From ‘Childe’ to ‘Tyrant’: Kim Seon-ho on playing another character in same universe

Director Park Hoon-jung’s twisted actioner “The Childe” (94 percent rating on Rotten Tomatoes)—released in Philippine theaters in July last year—benefitted from star power complementing its wicked thematic ambition.

That noirish film features award-winning heartthrob Kim Seon-ho (“Start-Up,” “Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha”) as a dashing assassin in perpetual hot pursuit of newcomer Kang Tae-joo. The latter plays a Kopino (Korean-Filipino) boxer who’s forced to confront the shocking truth about his real identity.

Interestingly, the characters of the four-part sci-fi actioner “The Tyrant”—which began streaming last Aug. 14 on Disney+—inhabit the same universe as those in “The Childe,” with Seon-ho cast in a different role.

The 38-year-old actor plays Director Choe aka The Mastermind, who crosses paths with former agent Lim Sang (Cha Seung-won) aka The Cleaner, US intel agent Paul (Kim Kang-woo) aka The Chaser, and deadly assassin Chae Ja-gyeong (Jo Yoon-su) aka The Technician when the last remaining sample of a bioweapon—a genetically modified virus that brings about superhuman skills—falls in the wrong hands during a bloody turnover.

During a press con held last month, Director Park, the yarn-spinning mastermind behind such cult favorites as “The New World” and “The Witch” films, said that the show presented a unique challenge for him as a storyteller.

“It’s my first time to work on a series and I found the task very difficult,” he admitted. “Because of this, I have developed greater respect for the people who create and bring TV series to life. ‘The Tyrant’ takes place in the same universe as ‘The Witch,’ but it tells a different story.”

Seung-won, who was also at the press con with fellow cast members, Seon-ho, Kang-woo and Yoon-su, chimed in and disclosed, “Let me explain this further. While ‘The Witch’ happens on the eastern side of the map, ‘The Tyrant’ takes place in the west. ‘Night in Paradise’ also exists in this world.

“Sometimes, their characters might meet because they’re kind of parallel to each other. The universe is the same, but very different stories are happening in other areas of this world. So there’s always potential for the characters to interact and clash at some point.”

“That’s correct. Seung-won did a great job explaining that,” the director stated. “I prepared for this project thinking about the people in this entire universe who could come together someday. So, if the fans watch this show, there are going to be some Easter eggs from ‘The Witch,’ and they’ll understand what it means to share the same universe even with totally different stories.”

Seung-won said that he’s always admired the director’s works. “This is my second collaboration with him after ‘Night in Paradise,’” the actor shared. “The biggest lure or charm of his movies is that when you inhabit these genre stories, you should always go for what you believe in—and that’s exactly what we do in the show.

“All the characters have confidence in what they do, so you won’t see them hesitate at all. Initially, I was curious about how director Park is going to bring all of that confidence onscreen and that’s how I started becoming very curious about the script.”

Prodded to talk about his character, Seung-won acquiesced, saying, “Lim Sang needs to get a hold of the last sample that goes missing. There’s a reason why he needs to do that, that’s why he’s chasing Ja-gyeong and vice versa, though I can’t discuss too much of the details.

“Lim Sang is only good at one thing… he’s not good at anything else. He’s just good at his job. He used to be a government agent, and now he’s a fixer. So if there is someone who gets in his way, he gets rid of that obstacle.”

As for Seon-ho, he may have played two different characters in “The Tyrant” and “The Childe,” respectively, but while each role is distinct from each other, he said that they’re driven by strong motivations.

“It’s a thrilling ride for viewers,” he quipped. “There are so many chases here, and all the characters have different personalities and agendas. They’re charming in their own ways. So when the different characters clash with one another, it’s really a lot of fun to see.

“Like Seung-won, I’m a big fan of director Park, particularly because of ‘The Witch’ franchise. So it makes me happy that this amazing universe is something that we can all share. Moreover, Director Choe is someone I have not played in my previous projects, so I’m happy that I could bring a new facet of myself through this character. And that’s the reason why I chose to do this show.

“Director Choe is the youngest director ever in the unit, and he wants to protect ‘The Tyrant’ program at all costs, no matter the repercussions. He’s used to being the mastermind, not the one doing all the action.

“He is the polar opposite of my character in ‘The Childe.’ He keeps his calm, is cool-headed. He can even enjoy a nice brunch in the face of crisis. That’s how poised he is. But he’ll do anything to get what he wants. He would die for his conviction.

“Yes, he has that innocent face and glaring eyes—that’s probably the only thing I share with my character in ‘The Childe.’ This time around, however, Director Choe is weaker, more fragile, more lonely.

“My character Nobleman in ‘The Childe’ enjoys everything he does, but Director Choe in ‘The Tyrant’ is someone who has a lot of conflicts inside. He has different concerns swirling inside his head. Physically, ‘The Tyrant’ was less draining than ‘The Childe’ because I didn’t have a lot of action scenes here, only inner struggles.”

“To create this character, I thought about the kind of decisions he’d make, the words he would say, and the actions he would do.”

For his part, Kang-woo said he was drawn to the show’s fascinating characters. He recalled, “When I read the script, I found these four people compelling. They’re like trains with broken brakes (laughs), so I really loved the tension that resulted from their interactions. It was such a thrilling ride for me.”

“My character Paul comes from an overseas intelligence unit who learns about ‘The Tyrant’ program being run in Korea. So he goes undercover in order to demolish it. He is absolutely relentless and cold-blooded.

“But he’s also a very complicated character to figure out because, while he is American, he’s also ethnically Korean. So, he’s a little arrogant, he isn’t the most humble. And since he’s American, I had to practice a lot of English dialogue, as well—which was quite a challenge.”

Since Seon-ho, Seung-won and Kang-woo are time-tested veterans in their fields of acting expertise, Yoon-su went to the shoot with all guns blazing to make a mark in her biggest, “showiest” acting break yet—and it shows.

“It was such an honor to play a character like Ja-gyeong in director Park’s first series ever,” she intimated. “I think I used up all my luck for this role (laughs). When I was reading the script. I told myself, ‘Wow, I’ll get to play this cool, amazing character!’

“My heart was fluttering, and I was a little nervous coming into this. So, I really had to build my stamina for this role because Ja-gyeong supposedly never gets tired! She’s good with guns, knives, axes…name it, she’s great with all of them!”

Reacting to Yoon-su’s statement, Seung-won reiterated, “Yes, Ja-gyeong never dies! We can never kill her. She’s like a phoenix who keeps springing back to life. Lim Sang has really met his match in her!”