One of his most successful shows is the 12-episode  rom-com series Business Proposal, where he played the lead, Kang Tae-moo, a giant conglomerate CEO pressured to get married by his grandfather. “When I first received the script, I read it, and while reading, I felt as if I was drawn into the story,” Ahn recalls, thinking that if he played this role, he’d be able to make a lot of fans happy with its light and fun vibe. 

However, when they began to film, one difficulty he faced was portraying a character of someone full of himself, which is far from his own personality. “The character itself had to be arrogant, and I had to boast a lot about myself, so this was not easy for me,” he says.

Of all the dramas Ahn has starred in, Netflix’s A Time Called You gives a 360-degree perspective of how versatile an actor he is. This time-travel series not only takes one to different periods but also allows Ahn to portray two different characters who are intertwined with each other in pursuit of one true love. “A Time Called You gave me a headache because I had to go back several times through my ages–in my teens, my 20s, 30s, 40s and so on. So if I don’t have a clear timeline, I would be confused about what I am doing,” he shares. “This goes not only for me but all the cast members who had to do the same process going through the time shifts.”

Another remarkable performance of Ahn is in Seasons 2 and 3 of the phenomenal medical drama Dr Romantic, where he played the role of Dr Seo Woojin, a talented general surgeon with a troubled past. According to Ahn, this character is the closest to his true personality. “When I was first introduced to the character of Seo Woojin, I noticed that the character itself was pessimistic and did not have high hopes about the world,” he says, explaining further how Woojin’s life transformed after Dr Romantic himself, otherwise known as Kim Sa-bu, took him under his wing, mentored him, and allowed him to grow and spread his wings. “Meeting different people while shooting Dr Romantic allowed me to grow. Also, after our shoot, the series changed me [in a way], and I became a person who sees the world from a beautiful perspective. That’s why I am very thankful for this character, and this is one project that I hold dear in my heart,” Ahn muses.

When asked about his preparation process for a role, the Korean celebrity says, “Whenever I study a role, I first try to think of the character's history–his past or present. I also try to use this as an opportunity to calculate how this person came to be to have this character at the present. After getting into the character, I try to think of what this character would look like, his physical appearance.” With all these preparations, it is impossible to believe that Ahn himself is still lacking in many ways. The handsome singer says, “Even though I try my best and give my all, it seems like I am never satisfied with what I was able to do,” he confesses. “I always see myself as incomplete, imperfect. I think this allows me to continue to be humble. One thing I can promise as an actor is that I will always acknowledge these shortcomings and use them as a motivation, not to stay competitive but always to try my best. Being an actor also gives you a life of continuous learning. As an actor, I will never stop moving forward,” he adds. And it seems like his game is far from over. He shares that he’s hoping to work on another romantic comedy series someday.

Grateful to be in an era when K-pop and all things Korean are conquering the world, Ahn commits to doing more projects to “share more happiness with people worldwide”. After all, for the Bench GlobalBenchsetter Ahn, love keeps him happy, and when he gets to feel the love of his fans, it makes him think, “Maybe I am doing something good right now.” And everyone would probably agree.

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