10 minutes with Kim Soo Hyun
After a 17-month hiatus from the spotlight, South Korean actor Kim Soo Hyun makes a comeback—flying to the Philippines for the third time for a fan meet sponsored by Bench (his second with the clothing brand). I was invited to the press launch, a day before the fan meeting, and was given a chance to sit down with him for 10 minutes to ask questions—my second time to have this sort of proximity to a true blue Hallyu star and my first at this scale—and it was a bit overwhelming.
The press gathered in rows of tables in front of the stage while a separate section formed behind us for members of his fan club. The fans were excited, and the energy in the room was electric.
Simple, neat, and approachable
Dressed head to toe in Bench apparel, Kim seemed warm and unguarded. He was seated alone on a big couch while his translator, Daniel Oh, sat in an easy chair to his left, and the event’s host, Sam Oh, sat to his right. His shoulders were relaxed, and he was seated upright—his back away from the backrest, fully attentive and completely in the moment.
Many of Sam’s questions that began the press conference were lighthearted and unserious—meant to break the ice—but it’s so funny to see how seriously Kim takes the questions. He really thinks about them before answering. There’s a sense of whimsy coupled with a childlike innocence in how he responded to the questions.
When the fans cheered, he’d give a hearty laugh or beam a big smile. There’s no aura of a superstar.
After all, it has been reported that Kim, at one point in his career, was known as the “King of Product Endorsements” and had been an endorser of over 35 brands at one point. So it’s refreshing to see him act so pure despite having reached a career peak several times since his television debut in 2007.
On being a Bench endorser, he says, “The first impression that came to me when I was working together with Bench was that the clothes were simple and neat and very approachable.”
One-on-one with Kim Soo Hyun
After the press conference, a few of the reporters were allowed to sit with him for a 10-minute one-on-one interview.
Kim was exactly the same as he was at the press conference—taking each of the questions seriously, thinking hard about my questions—before sharing his answers with Daniel, who then gave me the response in English.
My interest, of course, is Kim the actor. I’ve seen him play an alien in “My Love from the Star,” the king of Joseon in “Moon Embracing the Sun,” a hopeful country bumpkin with a gorgeous voice in “Dream High,” a tough thief in “The Thieves,” a young intern in “The Producers,” a young man unfairly found guilty of murder in “One Ordinary Day,” the husband of a chaebol heiress in “Queen of Tears,” and a healthcare worker struggling to care for his autistic older brother in “It’s Okay To Not Be Okay.”
So I had to ask: “Of all these roles, which one was his favorite to play?”
“I think it is very difficult to choose just one specific role because I loved all the characters I have played,” he says through his translator. “When I was playing all those roles, the specific traits of these characters left a stain in me. Those little stains in me helped form who I am today. So it’s quite hard to choose one specific role.”
But with a large and diverse variety of roles, I had to ask which of the roles is closest to the real Kim Soo Hyun. For this question, he really ponders it, and as he answers, he gestures a lot with his hands, getting into it.
Kim says, “Just as you mention that I played a king or an alien, I think it is hard to say that a certain role—like how I said earlier—is similar to me. But if you view them from a different angle, the specific traits of them formulate who I am.”
“I think it’s the order of expressing these similarities… it’s not that the character has similar traits with me, but me having similar traits with the roles,” he adds. He is also so warm and in that moment, he shows how impressed he is with his translator—interacting with him like a friend.
Acting and outside acting
So what does he enjoy about being an actor? “I think the biggest merit of being an actor is that I am exposed to experiences that I wouldn’t have in my daily life. I think those experiences are valuable and fun,” Kim shares. “The biggest joy is when a character I play gets a lot of attention or love from the audience.”
Outside of acting, I wanted to know what he likes to do and how he keeps himself busy. I asked if he had hobbies. His response? “During my free time, I usually exercise or go hiking. These days, since I am also into taking photos, I bring out my camera and just randomly walk down streets, and if I like the scenery, I take a shot.”
I decided to throw a curveball question. Knowing that he occasionally sings in some of his shows’ soundtracks and performs in “Dream High” and the behind-the-scenes clips of “It’s Okay to Not Be Okay,” where he sings in-between takes, I ask if he plans on pursuing music and recording an album.
He laughs, slapping his knee, before answering. He acts a bit flustered and embarrassed before replying, “My singing skills are not excellent, and I’m pretty much a beginner.”
There’s a sparkle in his eyes as he looks at me while his translator continues, “Thank you for the compliments, but I am only interested in making a record within the extent of a project or a series like a drama OST. But for the album, I’ll think hard about it.”
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