Actor Teo Yoo Fought Stereotypes to Find His Authentic Self

An interview with the Korean German actor on why he joined the cast of "The Recruit"

Teo Yoo [Courtesy: Getty Images for Netflix]

Ahead of his co-starring role in the second season of the espionage series “The Recruit” — which premiered today on Netflix — I had the opportunity to interview Korean German actor Teo Yoo (“Past Lives,” “LETO”) for my syndicated column Go Away With …

As often happens, I had so much good content that I couldn’t fit all his quotes into that particular article. And it felt like such a waste, because so much of what he said was relevant. My takeaway from our interview was one of optimism, tinged with a little bit of sadness that Yoo’s experiences were similar to that of so many Korean diaspora (including younger artists like 20-year-old musician Hannah Bahng). There is this feeling that many of us have to move away to be heard or, in Yoo’s case, to be seen as more than a stereotype.

Yoo was born and raised in Germany, studied acting in the United States and finally relocated to South Korea to get the kind of meaty roles that he, as an Asian man, was not often considered for in European countries or the U.S.

What follows is bonus content from our conversation, which has been edited for length and clarity.

After the success of “Past Lives,” you must’ve had your choice of roles to pick from. What was it about this season of “The Recruit” that made you want to be a part of it?
TEO: Actually, that is something that one one might assume after a film like “Past Lives,” but the variety of roles wasn't as huge as you might expect, because people tend to think of me not as Teo Yoo, but as [Hae-sung], the person that I played in “Past Lives.” So accordingly, similar roles came in and I said no to them. I always like a challenge. I want change. That was one of the reasons why I auditioned for [the role] of Jang-kyun in “The Recruit.” The difference is why I wanted to be part of it.

You have said in the past that there were stereotypical roles that you tended to avoid — like playing the martial arts guy. Jang-kyun is a martial arts guy, but he’s also so much more. The way you sell him is in a really powerful way where we’re not initially sure who he is.
TEO: [Smiling] Oh, thank you.

I was born and raised in Germany. Most of my friends there were immigrants and refugees from North Africa, the Middle East and some were from Eastern Europe. It was a very rough environment that I grew up in, but because I was an athlete, I never fit a stereotype that was based on the context of American culture and the way American movies throughout Hollywood history have portrayed Asian men. My focus [as an actor] has been to step away from the context of Asian men being dehumanized and desexualized.

I had this reverse culture shock being in South Korea and having my home base there for the past 15 years. So I made it a point that I don't want to do [certain roles] … not for the sake of being a rebel, but I just didn't want to do it because it doesn't feel authentic to me. I'm willing to play a nerd, and I'm willing to play someone goofy or wimpy, and I'm willing to play also someone who’s very martial arts heavy [as long as the character is fleshed out].

So what I'm so grateful for in “The Recruit” season two is the way [showrunner] Alexi [Hawley] created this character. He’s a human being first. And based on that, I can play all the tropes as a somewhat decorative notion, be it comedy, be it wimpy or nerdy, or be it martial arts. But you see first Jang-kyun the man who has a job where he has to hide something that's going on his agenda, and where he sacrifices everything — even his life — to fight for the one he loves. And who doesn't understand that on a human level? So that is what I'm looking for, and that is what I'm thankful for in this project.

When I saw you had been cast in this season, I knew it was going to be good because you tend to pick interesting roles in quality projects.
TEO: Oh, my god, thank you so much. That really means a lot. Everybody in the cast, the crew — it's not just me. It’s a testament to Alexi’s writing and also to the leadership of [“The Recruit” star and executive producer] Noah Centineo. At his [young] age and his level of experience, the trajectory he had starting as a child actor — that's something very commendable and that I respect in him. Noah is someone who has both feet on the ground, his head on straight, who created such a warm and lovely environment for us all, where you felt welcome. It was an experience where could try stuff and be vulnerable, and [the cast and crew] are there to catch you. I'm really thankful for that. It's a privilege to be a part of the show.

The fighting scenes are intense in this show. How much martial arts did you know going in?
TEO: I mean, when I was a child, I used to do taekwondo. Every parent sent their sons to taekwondo when they're six, seven or eight. Then I did some judo in my teens. And right now I'm a student of jiu-jitsu. The roles that I play is always an amalgamation of of the effort behind the scenes. I might play a guy called Jang-kyun, and I say the lines in the close ups. But my stunt double, Leslie, he created the choreography. He trained me. Leslie was in there and did some of the action that's actually on screen. I know where I’m in and I know where I'm not and he is in there [instead]. He created Jang-kyun with me, together.

I’m hoping there’s a third season, because I loved the multi-cultural bromance, where there was clearly respect between the characters you and Noah play and [spoiler alert!] the ending kind of alludes to a continuation...
TEO: Yes, totally on screen and off screen, but thank you. Yeah, that's what I want to hear. That's what we all want to hear. [Laughs.]

