Na Hyun-woo Says His Mother Made Him the Actor He Is

Six years after turning heads with "Waving Through a Window" on tvN's 〈Double Casting〉, Na Hyun-woo is finally playing Evan in 〈Dear Evan Hansen〉. For Na Hyun-woo, this production is a little special. He made a striking impression on tvN's 〈Double Casting〉 (2020) — a survival audition program that gave ensemble performers, who often go unrecognized on musical stages, a chance to become the protagonist of the stage — when he performed "Waving Through a Window" from 〈Dear Evan Hansen〉 before the show had been officially introduced in Korea. Six years later, he is playing Evan for real.

In the meantime, Na Hyun-woo has been appearing on screen more often than on stage. Those projects marked a period in which he pushed beyond the stage and expanded his range on screen with the films 〈One Win〉 (2024) and 〈Pilot〉 (2024), and the drama 〈Love in a Big City〉 (2024). In particular, the character Noh Young-soo in the episode "One Rockfish, the Taste of the Universe" of 〈Love in a Big City〉 became the role that introduced him widely to the public.

Yet Na Hyun-woo's starting point is still the stage, and before that there was a boy who went to see Jackie Chan films with his mother and dreamed of becoming a taekwondo athlete. He wanted to be a film actor but gave up that dream; he eventually entered a department of theater and film, became an ensemble performer, and won the audition program. In that way he traveled from stage to film and television and finally became the Evan he so longed for. In an interview, he reflected on his past, his present and what comes next.

I remember you singing 'Waving Through a Window' on the survival audition program 〈Double Casting〉, and now you have become the real Evan.

Actually, I failed the audition for the premiere. They told me, "You're too big; you don't look like a student." Because their reason was so specific, I thought, "Maybe this isn't my show." Then I auditioned again; perhaps my sincerity reached them and I was cast, and I cried uncontrollably. It felt like a miracle.

It was also notable that you translated 'Waving Through a Window' yourself for that performance.

The work is so famous that several people had already produced translations, and I only polished a few lines to fit my phrasing based on those versions. So it's embarrassing to be called a translator. (laughs)

I remember judges Han Ji-sang and Eom Ki-joon on 〈Double Casting〉 joking in unison that "You looked like an actor who only had a good body, but you really can sing," and Han Ji-sang even said, "Now it's time for Na Hyun-woo to be a lead." In any case, you seem to hear "he's got a great body" so often — did you always exercise?

I practiced taekwondo for a long time when I was young and even lived as a taekwondo athlete. I always liked exercising, and after I became an actor it also became a way to survive as an ensemble performer. Becoming a lead is difficult and I kept failing auditions, but having a strong physique made me more useful as an ensemble performer. I kept training and staying in shape because you never know when an opportunity will come. As a result, you could say I was cast in the drama 〈Love in a Big City〉 because I have a good build, so a lot of good things happened.

Having done taekwondo, I imagine you must have had dreams of becoming an action star.

Honestly, that dream was huge. (laughs) I could even be called a "Jackie Chan kid." My dream of being an actor started after watching Jackie Chan films. Whenever a Jackie Chan movie opened, my mother and I went to the theater together, and I really dreamed of becoming an actor like him. I dreamed of being an actor, but at the same time I gave up on it for a while. I felt actors had to be good-looking or more talented than me, and I planned to use my athletic ability to go to university — and I got accepted. But when it came time to decide whether to enroll, I worried I might drift away from acting forever, so I asked my mother if I could delay enrollment for a year to spend another year preparing to retake the theater-and-film entrance exams. Fortunately she allowed it, and I was able to enter the film department.

Your mother's presence and influence seem to have played a large role in your becoming an actor. Mothers are important figures not only in 〈Dear Evan Hansen〉 but also in 〈Love in a Big City〉. The "Airport Baby" you sang on 〈Double Casting〉 was the story of adoptee Josh Cohen coming to Korea as an adult to find his mother. That's a very interesting connection.

I didn't plan it, but it does feel like fate. Above all, when I was young my mother told me to try acting. I don't know why she said that, but she said I was good at greeting adults and suggested I try acting. (laughs) She loved movies and actors. Looking back, the memories of going to the movies with my mother are vivid. It's fair to say she created "actor Na Hyun-woo." Maybe that's why even now the word "mother" makes me emotional. In real life, my relationship with my mother couldn't be better and there's nothing to fight about, but onstage I constantly have to fight with the mother figure, so it's hard to act. I'm glad my real mother likes the stage Evan. I'm not an actor who earns a huge amount of money, but she seems to like simply that her son is an actor. She especially likes it when I appear on TV. (laughs)

It's your first performance in six years after playing Werther in the musical 〈Werther〉 (2020). What has it been like to be back onstage?

One reason I hadn't been on stage for six years was that my original dream was to be a film actor. Many good things happened in the meantime, but things didn't always work out. Returning to perform after a long time felt really good. I thought, "Yes — this is why I loved performing." 〈Dear Evan Hansen〉 will close on November 1, and I feel excited every day. Feeling alive through a character and living in another world apart from reality — that feeling itself is wonderful. I've come to strongly feel again the appeal of being an actor.

If you had to pick one favorite scene or number from 〈Dear Evan Hansen〉, what would it be?

Every moment is different, but if I had to choose now, it would be "Words Fail" in Act Two. It's the scene where Evan lays everything bare. Before going on stage I used to especially like Heidi's Act Two number "So Big/So Small," but after performing I grew to prefer Evan's tearful confession "Words Fail." Evan keeps telling lies in the story, and those lies lead to more lies; some viewers might not empathize with that situation. The number shows Evan's pain clearly and helps release that pain. That's intrinsic to the character, but honestly I've let go of that now. (laughs) Feeling it that way may actually be a sign of deep immersion in the role.

※ 〈Dear Evan Hansen〉 〈Love in a Big City〉 actor Na Hyun-woo's interview continues Part 2.