Jang Seung-jo Admits Pressure Portraying Villain in 'The Killer's Shopping List': 'Stress Levels Hit 100'

Actor Jang Seung-jo candidly shared his thoughts on portraying a powerful villain in the upcoming Netflix series ‘The Killer’s Shopping List’.

The production presentation for ‘The Killer’s Shopping List’ was held on the 5th at CGV Yongsan in Seoul, with director Lee Jung-rim, and cast members Jeon So-nee, Lee Yoo-mi, Jang Seung-jo, and Lee Mu-saeng in attendance.

‘The Killer’s Shopping List’ tells the story of two women who decide to commit murder in a reality where they cannot escape unless they kill or are killed, finding themselves entangled in unexpected events.

Jang Seung-jo, who plays both ‘No Jin-pyo’ and ‘Jang Kang’, introduced his characters. "No Jin-pyo is Hee-soo’s husband. Socially, he is capable and successful, but within the family, he is a character with obsessive and violent tendencies towards Hee-soo. Jang Kang is a naive young employee favored by President Jin So-baek," he explained.

When asked about the pressure of playing a violent antagonist, he joked, "I am a bit scared of the global reaction." He confessed, "Before expressing this violent character, when I read the script, I wanted to save the two protagonists. The burden of portraying a violent character weighed heavily on me."

He further elaborated, "However, it was necessary to showcase the tension within the drama, so I believe I was able to approach it with a certain ambition," conveying his firm conviction.

Sharing an anecdote from the filming, Jang Seung-jo said, "It's quite strange, but there was a time when I was reading the script. I happened to check my smartwatch's stress index, and it was consistently close to 100. The next day, and on other days, when I checked, my stress level kept rising." He added with a laugh, "I'm sorry I couldn't spit on the script like Lee Kwang-soo did in ‘Jokbal City’," eliciting laughter from the audience.

Korean netizens reacted with anticipation, commenting, "I'm really looking forward to your villain role," "How immersive was your character portrayal to make your stress levels go that high?", and "Even though it's a scary character, I can trust Jang Seung-jo's acting."