Teo Yoo: The “Past Lives” and “The Recruit” Star Gets Real

An interview with the Korean German actor on why he joined the cast of “The Recruit”
Journalist, Author & Syndicated Columnist
An interview with the Korean German actor on why he joined the cast of “The Recruit”
Born and raised in Germany, educated in the United States and now based out of South Korea, BAFTA Awards-nominated actor Teo Yoo (“Past Lives,” “Decision to Leave”) doesn’t take any of his success for granted. He had already spent many years turning down parts that cast Asian characters in a disparaging light. In his latest role in the espionage series “The Recruit,” he plays Jang Kyu, a South Korean intelligence agent, who teams up with Noah Centineo.
In the Academy Award-nominated film “Past Lives,” the Korean concept of inyeon is used to lead viewers into believing that Nora (Greta Lee) and Hae-sung (Teo Yoo) are destined to be together – if not in this lifetime, then in the future. Or perhaps they were together in a distant past that neither can recall. The introduction of the word leaves moviegoers hoping that these two can have a happily-ever-after ending, despite his living in Seoul, 7,000 miles from her apartment in New York City.