The reign of Cha Eun-woo: Astro's K-Pop prince to K-Drama leading man, why he's South Korea's most dynamic star

Ah, the Cha Eun-woo charm. With his music, acting, and modeling, he doesn’t just wear multiple hats; he owns them. His careers don’t exist in silos—they just amplify each other, making it nearly impossible to separate the artist from the phenomenon that surrounds him.

So, what makes Eun-woo…Eun-woo?

Debuts, early days

Born Lee Dong-min, Eun-woo was a regular middle-schooler when he was discovered by a talent scout. It propelled him straight into the industry, with a debut along heavyweights like Gang Dong-won and Song Hye-kyo in My Brilliant Life. It was a minor role, and yet the Eun-woo charm we spoke about? It worked well, and he was snatched up by Shara Shara, a cosmetics brand. But he wasn’t going to be just admired for his looks; there was more potential to tap into, and Fantagio wasn’t going to let go so easily. And so in 2015, he landed his first lead role in To Be Continued, along with Kim Sae-ron.

 From Astro to K-Drama leading star

 When Cha Eun-woo debuted with Astro in 2016, no one doubted he had the charisma of a leading man. What made him stand-out? The fact that he never stopped evolving.

 His early years were a whirlwind. Between dropping Astro’s debut EP Spring Up and diving headfirst into variety shows like Law of the Jungle in New Caledonia and Replies That Make Us Flutter, Cha wasn’t just dipping his toes into entertainment, he was everywhere. Hosting Show! Music Core from 2016 to 2018 solidified his screen presence, while web dramas like My Romantic Some Recipe were hints that he was honing his acting craft.

By 2017, the K-Drama world took notice. He landed his first drama role in Hit The Top, and mixed things up in Sweet Revenge. Yet, the show that really stood out at the time, was Gangnam Beauty.

 Fans won’t forget his seemingly cold, brooding Kyung-seok, who somehow managed to be endearing. Stony-faced but gold-hearted, the actor brought much nuance to a role where he played the lover of a girl, who had been tormented by her schoolmates for her looks, and had undergone plastic surgery in worry. The show was a massive hit, and earned him a spot in GQ Korea’s ‘Men of the Year’.

 And the show that cemented his success was True Beauty in 2020. Eun-woo turned romantic heartthrob as Lee Su-ho, a rather internally battered and wounded soul, who falls in love with Mun Ka-Young’s perky Joo-kyung. You don’t forget Eun-woo wrapped up in all woollens, sobbing in relief during the love confession. Whew.

But once again, that charm about Eun-woo is that he never just stuck to one kind of role: He has always mixed it up in his career. Why play only the romantic lead, when you can try a historical drama too…or maybe, something darker?  By 2022, he was tackling darker, more mature roles—like a Navy officer in the action-packed Decibel and an exorcist priest in the supernatural thriller Island. Fans are still upset that he didn’t have a romantic story in The Island, but Eun-woo clearly has no regrets.

 Watch him in a show that might give you nightmares for a while, but hey, he still looks good in black.

He brings back the romantic charm, occasionally. Eun-woo played the lead in a romantic fantasy where a woman turns into a dog at midnight…and only Eun-woo can make something that absurd look that good.

And through it all? He never left his music behind. From OSTs like Don’t Cry, My Love to a remake of Focus on Me, he kept proving he could do it all. His powerful Stay, a love song filled with angst and pulsing emotion remains a fan-favourite.

Actor, singer, heartthrob, and genre-chameleon—Cha Eun-woo continues to rewrite what it means to be a multi-hyphenate star.