Noh Jae-won on Learning Style and Self-Care From Byun Yo-han and Hyun Bin

Actor Noh Jae-won says his co-stars Byun Yo-han and Hyun Bin taught him more than just acting. From them, he picked up lessons on style, grooming, and how to carry himself as a working actor.

The rising star recently sat down at a cafe in Seoul's Samcheong-dong neighborhood to talk about his lead role in the film "Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub," directed by Choi Kook-hee and known in the industry as "Tazza 4."

Noh's schedule has been stacked with global-scale titles. On top of "Tazza 4," he appears in the latest season of Netflix's "Squid Game" and the Disney+ series "Made in Korea," which put his face in front of a much wider audience. Even so, he brushed off the idea that he has arrived.

"Compared with the senior actors I meet on set, I'm a total rookie," Noh said. "I've been lucky to join big projects, but that was just me at that moment. Every time I start a new project, it feels like I'm beginning again, like I'm acting for the first time."

He added that the size of a project does not automatically make an actor better. "Doing big titles doesn't grow your acting on its own. I treat the project I'm working on right now as if it's everything, and I start over each time. That's why I still fumble sometimes."

Working back-to-back with actors like Byun Yo-han on "Tazza 4" and Hyun Bin on "Made in Korea" gave him a close look at how top-tier performers carry themselves. He had plenty to say about both.

"Yo-han is brave, bold and tough," Noh said. "His way of doing things is pretty cool and romantic. The way he treats his younger co-stars is really something."

He described Hyun Bin as "warm, gentle and thoughtful." "If he has notes on my acting, he waits until the shoot is completely done and then gives me advice carefully, in case I get hurt or shrink back," Noh said. "There's a lot I'm grateful for."

Asked what the two seniors had most in common, Noh laughed and pointed to something simpler than craft. "The thing I learned from both of them is how to carry yourself as an actor," he said. "Grace? Beauty? Style? I learned a lot from them about taking care of yourself. Both of them are very disciplined about it."

That lesson has already changed his daily routine. "These days I'm getting a lot of skin and body care, and I've started going to a dermatologist," he joked. "I'm scheduled to keep getting better looking."

He also said he is working out harder than before. "My face isn't exactly handsome, but I realized I have to do my best on the outside too if I want to take on more roles and more kinds of acting."