Kwon Sang-woo, the most visible example of the so-called mom-zzang (slang for "great body") movement, started his career as a fashion model in the late 1990s. His first acting experience was in the TV dramaDelicious Proposal, and for the first few years of his entertainment career, he received only minor roles on television, before making his big-screen debut in the martial arts filmVolcano High (2001). The following year, he played his first lead role in the comedyMake It Big (2002) together with real-life best friend Song Seung-heon.[5]
Kwon's breakthrough came in 2003 with the phenomenally successful romantic comedyMy Tutor Friend, as a troublesome high school boy who is tutored by a college student of the same age (played by actress Kim Ha-neul). This was followed by appearances in My Good Partner, the world's first movie made for mobile phones, and the music video collection Project X.[5]
His next film released in early 2004 was also a hit. Once Upon a Time in High School portrayed the authoritarian society of the 1970s through a notoriously violent high school. Simultaneously, Kwon's TV tearjerker Stairway to Heaven was winning high ratings over 40%. The drama eventually screened throughout Asia and helped to turn him into a regional star.[6][7]
However, Kwon's follow-up film Love, So Divine, about a priest in training who falls in love,[8] earned poor reviews and did not get much attention from audiences.[5]
For 2006, Kwon starred in the big-budget action noirRunning Wild,[9] about a detective, a prosecutor, and a criminal who are all equally vicious.[5]Running Wild received satisfactory reviews, but disappointing returns, and Kwon's next film Almost Love, a romantic comedy reteaming him with Kim Ha-neul,[10] likewise failed to replicate the success of their previous film.
Things took a turn for the better in 2010 with the box-office success of Korean War film 71: Into the Fire which Kwon reportedly did not hesitate to take on, though he again portrayed a high school student.[14][15][16][17][18][19] His drama Daemul about Korea's first female president (played by Go Hyun-jung) was also very popular during its run, staying atop TV charts for 11 weeks straight and ending with viewership ratings around 26%.[20][21][22][23]
In the 2011 melodramaPained, Kwon played a man with analgesia, the inability to sense physical pain, who then falls in love with a woman suffering from hemophilia. Based on an original story by webcomic artist Kang Full, Pained was directed by Kwak Kyung-taek in a departure from his previous macho movies. Kwak said, "The production company told me Kwon Sang-woo was contemplating the part, and I said I would do it only if Kwon does. There was nobody else."[24][25]
Looking to expand his acting career to a wider audience in Asia,[26] in 2012 Kwon starred in movies with Chinese superstars Cecilia Cheung (romantic comedy Shadows of Love, previously known as Repeat, I Love You)[27][28] and Jackie Chan (action film CZ12[29][30][31]).[32] He also made his singing debut in a DVD released in Japan in 2010.[33][34] Cast as the male lead in a Chinese TV series titled Feng Hua Xue Yue (Wind Flower Snow Moon), Kwon's role was an Asian-American Broadway producer who comes back to China to stage a musical production in Yunnan Province and falls in love with the leading lady of his stage musical.[35][36]
Kwon was cast in his first medical drama in 2013, Medical Top Team from the director of Moon Embracing the Sun and the writer of Brain. He played a straightforward yet warm-hearted genius surgeon.[43][44] In 2014, he reunited with Stairway to Heaven costar Choi Ji-woo in Temptation, about a married, debt-ridden businessman who agrees to a deal with a female CEO in exchange for her "ownership" of his body.[45]
He next played the owner of an internet startup company in Honey Enemy, a 2015 Chinese romance film opposite Zhang Yuqi that filmed in Jeju Island and Shanghai.[46] Kwon then starred in comedy film The Accidental Detective which revolves around a misfit comic book rental shop owner who becomes involved in a murder case.[47][48][49][50][51]
In 2016, Kwon starred alongside Choi Kang-hee in the crime comedy drama, Queen of Mystery.[52] Kwon reprised his role in the second season of the show, which aired in 2018.[53]
Kwon has said in an interview, "I hope I'm remembered as an actor whose work the audience looks forward to rather than an actor who acts well."[56][57]
Business interests
In 2009 Kwon established the cosmetics firm Natural Tears, of which he is the owner and CEO, as well as the inaugural advertising model for the brand TEARS. It was named after his nickname "Mr. Tears", given to him by fans in recognition of his tear-jerking acting in Stairway to Heaven.[58][59]
He also opened the cafe Tea'Us in Myeong-dong,[60][61] and is the biggest shareholder of the resort Ocean Blue Hotel Bali. The property Kwon owns in Bundang-gu was appraised at an estimated worth of ₩18 billion.[62]
Personal life
Unlike many Korean male stars who had to fulfill their mandatory military service at the height of their careers, Kwon completed his military service long before he became an actor.
