Yeo Jin Goo Opens Up About His Experiences With Love Compared To His "Ditto" Character And Gets Candid About His Acting Journey

Nov 30, 2022

The remake of the 2000 film “Ditto” is a story of love and friendship between two college students from different time periods who coincidentally begin to converse through walkie-talkies.

Yeo Jin Goo plays Yong, a college senior living in 1999 whom he describes as, “A rather ordinary fellow. Rather than being confident about his dream or future goals, he is someone who just goes with the flow of society. He is an engineering major who likes literature but went into STEM per the recommendations of the adults. Then he meets Han Sol (Kim Hye Yoon), who is confident in her feelings, and he becomes blinded by love.”

He describes himself as being rather different from Yong, reflecting on how he had always been sure of his dreams and the work he wanted to do ever since he was young. “I think I’m more like Han Sol if anything,” he says. “But I think when Yong is with his friends, we are more similar. It was actually a bit embarrassing to see my real-life expressions and actions being shown on screen,” he admits.

Yeo Jin Goo also isn’t afraid to share a little more about his own personal experiences with love, remembering with a laugh how he had admitted to being someone who was “single since birth” but now seeing such a title as being a bit ambiguous.

The actor elaborates, “I don’t mean to be so unknowing when it comes to love, but it’s just that usually my partner and I date for a bit and then things end. I’m able to express my interest in my partner but can’t approach them easily because I am so careful about myself. So acting with Yong’s emotions was hard, but before my 20s are over, I want to experience passionate love just as Yong did.”

While he may not yet have experienced the fiery love that Yong finds in “Ditto,” Yeo Jin Goo confesses that he has felt small sparks here and there but ultimately hasn’t been able to feel those same rushes of emotions as his on-screen character. “Because I’ve been acting since I was young and was always sure of what I wanted to do, I’ve neglected love,” he says candidly. “There are a lot of friends around me who also have let go of love in favor of focusing on their work,” he adds, pointing out how such feelings aren’t as uncommon as one may think.

“But my values have changed while filming ‘Ditto,'” he continues. “While watching Yong, I thought to myself that a goal of my 20s could, in fact, be love, even if only for a little while.” He explains how he empathized a lot with the line, “Don’t give up on love. It’s incredibly lonely,” saying how loving, breaking up, and healing are all things that ultimately help us to grow.

As for Yeo Jin Goo’s ideal type, he says wants to meet someone “who can joke around and likes to put on skits. Someone who laughs a lot, is bright, and is happy just by being together.” He gets more specific by adding, “I’m really serious about food, so I’d like someone who isn’t a picky eater. I’d be upset if we couldn’t eat all of the delicious seasonal food together.”

For the last 17 years, Yeo Jin Goo has continuously added to his list of projects, making quite the name for himself by starring in notable works such as “Hotel Del Luna,” “I Miss You,” “The Moon Embracing the Sun,” and “The Crowned Clown.” But even as a seasoned actor, Yeo Jin Goo is not immune to the slumps and low points that come while going through life.

“When I was young, I started acting because it was fun, but as I entered my 20s and grew older, these feelings of responsibility and pressure also came along, and I even fell into a slump. I wondered to myself, “Why do I have to act when I’m feeling this stressed?’ and there were times where it was hard to really accept it all,” he confesses.

“I wonder if I’ll be able to act more comfortably in my 30s after finding my way, and I’ve tried talking with my family and manager as well as spending time by myself. In talking with people around me, I’ve found that there are a lot of experiences out there that are similar to mine.” He goes on to explain how his seniors and even the directors of some of his projects have helped him in his journey, reflecting how he has become more comfortable in accepting the pressures and responsibilities he and his senior actors feel as they take on such large roles where it seems like all eyes are on them.

“Aside from acting, I have no worries,” he declares. “Usually, I try to live happily without thinking.” He does talk a bit about his upcoming mandatory military service, noting that he still has a few projects lined up and that his specific plans for enlisting are still up in the air. “I was born in good health and have received love from so many people. I think that this is an obligation that I must fulfill.”

Finally, Yeo Jin Goo expresses how he hopes to continue acting for a very long time, stating that he would like to find a way to help other actors and have a positive impact as well as try his hand at producing for some works. “Of course, before all of that, I have to act well, and my goal is to act for a very long time.”