Netflix’s The Recruit is finally back for its second season
The Recruit: Season 2 official trailer on Netflix
Netflix has sprung back into action with a brand-new season of The Recruit.
The spy series first hit screens in December 2022 and saw Noah Centineo, known for the To All The Boys I’ve Loved Before franchise, step into the shoes of Owen Hendricks.
While the first instalment starred the actor as a bumbling CIA lawyer fending off spies across Europe, season two sees him heading to South Korea for a new assignment.
Joining him for the journey is BAFTA-nominated actor Teo Yoo, who portrays new character Jang Kyun.
As fans prepare to binge-watch the new episodes, here’s an insight into the Korean actor’s life off-screen.
Early life
Born in Cologne, Germany, in April 1981, Yoo’s mother worked as a nurse and his father was a miner. The actor’s family moved from South Korea in the seventies.
Opening up about his upbringing, he told The Hollywood Reporter: “I grew up in a Korean community in Germany — we were there through a labour agreement between the countries, and our dads worked in the coal mines or [in construction] building up the post-war Germany in the ’70s. All our mothers were nurses.
“I saw Chungking Express on German television, and it was the first time I felt a kind of melancholy and feeling out of place.”
Released in 1994, Chungking Express is considered one of the defining works of Korean cinema. Although the film struck Yoo when he was young, he did not have aspirations of pursuing acting until his early twenties.
Instead, the 43-year-old actor had dreams of being the first Korean NBA player. He later jumped into the arts industry after his Achilles tendon ruptured.
At 20 years old, Yoo moved to New York City and studied at The Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute, which boasts notable alumni including Uma Thurman, Angelina Jolie and Miles Teller.
After the Big Apple, he studied acting at the Royal Academy of Dramatic Arts.
Where you’ve seen him before
Although the Netflix star has 29 IMDB credits, he is best known for his role in Celine Song’s romance drama Past Lives.
The 2023 hit film, which has a near-perfect 95% Rotten Tomatoes rating, propelled the actor to mainstream fame.
In the Song feature, Yoo plays Hae Sung, a timid man who reconnects with his childhood friend in New York, 20 years after she emigrates from South Korea.
The drama captivated viewers and critics for its raw portrayal of growing up and losing defining elements of your identity.
Taking to X, formerly twitter to share their verdict, one fan penned: “Two childhood friends reconnect throughout several decades in this harrowingly realistic tale of true love. Past Lives is by fat the most heart-breaking film I’ve seen this year. It’s incredibly raw, extremely well acted and shot. This film is art. Keep tissues nearby.”
Yoo bagged his first BAFTA nomination in the Best leading Actor category for his role.
Is Teo Yoo married?
Yoo tied the knot with artist Nikki S. Lee in 2007.
Speaking to moviegoers in 2021, the actor reflected on his marriage: “We often say ‘we are one body.’
“We’ve lived together for 14 years, communicated, and overcame difficulties together, so there is this partnership of knowing each other to the bones. Even though we talk a lot, it took a decade for us to become one.”
The Recruit is now on Netflix.
