Extraordinary Attorney Woo: Interview with Park Eun-bin

Woo Young-woo, a rookie lawyer with autism spectrum disorder, is blessed with a unique and quirky way of solving cases thrown at her. Helped by kind colleagues and an understanding best friend, Extraordinary Attorney Woo has warmed the hearts of viewers who propelled the Netflix series into the Top 10 of its non-English language slate of offerings from its first streaming. It is now in the top spot as it nears the finale of the first season.

Park Eun-bin, who plays Woo, has charmed audiences with her solid acting in various works, including the Netflix series The King’s Affection and Judge vs. Judge. In this interview, she talks about the difficulties of crafting her role, the story behind the viral “Woo Young-Woo greeting” and delivers a message of gratitude.

Interview with Park Eun-bin

Hello! I’m Park Eun-bin, and I play Woo Young-woo in Extraordinary Attorney Woo. I am thankful that this series has become so popular with so many people. Your support makes my day! I hope that this series will not only warm the hearts but also stimulate the minds of everyone who watches it, just as it has done for me.

Q: How did you feel when you received the offer for this role?

I wondered why the producers had such incredible trust in me. I asked them why they chose me to play Woo Young-woo, and they told me they had never considered anyone else. That actually increased the pressure on me to do a good job. I wanted to meet their expectations. I also wanted to test my capacity and skills as an actor. So I mustered the courage to dive into this role.

Q: What was difficult about playing Woo Young-woo?

Young-woo has autism, which means that she has some unique behaviors and characteristics. It was difficult to decide to what extent they should be expressed, especially as she also needs to appear credible as an attorney. I needed to think about how to express her weak points and strong points at the same time. That wasn’t easy. I had to decide how to create the role for myself. I received advice from university professors who are experts on autism spectrum disorder. The screen-writer and directors also did their research, taking care to craft the characters thoughtfully and sensitively from a variety of perspectives when they worked on the script.

Q: What is important to you as an actor?

My motto is “Be happy and have fun at work.” But I know that as an actor, I can’t have fun all the time and need to consider the content of the work. Communication, cooperation and being able to harmonize with different people is important, especially for actors. I had to work at different ways to tap my abilities by viewing everything from above and approaching things from various angles.

Q: How did you create the “greeting” between your character and her friend Dong Geu-ra-mi?

The greeting was a little different in the original script. When I talked with Joo Hyun-young, who plays Dong Geu-ra-mi, about how her character would greet Young-woo, she suggested that her character would greet mine like this. I agreed that if Geu-ra-mi greeted Young-woo like that, then Woo should just respond in the same way. I kept her intention in mind and built on her idea. It didn’t take too long for us to finalize the gesture. I am glad that so many people imitate and enjoy that special greeting!

Q: There are many fans of this series in Japan and in the world, including celebrities like Takeru Satoh (First Love), who raved about how charming Young-woo is and how they became obsessed with the show. How do you feel about this reaction in Japan?

Takeru Satoh starred in the movie, The Liar and His Lover, right? I saw that and really enjoyed it. I liked the soundtrack too. I thought to myself that I would like to sing those songs if we do a meet-and-greet in Japan. I am glad to hear that famous actors are watching it. I also gathered that the previous work I appeared in, The King’s Affection (released in 2021), was also popular on Netflix in Japan. Our countries are close to one another but our languages and cultures are different. Viewers are likely to be reading the subtitles, which means it’s incredible that they love it just as much. Thank you for enjoying this series.

Please watch and enjoy the Netflix series Extraordinary Attorney Woo.

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Netflix Series Extraordinary Attorney Woo

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