‘Oldboy’ star Choi Min-sik says he missed TV dramas

Top movie star Choi Min-sik did not hide his excitement at his return after 25 years to the small screen in Disney+ noir series “Big Bet.” His last television drama was MBC’s “Love and Farewell” (1997-1998).

“I decided to star in ‘Big Bet’ because I really missed TV dramas,” Choi said in a press conference at JW Marriott Dongdaemun Square Seoul on Wednesday.

The veteran actor explained he wanted the opportunity to work on a project featuring a long story.

“Drama series are not limited to a two- to three-hour playing time. I was more than satisfied to have enough time to deliver the long story about my character Cha Moo-sik,” Choi added.

“Big Bet,” titled "Casino" in Korean, centers on Moo-sik, who becomes a gambling king in the Philippines. When he becomes caught up in a murder case, the casino mogul makes a “big bet” to escape from his misfortune.

The 60-year-old actor spoke about his experience of portraying Cha Moo-sik in his 30s and 40s.

“I greatly benefited from our modern technology, which made me look like a middle-aged man. Playing a man in his 30s and 40s was not a difficult job. But I thank actor Lee Kyu-hyung, who played the young Moo-sik,” Choi said.

The actor thanked Lee for thoroughly studying the characteristics of Moo-sik, which allowed for the fluent transition of Moo-sik from a young man to an advanced age.

Director Kang Yun-sung, who was been behind several noir and action hits -- “The Outlaws” (2017), “Long Live the King” (2019) and “The Roundup” (2022) -- was confident that his upcoming series would greatly entertain both local and global viewers.

“To make a realistic story, we spent a long time in the Philippines. So many scenes may be more familiar to the global fans. And ‘Big Bet’ may be exotic to some Korean viewers,” the director said.

The first three episodes of “Big Bet” are scheduled to be released Dec. 21.

According to the director, one episode will be released on Wednesdays after that.

“After the first eight episodes, we will have a two- to three-week break. ‘Big Bet’ will return with a part two, in which the remaining episodes will be available on Disney+,” Kang explained.