a comedy, there are still moments with emotional depth, and with HwiYoung being the key focus in those moments, he did an amazing job, digging deep to convey the feelings of his character and enabling his viewers to connect with him as well. Even though he is an AI who shouldn’t have feelings.

Another factor we would like to mention is his adorable chemistry with the characters, especially InSeong. Perhaps because of their already solid foundation as members of the same group, but their scenes together often felt more natural and fluid. Their banter was both cute and entertaining to watch as well.

We could say his acting in the drama would also begin to afford him more opportunities as that same year, he starred in the high teen web drama “The Mermaid Prince: The Beginning” alongside ASTRO’s MoonBin, Chae WonBin, Moon SangMin, and Yoon SeoBin. Playing the role of Yoon KunEe, a talented swimmer who is seen as cold and stern by others, but in reality, he is a romantic at heart who simply finds it difficult to express himself.

Quite in contrast with the role of DokGo Bin from his previous drama, Yoon KunEe is more reserved and serious. He is goal-oriented and quirky, but direct and blunt with his words. There is a complexity he presents with his character, it is very clear from his facial expressions and his actions as well. He piques your interest in his story and with a good character development arc, he makes you want to understand him further.

HwiYoung did an amazing work in this drama. Like his previous work, when it came to the dialogue and his chemistry with the other cast, he certainly wasn’t lacking. Even though for the most part of the series, they seemed like sworn enemies, the tension between him and Choi WooHyuk (MoonBin) added the extra layer of excitement that made the drama entertaining.

In these 2 dramas, HwiYoung has proven that he doesn’t just have the popularity to be a regular name and face in dramas but he also has the skills to deliver a good performance as well.

He will continue to display his growing acting skills by starring in another web drama titled “Replay: The Moment”. Like many web dramas, despite its exciting cast line and promotions, “Replay: The Moment” sort of fell short in delivery. The drama had a great and exciting start but as the story progressed, it sort of lost its direction at some point. However, it is still a light-hearted teen drama that captures the exciting journey of teenagers as they seek to achieve their dreams while discovering their affection for each other.

While there are many takes on the acting of the cast, for HwiYoung, there are no mixed reviews as many could aptly say, his acting was really good. His expressions and delivery were not over the top or exaggerated, it was fluid and he expressed his emotions with a flair that was interesting as it was attractive.

His next drama “Imitation” was a huge success as thanks to the popularity of the cast line and its themes, viewers and fans excitedly tuned in to watch every week. Looking back at this now, we believe a big-budget TV drama like this should’ve afforded HwiYoung a visible opportunity to fully show his impressive acting range. But due to the fact that it was a support role, he didn’t have the most lines or scenes to do that.

However, little lines or fewer scenes don’t mean he wouldn’t make a vivid impression on viewers as in the handful of scenes he had in the drama, his expressions always seized the attention of viewers.

In 2022, HwiYoung starred as Min ShiWoo in the much-anticipated drama “Miracle”. Starring alongside fellow members Chani and  Kang MinAh. Min SiWoo is seen as a dutiful and kind-hearted character who initially doesn’t have dreams to become an idol despite many suggesting he should. However, after being in an accident with his best friend and crush, Lee SooRin (It’s MiNah) which led to her being hospitalized and unable to achieve her dreams of being an idol, he then decides to become a successful idol and live her dream in other to support her. With its interesting plot and cast, it is not surprising that the drama was one of the most anticipated in 2022 and with the impressive delivery by the cast, we can rightly claim that every expectation from fans was duly met or perhaps even surpassed.

With HwiYoung, this presented the opportunity for him to fully show off his range and flexibility as an actor. He delivered various emotions throughout the drama that made viewers connect with the story of his character. His character, although complex, still had moments where he was lighthearted and easy. His character development was one of the clear charms of the series and as an actor, his ability to portray this duality with his character’s emotions and expressions was impressive and commendable.

In HwiYoung’s filmography so far, we can see a common type of characters he’s played, high teen, college, or idol. While all these genres are interesting and have helped spotlight his acting and duly given him an ample experience in the industry, we feel it is somewhat limiting and perhaps it could be time to break out of these genres. Here are some of the genres or themes we believe he would be a perfect fit for.

1. An office rom-com drama

Rom-com dramas are not new to HwiYoung as he’s shown off his expressive humor and comical charms in some of his previous works. However, an office-themed rom-com is one he is yet to try and one we believe he would do well. Playing either a supporting or main role, a character that is quite expressive, witty, and smart with a pinch of chaos, but dutiful and reliable will be a good role for him.

2. An historical drama

Even though HwiYoung has mentioned he wouldn’t necessarily like to star in a historical drama, we simply cannot miss the opportunity of seeing a sword-swinging horse riding HwiYoung, draped in Hanbok.

3. A thriller drama

In our opinion, there are various roles HwiYoung could rightly play in this genre as he has the intensity with his looks and expressions to really connect with his audience in this genre. However, there are 2 kinds of characters we would love to see him as A) The Anti-hero, the kind that does questionable things in his pursuit of justice, and B) The villain with a gripping and emotional storyline that makes you both hate his character but somehow understand him.

4. A fantasy drama

Imagine HwiYoung as the Grim reaper?! Mind-blowing! His visuals and cool-like exterior are just the typeset for such a character and he has a quirky and witty sense of humor to add some comic relief to his character as well.

Do you believe HwiYoung has the potential to become a good acting-dol? Let us know in the comments section.