EXO's D.O. praises best friend Lee Kwang Soo's villain acting in 'The Manipulated'

14 Dec 2025, 08:48 by Helena-son · allkpop

Singer and actor Doh Kyung Soo (EXO's D.O.) has opened up about playing a villain and acting alongside his close friend, Lee Kwang Soo.

With the recent conclusion of the Disney+ original series 'The Manipulated', Doh Kyung Soo shared his thoughts on the project. The drama tells the story of an ordinary man (played by Ji Chang Wook) who falls into a living hell because of a cruel designer named Yo Han (Doh Kyung Soo).

Doh Kyung Soo took on the role of the ruthless "sculptor" who manipulates crimes. Regarding his action scenes, he focused on cruelty rather than flashy moves. "I thought about which tools would make him look more cruel and simple," he explained. "I felt a long sword would look visually brutal. Instead of a long sequence of 10 moves, I reduced it to 3 simple strikes that could inflict the most damage at once."

This project gave Doh Kyung Soo the chance to finally act face-to-face with his real-life best friend, Lee Kwang Soo. Although they were both in the drama 'It's Okay, That's Love', they never shared scenes together back then. "This was my first time seeing him act in person," Doh Kyung Soo revealed. "Watching him immerse himself in the role, I thought, 'This isn't the brother I know.'"

He praised Lee Kwang Soo's incredible focus, jokingly adding a compliment about his villainous performance: "From a viewer's perspective, his character is supposed to be detestable. And honestly, he was really detestable on set, too. He digested the character perfectly."

Do Kyung Soo concluded, "I thought acting with a close friend might be awkward, but it actually helped me focus better because he is such a great actor."

All episodes of 'The Manipulated' are now streaming on Disney+.

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