Rookie actor Tang Joon-sang steals the limelight

An 18-year-old actor endeared himself to drama fans twice in the first half of this year. It is Tang Joon-sang, who played Geu-ru, a “trauma cleaner” with Asperger syndrome, in Netflix’s Move to Heaven, and badminton prodigy Yoon Hae-kang in SBS’ “Racket Boys.” He was the main character in both series.

Tang was not entirely unknown before appearing in those two TV series. After making his debut in musical Billy Elliot at age 7, Tang mostly played supporting roles in movies and TV series. He started to become famous after playing Geum Eun-dong in tvN’s Crash Landing on You.

“I was complimented on my acting for the first time while playing lead roles in two TV series this year. It made me want to work even harder,” Tang said via video interview. He had strong presence in Racket Boys that ended on Monday. It is a fairytale-like story about middle school students playing badminton in the southernmost city of Haenam and adults surrounding them. “There is no single drop of blood in the series. The pure characters of the students and the beautiful scenery will bring you back to your childhood memories,” Tang said. As Tang said, the TV series was nicknamed, “pollution-free, organic TV series” and maintained the top spot in viewer ratings for Monday-Tuesday TV series.

Tang, who built a solid filmography this year, will come of age next year. Instead of attending high school, Tang homeschooled, passed the GED, and now preparing to study theater and film in college. Tang said he recently binge-watched tvN series “My Mister” (2018) and thought he wanted to participate in a work that deals with the life story of someone who just landed a job. Other than that, he does not have plans for his 20s. “I just want to continue to act in various works,” Tang said.


beborn@donga.com