Imagine being scouted at 13 as an idol trainee in 2008, but later struggling to debut. Eight years after, your agency shuts down, preventing you from joining another. Won’t you find life unfair? That’s exactly what happened with dance and acting major Ong Seong-wu; however, this didn’t hold him back. Eight months after the closure, he signed up with a new agency as an acting trainee in 2016. His shaky start was overturned by the roaring opportunities that followed.
Photo from HanCinema / topstarnews
Birthday: August 25, 1995
Instagram: @osw_onge
He joined Produce 101 Season 2, ranked fifth overall, and debuted as a Wanna One member in 2017. When his contract expired at the end of 2018, he turned to acting and launched his solo music career.
Co-starring Kim Hyang-gi (Along with the Gods), he landed his first lead role in JTBC’s romance series At Eighteen (2019). For his portrayal of Choi Jun-woo, a transferee accused of stealing in his current school, he received a Baeksang Best New Actor nomination. At the 2019 Asia Artist Awards, he won Best New Actor and the Hallyu Star Award. For the variety show Traveler 2 (2020), he backpacked through Argentina with Kang Ha-neul (Insider) and Ahn Jae-hong (Reply 1988). In 2021, he played a rookie barista in KakaoTV’s slice-of-life k-drama Would You Like a Cup of Coffee?.
In 2022, his Netflix 80s car chase film Seoul Vibe with co-stars Yoo Ah-in (Hellbound) and Go Kyung-pyo (Strongest Deliveryman) was released. This was followed by Baeksang and Blue Dragon Best New Actor nominations for the musical film Life Is Beautiful starring Ryu Seung-ryong (Moving) and Yum Jung-ah (SKY Castle), which premiered at the 36th Fribourg International Film Festival in Switzerland.
He has a long list of projects lined up, having made quite an impression as a new actor and having prepared for his absence during his military service starting April 2023. He starred as a detective opposite Lee Yoo-mi (All of Us Are Dead) in the fantasy rom-com series Strong Girl Nam-soon, the sequel to the hit Strong Woman Do Bong-soon (2017). In the upcoming romance movie Starlight Is Falling, he was cast with Esom (Taxi Driver 1) and Shim Eun-kyung (Miss Granny). He will rejoin Ryu Seung-ryong in the dramatic movie Jung Family’s Farm.
Looking forward to Ong Seung-wu’s discharge from mandatory military service this October, his fans can’t wait for the idol-actor to unleash his talent and add more to his already numerous acting roles and music projects under his belt. His journey is a testament to the power of perseverance and the belief that every setback is a setup for a greater comeback.
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