“I feel like I’m in the middle of my acting career. Even if I fail, I want to challenge myself with new roles, not the ones I’m used to.”
Actor Yoo Ji-tae, who has been acting for 26 years, expressed his passion for acting in this way.
The Disney+ original series “Vigilante,” is an action thriller that tells the story of “vigilante” Kim Ji-yong (played by Nam Joo-hyuk), a model police student who upholds the law during the day, but at night he brings criminals who have escaped the law to justice.
Yoo Ji-tae plays Jo Heon, a team leader of the Seoul Metropolitan Police Department’s Wide Area Investigation Team. He pursues Kim Ji-yong, who is shaking up the justice system, and the two are at odds.
Yoo Ji-tae described as a “monster cop,” Jo Heon is characterised by his enormous size and strength. In the original webtoon of the same name, Yoo Ji-tae gained nearly 20kg to portray Jo Heon, who is a special forces veteran and stands over two metres tall.

“Actually, I gained weight when I saw Nam Joo Hyuk for the first time. In the webtoon, Kim Ji-yong has a small image, but in real life, Nam Joo Hyuk has a good body and his height is similar to mine, so I gained weight for ‘Vigilante.’ But Jo Heon has to be much bigger than Kim Ji-yong, so I thought I should gain more weight. So I gained weight quickly, and I’m happy with the result.”
Yoo Ji-tae, who enjoyed the webtoon ‘Vigilante’ even before it was turned into a drama, said, “At the time, the content seemed different, so I used to recommend it to my acquaintances. I thought there was a possibility that dark hero dramas like this could become mainstream. But I didn’t expect to play the role of Jo Heon. I thought it would be fresher than any other role, so I did my best to build the character.”
He was once known as a ‘melo craftsman’, but now he is said to be breaking the ‘life character’ barrier every time he plays a role with a strong personality. It is a great advantage for an actor to be able to play a variety of roles without feeling out of place. In response, Yoo Ji-tae said, “I’m grateful that I was praised for my previous roles because they were new characters, not stable roles. The most important thing for me is to live well as an actor,” he said.
Kim Ji-yong uses his personal power to impose “private sanctions” on perpetrators who have escaped justice. Some follow him in the name of dispensing justice. However, Jo Heon considers Kim Ji-yong a “criminal” for committing illegal acts. Who is ‘good’ and who is ‘evil’ is a question the drama constantly asks.
I asked Yoo Ji-tae what he felt while playing Jo Heon, who is a hero to some, catching Vigilante. He said, “Jo Heon is neither completely good nor completely evil. He is neither completely good nor completely evil,” he recalls. “I have thoughts similar to his. It’s true that it’s a society with many contradictions, but you have to be patient and live in your place. In doing so, you become your own ‘vigilante. I think a journalist should express and speak through writing, and an actor through acting. There are laws made by public officials, and people like us have to act as vigilantes through the media,” he said.
He mentioned Joaquin Phoenix in the film Joker. “People liked the Joker because he was a warrior, and you could empathise with why he was acting the way he was and feel his inner life. ‘Vigilante’ has all of those things. That’s why it’s so compelling.”
In the drama, Jo Heon’s line, “I’m going to say something back to you from now on,” has become a big topic of conversation, but Yoo Ji-tae says he was under a lot of pressure to deliver it. I tried to look as realistic as possible and speak naturally,” he explains.
As ‘Vigilante’ is a show that he has put a lot of love into, he has high hopes for the next season. “It’s a great honour for an actor to have a second and third season. So I’m satisfied with the public’s response that they want to see ‘Vigilante’ season 2. Even if it is not produced, I have reached my goal. I think it would be more interesting if several sequels were made around ‘Vigilante’.”