Tuesday, November 04, 2025
The press conference for Disney+’s upcoming revenge thriller The Manipulated was anything but predictable. Held in Seoul on November 3, the event featured stars Ji Changwook, Doh Kyungsoo (D.O.), Lee Kwang Soo, Kim Jongsoo, Jo Yoonsu, and director Park Shin Woo, who dove into the intense rivalries, on set antics, and bizarre character notes that defined the series.
A reimagining of the 2017 film Fabricated City, the series follows Park Taejoong (Ji Chang Wook), an ordinary man wrongfully imprisoned who discovers that the mysterious Yohan (D.O.) is behind a larger conspiracy. What follows is an intense chase filled with betrayal, revenge, and moral gray zones.
When asked to define their relationship, Ji Changwook, describing his character's motivation, was brutally honest. "To Taejoong, Yohan is the goal," he said, before adding with a laugh, "He's a guy I want to beat to a pulp." Ji Changwook even joked, "I am still avoiding looking at Doh Kyungsoo right now."
D.O., who plays his first full villain role, described Yohan as “a sculpted figure who doesn’t see people as people.” When Ji Chang Wook joked that Yohan is “the kind of guy you’d still want to hit even after you’ve already hit him.” D.O. fired back, calling Taejoong “a cockroach who keeps crawling back no matter how many times you stomp on him.”
Lee Kwang Soo, who portrays Yohan’s wealthy VIP client Baek Dokyung, couldn’t resist joining in. “Honestly, everyone in this drama is a cockroach,” he laughed, earning even more laughter from the cast.
Despite the grim storyline, the cast’s chemistry was full of warmth and humor. D.O. shared that Kwang Soo “might be bossy off set, but on set, he’s incredibly reliable.” Kwang Soo added that filming with D.O. and Ji Chang Wook “felt like hanging out with close friends,” admitting he could relax and freely try new things because of their support.
"I was worried it might be awkward working with Kyungsoo since we are so close," Lee Kwang Soo admitted. "But it wasn't awkward at all. Thanks to Changwook and Kyungsoo, I got to do everything I wanted... I really just went to the set like I was going to play."
That "play" apparently caused some friction. When a reporter asked Doh Kyungsoo about being "persistently bullied" by Lee Kwang Soo, the actor quickly shut it down.
"That's not true," Doh Kyungsoo clarified, laughing. "In the drama, he’s the VIP, but I was always in the superior position." He did admit, however, that Lee Kwang Soo’s character "induces so much rage."
"His character is very ‘thin,’" Doh Kyungsoo explained. "I was annoyed. His entire role is to scratch at Yohan, and I really got scratched." He confessed he thought acting opposite his close friend would be "cringey," but Lee Kwang Soo was so good at being annoying that "it wasn't cringey at all. I could immerse myself easily."
Lee Kwang Soo took the "thin" comment as a compliment, contrasting their villainous styles. "Kyungsoo’s villain is ‘thick,’" he said. "Mine is a ‘thin’ style of villain."
The series is an adaptation of the film Fabricated City, which also starred Ji Changwook. Director Park Shinwoo made it clear there was no other choice for the lead. "Ji Changwook showed his will to do this before the script was even finished," Park said. "I couldn't think of another actor."
Ji Chang Wook revealed he was immediately drawn to the script. “It was fun, unpredictable, and full of unique characters,” he said. Ji Changwook insists he is not repeating his performance. "I didn't match the two characters at all," he said. "The writer gave me one piece of homework that became my biggest challenge: ‘I want Taejoong to be like a tree.’", which became his emotional anchor throughout filming.
Director Park Shin Woo said the drama focuses not just on revenge but also on human endurance. “Each episode unfolds like a new stage, revealing how far people can go when pushed to extremes,” he explained.
Veteran actors Kim Jong Soo and Jo Yoon Soo round out the cast, adding gravitas to the series with performances that balance intensity and emotional depth.
Stream The Manipulated starting November 5, exclusively on Disney+.
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