'JYP Trainee' Ahn Hyoseop, inevitable leader of Lions Boyz "K-pop is a symbol of hope"

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This leads to a reasonable speculation that he would have become a serious K-pop idol leader if he had not debuted as an actor. He also spent three years as a trainee with the group GOT7 at JYP Entertainment, a major K-pop management company.

This is about actor An Hyo-seop, who participated in voice acting for the Netflix American K-pop animation 'KPop Demon Hunters,' which is causing a global syndrome.

'K-Pop Demon Hunters' is the first anime to seriously tackle K-Pop idols from overseas. It tells the story of Hunttrix, an exorcist K-pop girl group, fighting against Lionboys, an evil K-pop boy group. Hunttrix draws inspiration from mudangs, which are the ultimate traditional Korean performers, while Lionboys take their motif from the still diversely interpreted guardians of the underworld.

An Hyoseob took on the role of 'Jinwoo', the leader of Lion Boys. He has been praised for digesting all the lines in English and expressing the delicate nuances of emotion through his voice alone. "K-Pop Demon Hunters" entered the top 10 in 93 countries worldwide immediately after its release, with 41 of those countries ranking it at number one, achieving global success. An Hyoseob is considered one of the key contributors to this success.

An Hyoseob said on the 27th through his agency, The Present Company, "The way the message of 'love' given by the work was conveyed through music and K-pop seemed uniquely different."

He said that he had curiosity about a new genre and the working method called voice acting. He also mentioned, "I wanted to give something enjoyable to the fans who love me overseas and create pleasant memories for them."

The Korean-Canadian director Maggie Gang, who served as the screenwriter and co-director of the work, sent a letter to Ahn Hyo-seop to propose the role.

Director Maggie Kang had watched many dramas. When discussing the casting of Jinho, she was watching the SBS TV drama "Office Romance" (2022), in which An Hyo-seop played the lead role. After watching this drama, Director Maggie Kang became a fan of An Hyo-seop. In particular, there was a scene where An Hyo-seop perfectly spoke English on the phone, and after seeing this scene, she felt, "Ah, Jinho." An Hyo-seop is proficient in English. He lived in Canada for about 10 years. His family immigrated to Canada when he was seven years old, and he returned when he was seventeen.

An Hyoseop said, "Director Maggie Kang sent me a letter, in which I could feel her warm concern for me and her deep affection for the project. I believed in her sincerity, and naturally developed a desire to work together to achieve good results."

He really has a lot of affection for 'K-Pop Demon Hunters,' interpreting it as a fantasy that touches on our reality.

There's a Korean word I love, 'aru-mdap-da,' which means 'beautiful.' It also contains the meaning of 'na-dap-da,' which translates to 'be oneself.' This work contains a message that encourages us to accept our unique beauty, recognize our own special qualities, and love ourselves as we are.

Jin-woo makes a dangerous choice in the drama to make a deal with Guma to be with his family, and as a consequence, he loses his soul.

An Hyoseop said, "I think of him as a character who lives with affection and warmth towards humans despite everything. In this regard, I expect viewers to feel both sympathy and love."

Jinwoo's inner demon is born from the pain and guilt that has crushed him, as well as the suffering and regret from choices he was forced to make. Even though he knows those decisions were unavoidable, those memories continue to torment him.

Even so, Ahn Hyoseob believed that "the voice within comes to me as a low and heavy whisper, always interfering and shaking up the right direction. Facing and accepting this inner darkness is never easy, but I think it’s a process that we all have to go through. It’s through such times that we can face ourselves and become a little stronger."

The world that serves as the backdrop for this movie looks like fantasy, but upon closer inspection, it resembles the world we live in. "It's a place where good and evil coexist, and where people's desires and sacrifices collide. It seems that K-pop functions as a symbol of hope within that world."

This time, the animation recording method is special. Except for the first meeting, Ahn Hyo-seop in Korea and the production team in the U.S. worked together via video calls. During the recording, they placed a camera next to the microphone, filming not just Ahn Hyo-seop’s voice but also his facial expressions and movements. This reference video was used in great detail to depict the character Jin-woo’s expressions, emotions, and movements when creating the character.

An Hyoseop said, "The completed face and style of Jinho, which were actually finished, have parts based on my appearance, including hoodies and other outfits. It was work that went beyond simple voice acting, where my body and expressions were also integrated. I think these processes played an important role in infusing life into the character. Through all these processes and the efforts of the production team, I think Jinho and I were able to synchronize."

Director Maggie Kang said she was really honored to work with Director Chris Applehans, the American illustrator and director.

An Hyoseop said, "Since animation as a genre was a new working method for me, there were parts that felt unfamiliar and difficult. However, every time I felt that way, Directors both of them led me with meticulous care and warmth, allowing me to adapt quickly," expressing his gratitude.

For example, I wondered how to convey the flow of emotions through voice alone, and in the same scene, I tried various approaches with the intensity of emotion, speed of speech, and pauses. "I was deeply impressed by how you helped the characters become more three-dimensional within the animation, and I am grateful for the open environment that allowed me to express myself freely."

When I saw the completed 'K-Pop Demon Hunters,' I said, 'It was an indescribably fulfilling feeling.'

While reading the script, I found it enjoyable, but since the animation genre was unfamiliar to me, I couldn't really imagine how it would be realized. However, upon seeing the completed film, it turned out to be much more beautiful and touching than I could have imagined, surpassing my expectations. Each scene felt like a dream. Above all, if there are any fans who will watch this work, I want to share this joy with them. I hope you all will be captivated by this story as I was, and feel the fun and emotion within it together.

He pointed out the difference between this work and other animations as being that it is "an animation centered on emotions." Usually, in animations, music often exists like a background, but in this work, the music, story, and emotions are organically connected, making it feel like a stage play. "It came across as both a film and a performance at the same time. This structure was very new and impressive to me."

Animation is defined as a genre that "exceeds the limitations of imagination." "Without the constraints of reality, one can visually manifest everything that comes to mind. And within it, there can be very deep emotions, philosophy, and messages. Whether for adults or children, it's the power of animation to move hearts with its stories. As someone who has been a long-time fan of Sony Pictures and loves animation, I am truly happy and honored to have been able to participate in this project. I'm so happy to meet you all through Netflix."

An Hyoseop made his debut in 2015 through MBC's one-act drama 'Pongdang Pongdang Love (LOVE)'. He gained recognition from the public through SBS TV's 'Thirty But Seventeen' in 2018. He became a top actor with tvN's drama 'Abyss' in 2019 and SBS TV's 'Romantic Doctor Kim Sa Bu 2' in 2020. In 2021, he solidified his status as a star with SBS TV's 'Hong Chun Gi' and 'Office Romance'. His screen debut film 'A Reader's Point of View' will be released on July 23rd. He is currently filming a new drama titled 'Sold Out Today'.

An Hyoseop said through "K-Pop Demon Hunters" that he hopes "the message that everyone has darkness inside them and sometimes it's necessary to recognize and face it with courage can be conveyed." "And from the point of view that it's a story about gaining the strength to believe in one's own voice and move forward, I hope it brings comfort and courage to many people."