Teo Yoo and Noah Centineo. [Courtesy: Seo Ji Hyung/Netflix]

I’ve heard that you are a big Keanu Reeves fan. And I read a quote from Keanu that he really wants to do a sequel of “Constatine,” which I think got the greenlight in 2022. I think about how it could be if you starred opposite him in that film. Do you ever think about who you’d like to star opposite, whether it’s another Netflix project, or a film, or whatever?
TEO: Oh, you talked about it right there. The reason being … I can tell you a little bit about the choices that I make on a private basis and looking up to role models. Keanu Reeves is one such role model coming off from big franchises. I feel like a long-time investment into a contract that binds you to a franchise can be sometimes a little bit dangerous. But when you look at the actors who haven't [signed up for] that, but because the first film and the character they acted in was a masterpiece — a stand-alone masterpiece on its own — it led to a franchise. So the franchise itself was not the agenda at first. It was so with the “Matrix.” It was so with “John Wick.” And it was so now with “Constantine.”

And that's why I'm saying there's something going on there that this actor knows that nobody else knows. There's something in his life's trajectory and in his experience — and we all know the tragedy¹ that he experienced and how he overcame this. There's something about him where he has an outlook on life where he sees something … and the way he conducts himself on set that's really commendable that I respect.

I actually met him in the shadow of the awards run for “Past Lives,” and I was able to tell him all that.

When Keanu was starting out as an actor, a lot of my colleagues and even his fans didn’t realize that he was part Asian, of Chinese and Hawaiian heritage. It never occurred to them that this good-looking guy could possibly be Asian because they had preconceived notions of what Asian men were like. And then when I hear that you had a difficult time getting roles in the west and had to move to Korea to find more authentic roles, I wonder, how does someone who looks like you not get cast in the leading man roles?
TEO: [Smiles.] Thank you. I really appreciate that. Well, again, it's all in the context of where I placed my identity in, I guess. And to tell you a little bit of history about myself, I never perceived myself the way people perceive me now — especially during a time when it was pre-internet. I was born in ’81. And at the time, being Asian wasn't a trending thing. Korea hasn’t been trending [as a pop culture force until] the past few years. So accordingly, I never heard the compliments that I hear now.

So growing up like that all the way up to my late 20s, right before I moved to Korea, [being considered good looking] wasn't part of my identity. I was a little bit on the chubbier side when I was younger. It’s a very weird thing objectively, dealing with looks. I didn’t whine about it …

I thought I would be a street performer and I would be busking, creating a role for the street, being in parks doing family-friendly shows and maybe even learn puppeteering and then go on auditions for Cirque du Soleil or, in Europe, the very famous, legendary Roncalli Circus. I thought that would be my life. And then I got married, and you get responsibilities and you listen to opinions of people who are smarter than you. You adjust.

I just happened to be lucky enough to be in a part of my life, at my age, with my looks, in the context of history where K-content just happened to be trending and popular. So I cannot take credit for that. I'm just grateful that I'm where I am at this stage in my life, at the moment.

I think in the U.S., a lot of people noticed you when you were in “Seoul Searching” playing Klaus Kim. And this was before the whole K-everything kind of exploded. So you were at the early stage of that wave, helping get Korean talent [from various countries] noticed.
TEO: Yeah, it was exactly 10 years ago — 2015 at Sundance — when “Seoul Searching” premiered. And I don't know. I don't know how things happen the way they do. [Laughs]

Speaking of how things happen, how did “Texas Summer” come about?

TEO: Oh my god, I can’t believe you watched that. [Laughs.] That was part of a reality TV show [“Music Adventure by Accident”] for Korea where we traveled to the United States and let ourselves be inspired by local culture, and then we wrote a song at the end of that show. The music video was cut together with actual scenes from that show, where we were on a ranch. I worked with cowboys and was hired as a ranch hand. We were working with cows, going in the pasture, basically experiencing part of the American heritage.

I know we’re out of time now. If I could talk to you for three more hours, I would! Thank you very much for your time.
TEO: Oh, thank you. It was a pleasure. Thank you so much, Jae-Ha. Bye!

[Courtesy: Netflix]

¹ Keanu Reeves’ girlfriend, Jennifer Syme, gave birth to their stillborn baby on Dec. 25, 1999. On April 2, 2001, Syme died in an automobile accident.

© 2025 JAE-HA KIM | All Rights Reserved

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Related Reading:

° Go Away With … Teo Yoo (News-Times)
° How Hannah Bahng Created Her Own Path (Rolling Stone)
° American Melancholy: The Real Loss in "Past Lives" Isn't Love (Salon)
° Squid Game Season 2 Explained (Teen Vogue)
° Go Away With … Gia Kim (of XO, KITTY) (MSN)
° Martial Law in South Korea (Teen Vogue)

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