Past Lives actor Teo Yoo’s Movies & TV series

A24’s romance drama movie Past Lives stars Teo Yoo and Greta Lee as their characters remeet in adulthood and try to understand their lives and their blossoming relationship.

The 2023 movie Past Lives was a success in developing an emotional reaction from audiences. Teo Yoo starred as Hae Sung with Greta Lee as Nora. The two characters were school friends in Korea before Nora left for Canada. Nora and Hae Sung reconnect through video calls years later but stop so that Nora can focus on her new life in New York. They meet again at different stages of their lives.

The movie evokes the idea of ‘what if’ and if two people were really something more in their previous lives. Some fans may recognize Teo Yoo before Past Lives thanks to his previous works in the South Korean entertainment industry in movies, TV series, and K-dramas.

The German-Korean actor has gained recent fame, having starred in a well-received Netflix K-drama that showcased his romantic side. Here are some of Teo Yoo’s popular roles in K-dramas, series, and movies.

One On One had Teo Yoo hunt down a killer

Teo Yoo played the role of Shadow 3 in the 2014 movie One On One, which focuses on the suspects of a murder case.

The movie starred some of Korea’s A-list actors like Ma Dong-seok, who broke into Hollywood as part of the MCU in The Eternals. In One On One, Ma played the role of Leader of Shadow. The movie focuses on the events of May 9 when a young girl is brutally murdered.

There are seven suspects considered for the crime. But they have bigger problems as they are being hunted by a terrorist organization called “Shadow.” Teo Yoo was one of the organization’s members. Fans might want to be careful as searching One On One will lead to a Korean 2017 romance movie or the 1977 American sports movie.

Teo Yoo was a former mercenary in Vagabond

The 2019 K-drama Vagabond starred Lee Seung-gi, Bae Suzy, and Shin Sung-rok as they uncover the truth behind a fatal plane crash that took the life of the lead character’s nephew.

Teo Yoo played a supporting character in Vagabond as a former mercenary involved in the plane crash. Cha Dal-gun (Lee) is a wannabe stuntman with big dreams who becomes the sole guardian of his nephew. They have a fight before his nephew leaves for a trip to Morocco. Before embarking, his nephew sends him a video encouraging his uncle to pursue his dreams in taekwondo.

While eating, Dal-gun sees the news of his nephew’s plane crash, killing over 200 civilians due to a faulty structure. As he joins the other mourners in Morocco, he sees a supposedly dead passenger from his nephew’s video alive. Dal-gun soon suspects the crash was no accident. He joins forces with a covert operative for the National Intelligence Service to find the truth.

The School Nurse Files K-drama has a nurse save her students from jellies

In 2020, Teo Yoo joined the cast of Netflix’s The School Nurse Files alongside Jung Yu-mi and Nam Joo-hyuk.

The K-drama is based on a novel by Chung Serang about a school nurse with peculiar abilities. Ahn Eun-young (Jung) can see human desires, spirits, and feelings in the form of “jellies.” While some are harmless, others can be disastrous to humans. As bizarre events occur at the school, she is helped by Hong In-pyo, a fellow teacher with a force field against jellies.

Fans may not notice at first but the frizzy, curly-haired, and somewhat creepy English teacher Mr. Mackenzie is played by Teo Yoo.

Past Lives actor Teo Yoo played a chilling villain in Money Game

Money Game is a 2020 drama about the Korean government fearing the 1997 Asian financial crisis striking again, and the three main characters’ efforts to stop it.

The story centers around the head of the Financial Policy Bureau wanting to get rid of Jungin Bank, which is on the verge of bankruptcy. They also have a third of the government’s money. Meanwhile, the Chairman of Finance wants to hand over the bank to the Bahamas, a private equity fund on Wall Street.

Chae Yi-heon (Go Soo) is an economic government official who hides his wealthy background. Heo Jae (Lee Sung-min) is a chairman who would do anything to achieve his goals. Lee Hye-jun (Shim Eun-kyung) is a newbie with passion and morality. Teo Yoo played a supporting role as Eugene Han, the branch manager of Bahama New York.

Love to Hate You was Teo Yoo’s first leading role in a K-drama

Kim Ok-vin and Teo Yoo starred in Netflix’s 2023 rom-com K-drama Love to Hate You. Teo Yoo played the role of a lovable actor, well-known for his on-screen kisses. But he has a secret that pushes the female lead, and lawyer, to hate him.

Yeo Mi-ran (Kim) is a rookie attorney at Gilmu Law Firm. Due to her past, she is untrusting of men and does not want to be stuck in a relationship. Nam Gang-ho (Teo Yoo) may be good with the ladies on screen, but in real life, he does not trust them due to heartbreak with his ex.

The two cross paths when Mi-ran hears Gang-ho make remarks about kissing his co-star. Due to a misunderstanding, she makes it her mission to make his life hell as she works for the law firm that represents him. Fans shouldn’t expect a damsel-in-distress romance. Mi-ran is a skilled fighter and can hold her own, while Gang-ho is not afraid to speak his true feelings. The two embark on a fun and eye-opening romance.

You can read more about K-drama content like Rowoon’s best K-drama roles here, and a list of Netflix’s best original K-dramas here.