Kwon married actress and former Miss KoreaSon Tae-young at the Shilla Hotel on September 28, 2008.[63][64][65][66][67] On February 6, 2009, his wife gave birth to a baby boy, christened as Luke (nicknamed Rookie).[68] Their second child, a daughter, was born on January 10, 2015.[69][70]
Controversy
In 2006 Kwon filed a complaint against Kim Tae-chon, the godfather of Beomseobangpa (one of Korea's three major criminal gangs), for threatening him when the actor failed to keep his promise to hold a fan meeting in Japan. Kwon and the defendant eventually came to a settlement, but prosecutors continued investigations into possible ties between kkangpae and the Japanese yakuza and Chinese crime syndicates that are looking to cash in on the Korean Wave entertainment business.[71][72][73][74]
There was fan backlash to his 2008 marriage due to his wife's previous dating history.[75] In an appearance on talk show Golden Fishery hosted by Kang Ho-dong in 2009, Kwon said, "After I got married, membership in my fan cafe dwindled from 240,000 to 135,000 - it was like a stock market crash." He also said that before he got married, he had an average of seven TV commercials per year, but by early 2009 that number had dwindled down to zero.[19][76]
In the early hours of June 12, 2010, Kwon was involved in a car accident in Gangnam District. According to news reports, Kwon was driving on the wrong side of the road and hit a parked car. He then ran into the police car that had pursued him, continued driving and hit a tree before fleeing the scene on foot. Two days later, he turned himself in at Gangnam Police Station, claiming he had not been drunk.[77][78] Kwon later made a public apology through a handwritten letter, and was fined ₩7 million by a Seoul district court.[79]
^'최고의 사랑'은 권상우-손태영 맞춤 이야기? 비하인드 스토리 공개 [Kwon Sang Woo's dedication to his wife revealed during Pain press conference] (in Korean). TV Daily. July 21, 2011. Archived from the original on February 19, 2013.
^Kang Hyo-jin (December 30, 2021). "[무:비하인드]'해피 뉴 이어' 카메오도 호화 캐스팅…권상우부터 故신성일까지" [[No: Behind the scenes] 'Happy New Year' cameo also luxuriously cast... From Kwon Sang-woo to the late Shin Seong-il] (in Korean). SPOTV News. Retrieved December 30, 2021 – via Naver.
^Kim Ji-hye (October 29, 2021). "해적2', 내년 설 연휴 개봉…강하늘X한효주X이광수 호흡" ['Pirates 2' to be released next year for the Lunar New Year holiday... Kang Ha-neul X Han Hyo-joo X Lee Kwang-soo Breathing] (in Korean). Seoul Broadcasting System. Retrieved October 29, 2021 – via Naver.
^Park Jung-sun (January 20, 2021). "권상우·오정세·이민정, 영화 '크리스마스 선물' 출연 확정[공식]" [Kwon Sang-woo, Oh Jeong-se, and Lee Min-jung confirmed to appear in movie 'Christmas Gift' [Official]]. isplus.live.joins (in Korean). Retrieved January 20, 2021.
^Kang Hyo-jin (November 16, 2022). "권상우·오정세·이민정 주연 영화 '스위치', 2023년 1월 개봉[공식]" [The movie 'Switch' starring Kwon Sang-woo, Oh Jeong-se, and Lee Min-jung will be released in January 2023 [Official]] (in Korean). Sports TV News. Retrieved November 16, 2022 – via Naver.
^Jeon Hyung-hwa (May 24, 2021). "[단독]권상우·문채원, 로맨틱 코미디영화 '노키즈' 호흡" [[Exclusive] Kwon Sang-woo, Moon Chae-won, romantic comedy movie 'No Kids' breathing]. Star News (in Korean). Retrieved May 24, 2021 – via Naver.
^Park, Jeong-sun (September 7, 2023). "히트맨2' 크랭크업…돌아온 권상우·정준호·황우슬혜" ['Hitman 2' cranks up... Kwon Sang-woo, Jung Joon-ho and Hwang Woo-sul-hye are back in action] (in Korean). JTBC. Retrieved September 8, 2023 – via Naver.
^Kang Seon-ae (June 3, 2022). "권상우, '왜 오수재인가' 첫회 지원사격…차청화 의사 남편으로 특별출연" [Kwon Sang-woo, 'Why Oh Soo-jae' first support shot... Special Appearance as Doctor Cha Cheong-hwa's Husband] (in Korean). SBS Entertainment News. Retrieved June 3, 2022 – via Naver.
^Kim Seong-hyun (June 7, 2022). "권상우 KBS '커튼콜' 합류… 하지원·강하늘·성동일과 연기호흡" [Kwon Sang-woo joins KBS' 'Curtain Call'... Ha Ji-won, Kang Ha-neul, Sung Dong-il and acting breath] (in Korean). YTN. Retrieved June 7, 2022 – via Naver.
^Kang Da-yoon (May 4, 2022). "권상우X임세미X성동일, '위기의 X' 출연…하반기 공개 예정 [공식]" [Kwon Sang-woo X Im Se-mi X Sung Dong-il to appear in 'X in Crisis'... Scheduled to be released in the second half [Official]] (in Korean). My Daily. Retrieved May 4, 2022 – via Naver.
^Choi Yun-na (June 22, 2022). "권상우·임세미·성동일→이이경·신현수·박진주…'위기의 X' 라인업 확정[공식]" [Kwon Sang-woo, Lim Se-mi, Seong Dong-il → Lee Yi-kyung, Shin Hyeon-su, Park Jin-joo… ‘X in Crisis’ lineup confirmed [Official]] (in Korean). Sports Donga. Retrieved June 22, 2022 – via Naver.
^Yoon Hyun-ji (March 20, 2023). "권상우X김희원→이상이, 디즈니+ '한강' 출연…하반기 공개 [공식입장]" [Kwon Sang-woo X Kim Hee-won→Lee Sang-yi, appearing in Disney+'s 'Han River'... Released in the second half [Official position]] (in Korean). Xports News. Retrieved March 20, 2023 – via Naver.
^Hwng Hye-jin (August 11, 2021). "바퀴달린집3' 측 "강하늘→세훈 '해적' 배우 9人 스핀오프 출연"(공식)" [‘House on Wheels 3’ side “Kang Ha-neul → Sehun’s ‘Pirates’ cast 9 people spin-off appearance” (official)]. Newsen (in Korean). Naver. Retrieved August 11, 2021.