Disney+ 'Low Life' Ryu Seung-ryong, "I Survived Because I Am a Resilient Character"

In the Disney+ original series 〈Low Life〉, actor Ryu Seung-ryong, who plays Oh Kwan-seok, a character who will do anything for money, affirmed the character's survival and expressed hope for the possibility of a future season 2. Amid heated debates online about Oh Kwan-seok's fate, Ryu Seung-ryong declared, "He definitely survived."

Ryu Seung-ryong described Oh Kwan-seok as "a character with a strong will to live," explaining, "If I had been in the driver's seat, I would have died, but since I was in the back seat, I survived." He added, "Since we dug the sea once, we should dig the land this time for season 2," and mentioned, "We came up with the idea of going to Japan to excavate cultural heritage ourselves."

At the end of the drama, a scene appears where a truck loaded with pottery that Oh Kwan-seok is on explodes, hinting at his death. However, in a subsequent post-credits scene, Oh Kwan-seok is confirmed to be alive while digging at the Gyeongju royal tomb, leading to various speculations among viewers about his survival and the theory of a twin brother.

Ryu Seung-ryong revealed that this post-credits scene was filmed long after the main shooting had finished. He stated, "If it had been a happy ending or a conclusion for season 2, we wouldn't have filmed it," but explained, "We decided to shoot it after discussing with the director and writer, believing it fit various narratives."

Ryu Seung-ryong cited the main reason for choosing 〈Low Life〉 as the theme of the work. He shared, "As the saying goes, 'You can know the depths of water, but you cannot know the depths of a person's heart,' I was attracted to the portrayal of betrayal after betrayal, ultimately gaining nothing, which reflects the futility of uncatchable desires."

He also expressed deep trust and gratitude towards the fellow actors. Regarding actress Lim Soo-jung, with whom he reunited after 13 years since the film 〈All About My Wife〉, he said, "I was very excited when I heard that actress Lim Soo-jung would appear in 〈Low Life〉. After filming, I even applauded, and during the scene where she screams, I was so dazed that I forgot my lines."

He evaluated Jung Yun-ho, who played the role of Beolgu, as "playing a towing role," recalling, "He memorized all his lines for the entire script reading. I found it funny thinking, 'Is he really going that far?' and his passion felt resolute." In particular, he described Jung Yun-ho's Jeolla dialect performance as "his voice is different when he speaks normally and when he uses the dialect," saying, "He transformed like a pansori singer."

Ryu Seung-ryong reported that despite the filming of 〈Low Life〉 being a large-scale operation with dozens of actors participating simultaneously, it maintained a particularly good atmosphere. He emphasized, "Even with many people involved, we could feel a strong bond, and it was the best set ever, supporting and comforting each other."

Meanwhile, Ryu Seung-ryong hinted at his active future projects. He is currently filming the JTBC drama 〈The Story of Manager Kim Working at a Large Company in Seoul〉 and plans to start filming season 2 of the Disney+ original series 〈Moving〉 in the first half of next year.