12 things to know about Bloodhounds’ actor Woo Do Hwan

If you’ve been keeping up with the buzz around the second season of Bloodhounds, then you’ll know that Woo Do Hwan is firmly back in the spotlight for the second season.

Previously, the actor was turning heads when he starred in Mr. Plankton, where he plays Hae-jo (also known as Choi Seung-hyeok), an abandoned child diagnosed with vascular malformations. The story follows his journey to find his biological father, alongside his ex-girlfriend Jae-mi, played by Lee Yoo-mi—and it’s equal parts emotional and compelling.

But long before this, Woo has proven his range across a variety of roles in shows like The King: Eternal Monarch and Joseon Attorney, cementing his reputation as one of the most versatile actors to watch.

If you’ve fallen for his charm (we don’t blame you), here’s a closer look at the actor behind the roles.

He learned how to box for Bloodhounds

He shared that while he casually boxed as a hobby in his youth, he trained more intensively for the role. Alongside co-star Lee Sang-yi, he picked up various techniques, including out-boxing, southpaw, and in-fighting.

He had a strcit diet while trainin for Bloodhounds

In a Netflix interview, Woo Do Hwan and his co-star, Lee Sang Yi, admitted it was the most intense physical training of their lives. They shared that filming felt more like a workout session, with a strict diet of brown rice and chicken breast that quickly grew tiresome.

He gained attention for his role in cult drama ‘Save Me’

Do Hwan made his acting debut in 2011 with minor roles in various dramas and gradually worked his way up to bigger roles, gaining some fame. Eventually, his stand-out performance as a tough guy with a big heart in 2017’s Save Me, a creepy and intense drama about a group of friends trying to save their former classmate from a religious cult, made people sit up and take notice of him.

He has won multiple awards for his acting

2017 was a good year for Do Hwan. After starring in the popular Save Me, Do Hwan won the Best New Actor award for his stunning performance as a genius former scam artist in another successful drama series Mad Dog that same year at the 31^st KBS Drama Awards. The drama, about a former police detective leading a team of insurance investigators to reveal insurance fraud cases, also stars veteran actor Yoo Ji Tae and former girl group T-ara member Ryu Hwa Young.

In 2021, he won Best New Actor at the Golden Cinema Film Festival for his role in The Divine Fury and took home the award for Best Actor Of The Year in 2023, at the Asia Top Awards for his role in Joseon Attorney.

His first main lead role was for a romantic drama

After his previous two hard-hitting dramas, Do Hwan switched things up and starred in the romantic melodrama Tempted in 2018 as a chaebol (wealthy heir) who seduces a high-achieving college student who doesn’t believe in love played by girl group Red Velvet’s Joy. Although reviews for this drama have been mixed, it’s still worth a watch to see Do Hwan in action as a seducer and if you like dramas with good-looking characters.

He was part of an agency that was owned by a top Hallyu actor

Remember Bae Yoon Joon who acted in the legendary drama Winter Sonata and became a top Hallyu star? He founded the management agency KEYEAST which previously housed Woo Do Hwan together with other artists such as period zombie drama Kingdom’s Joo Ji Hoon and former girl group KARA member Kang Ji Young.

In 2023, however, it was announced that Woo Do Hwan had parted ways with the agency and joined H& Entertainment.

He majored in Performance and Film in university

Do Hwan graduated from Dankook University from the School of Performing Acts. Famous alumni from his university include celebrities such as Jang Hyuk, Ha Ji Won, Ji Chang Wook, Jay Park and BIGBANG’s T.O.P.

He co-starred in a movie with Park Seo Joon

For his first major movie role, Do Hwan plays a villain who is a mysterious night-club owner known as the Dark Bishop in action horror film The Divine Fury. He stands off with Park Seo Joon, a MMA fighter who became disillusioned with religion after suffering the losses of his parents but ends up exorcising demons with an aging Catholic priest. The two actors became good friends, and they were seen thanking each other for sending food trucks to the Itaewon Class and The King: Eternal Monarch filming locations in their Instagram Stories.

He was in an advertisement with BLACKPINK

Do Hwan was chosen to endorse Sprite alongside girl group BLACKPINK because of their trendy images and their appeal to the younger generation. They shot a 30-second commercial together and it featured Do Hwan cracking open a can of Sprite and gaining access to an exclusive beach party where BLACKPINK are the performers.

His parents encouraged him to pursue acting

Unlike typical parents who may prefer their children to have a stable career, Do Hwan’s parents were supportive of his acting career. In an interview to promote his movie The Divine Fury, he revealed that his childhood dream was to be a pilot, but his parents were the ones who encouraged him to pursue a film course in university.

He’s a gentleman when he’s dating

During an interview for the drama Mad Dog, Do Hwan says that he values manners in dating because he will treat every woman he meets as a precious daughter of another man. He also said that when it comes to relationships, he’s not good at playing hard to get. If he likes a girl, he will just be straight forward and tell her that he likes her.

His ideal type is a woman he can communicate well with

As for his ideal type, Do Hwan reveals in the same interview that he likes women who are honest with their feelings and whom he can talk to easily. He also prefers a woman whom he will miss rather than one he wants to hang out with. To him, it’s nice to go on dates and do things together but how much he misses a person is important because that’s one of the ways he can tell how much he likes her.

This story was first published on Cleo.