Though Physical: 100 is a reality show set in Korea, several non-Korean contestants have risen through the Netflix competition to become fan favorites. In season 2, South African actor Justin Harvey was one of those breakout hits, who stood out among the roster of 100 contestants with his impressive strength and confident demeanor. Eventually, Harvey was left standing among the season's 4 finalists, alongside Hong Beom-seok, Andre Jin, and eventual winner Amotti.
Since the season finished airing, many fans have wondered where the actor came from, and how he found a place in the competitive Korean entertainment industry as a foreigner. Read on to learn more about the star, including his past starring in a popular horror film franchise.
He's a South African actor living in South Korea.
Justin John Harvey was born in March 1991 in Bloemfontein, South Africa. Though he began acting as a child, he earned a law degree before moving to South Korea at 24-years-old and pursuing a career as a model. He's since worked as an actor in both films and commercials. In 2021, he was awarded an "honorary citizenship" by the then-mayor of Seoul, Oh Se-hoon.
Harvey's best known for appearing in the 2022 horror movie The Witch: Part 2 - The Other One, but he has also starred in 2020's Ashfall and 2023's The Childe. He has also appeared on several variety shows, including the popular 2020 series Welcome, First Time in Korea? Since Physical: 100 ended, he's also teased that he has a "lot of stuff" dropping in the next year.
He was a rugby player in school and played numerous other sports.
Harvey first mentioned in the Physical: 100 finale that he is a longtime athlete, later telling Collider that he has worked out throughout his life. His team sport of choice was rugby, which he played for more than 10 years when he was in school, as well as cricket. Other sports and exercises he mentioned trying include tennis, squash, CrossFit, scuba and free diving, yoga, and rock climbing.
His goal is to become the main lead in a Korean production.
In a 2022 interview with The Korea Herald, Harvey opened up about being a foreign actor in the country. He told the outlet that he aims to become "the main lead in a Korean production as a foreigner, speaking in Korean, just like [Decision to Leave actress] Tang Wei."
“I think Korean cinema and entertainment are moving toward a more global stance and with the advent of Netflix and these type of streaming platforms and the Hallyu, there is a lot of opportunity for foreign actors,” he said. “What Squid Game proved was that Korean productions can be successful, even with foreigners in a major role.”
The actor also told the outlet that he only attended a Korean language school for about a month, instead opting to teach himself by immersing himself in the language. When asked what he loves about Korea most, he said the food, adding, "My three favorite dishes are kimchi stew, jokbal and live long-arm octopus. I [also] really appreciate how safe I feel in South Korea. I even left a wallet on the bus and didn’t realize it until the police called me to return it."
In addition to English and Korean, he also speaks Afrikaans and some Dutch.
