Jaehwa Bernardo

Ji Chang-wook (left) and Doh Kyung-soo at the press conference for 'The Manipulated,' November 3, 2025. Photos courtesy of Disney+

Article (news)

Ji Chang-wook out for revenge against Doh Kyung-soo in ‘The Manipulated’

ABS-CBN News

<div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/17622190827861.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">Ji Chang-wook (left) and Doh Kyung-soo pose for photos at a press conference for &#x27;The Manipulated,&#x27; November 3, 2025. <em>Photos courtesy of Disney+</em></span></span></span></div><p>Ji Chang-wook once played a character not too different from Park Tae-joong, his role in Disney+’s upcoming revenge thriller “The Manipulated.” </p><p>The series takes inspiration from the 2017 film “Fabricated City,” in which Chang-wook portrayed a gamer wrongly accused of murder — a situation not far from what Tae-joong faces in the new show. Still, the familiar premise didn’t deter the 38-year-old actor from taking on the project.</p><p>“When I first got the script for the series, I thought, ‘This is something I really want to do.’ The reason for that is, not only is this entertaining and intriguing, but each of the characters were so alive and vivid,” Chang-wook said via an interpreter during a press conference ahead of “The Manipulated’s” November 5 premiere.</p><p>The actor added that he didn’t compare his role in “Fabricated City” with Tae-joong. “I’d say this is a completely new and different character,” he said.</p><p>That mindset extended to his approach to the drama as a whole, Chang-wook revealed in a separate Q&amp;A shared by Disney+.</p><p>“I approached it as an entirely different project. In terms of the overall premise or framework of the story, the series and the film may share some similarities, but when it was being adapted, much more detail was added to the backstories of the characters, and new characters were introduced,” he explained.</p><div><span class="fr-video fr-deletable fr-fvc fr-dvb fr-draggable" contenteditable="false" draggable="true"><iframe width="640" height="360" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/44_WpZqzwLU?&amp;wmode=opaque&amp;rel=0" frameBorder="0" allowfullscreen="" class="fr-draggable"></iframe></span></div><p>The 12-part “The Manipulated” follows Tae-joong, a hardworking delivery man whose kind-hearted nature betrays him when he is framed for the murder and rape of a woman he has never met, an accusation that turns his world upside down.</p><p>The ordeal tears him away from his loved ones, and as he is sent to prison, Tae-joong comes across a case similar to his own, igniting his determination to take revenge on those who orchestrated his downfall.</p><p>Director Park Sin-woo explained that adapting the story into a series allowed for a different kind of storytelling, with each episode likened to a “stage.”</p><p>“The stage continues to change with each episode. With each episode, you are going to see the pace of the story unfold, and new character dynamics and collisions that will really give you no choice but to go on to the next episode,” Park said.</p><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1762218109958JCW.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><strong>‘No brainer’ casting<br/></strong></div><p>Explaining the decision to cast Chang-wook for a similar role, Park said the actor had expressed intent to star in “The Manipulated” the moment he learned that “Fabricated City” was going to be turned into a series.</p><p>“Even before the script was out, Chang-wook showed us his intention that he wanted to do it. There was no other discussion. He waited until everything was done, that&#x27;s just how much love and passion he had for the project so it was really a no brainer for me [to cast him],” Park said.</p><p>Starring opposite Chang-wook is actor-singer Doh Kyung-soo, best known as a member of the boy band EXO. He plays Ahn Yo-han, a wealthy sculptor who frames innocent people for the crimes of others.</p><p>“This  is my very first time trying a villain role so what kind of villain can I make, right? I was curious what I could do pulling off a villain,” Kyung-soo said at the press conference, explaining his decision to join the project.</p><p>Kyung-soo said he focused on giving his character an “eerie” vibe, paying particular attention to his appearance by repeatedly perming and dyeing his hair, and talking with the wardrobe team to ensure Yo-han usually wore tailored outfits.</p><div><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1762218127077DKS.jpg" style="width:633px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/></div><div><strong>Action, car race scenes</strong></div><p>Viewers can also expect high-octane action and intense car chase sequences.</p><p>“Our martial arts director and our cast went through a lot of discussions so that [the action scenes] come out as convincing and raw as possible. We used a lot of different techniques,” director Park said, noting that each episode will present “something new in terms of the type of action.”</p><p>“In the case of Tae-joong, Chang-wook really did a lot of his own stunts, too, to make it as realistic as possible,” he said.</p><p>Notably, the car chase scene played a role in Kyung-soo’s decision to join the series. “When I read the script, of course, it was exciting... I was really curious about this car race scene. I was curious about how that would be translated on screen,” he said.</p><div><span class="fr-img-caption fr-fic fr-dib" style="width:950px"><span class="fr-img-wrap"><img src="https://od2-image-api.abs-cbn.com/prod/editorImage/1762218145859Cast.jpg" style="width:950px" class="fr-fic fr-dib"/><span class="fr-inner" style="text-align:left">(From left) Kim Jong-soo, Jo Yoon-su, director Park Sin-woo, Ji Chang-wook, Doh Kyung-soo and Lee Kwang-soo</span></span></span></div><p>For the car racing or bike chase scenes, the production team even used a wide range of cameras “to create a sense of realism,” director Park said in the Disney+ Q&amp;A.</p><p>“From small action cams to drones, numerous cameras were used to capture these moments as vividly as possible,” he said.</p><p>“The Manipulated” also stars Lee Kwang-soo (“Running Man,” “The Divorce Insurance” and “Karma”), veteran actor Kim Jong-soo (“<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/showbiz/movies-series/2025/7/9/disney-series-low-life-recreates-1970s-korea-with-colorful-characters-0849"><strong>Low Life</strong></a>”) and up-and-coming actress Jo Yoon-su (“<a href="https://www.abs-cbn.com/entertainment/2024/7/31/why-kim-seon-ho-joined-thrilling-series-the-tyrant-1302"><strong>The Tyrant</strong></a>”)</p><p>After premiering with four episodes on November 5, “The Manipulated” will drop two new episodes each week, culminating in a two-episode finale on December 3.</p>

<p>Despite its familiar premise, Ji Chang-wook did not hesitate to take on the Disney+ revenge thriller 'The Manipulated.'</p>

Despite its familiar premise, Ji Chang-wook did not hesitate to take on the Disney+ revenge thriller 'The Manipulated.'