Sung Joon “Lost 12kg for a cruel feel, worried about ‘Lovely’ with Lee Ha-nui” (Comprehensive) [DA: Interview]

Actor Sung Joon talked about his new villain challenge and mentioned both the burden and satisfaction.

Sung Joon successfully transformed his acting by taking on the role of the ruthless ‘strongest villain’ Kim Hong-sik in the popular SBS drama ‘The Fiery Priest 2’, which ended late last month. In an interview with Donga.com, he said, “I‘m surprised by the better response than I thought. I didn’t know people would like it this much, so I‘m grateful.”

‘The Fiery Priest 2”, which returned five years after season 1, is a collaborative investigation drama about Kim Hae-il, a passionate priest with anger management issues who plays a priest during the day and the boss of the angel faction as ‘Bellato” at night, as he heads to Busan to fight against the country’s biggest drug cartel. This season‘s production itself had mixed reviews, but it maintained double-digit viewership ratings for every episode, recording a peak of 12.8% (according to Nielsen Korea), gaining popularity.


In ’The Fiery Priest 2‘, Sung Joon played the role of Kim Hong Sik, a ruthless drug lord who appears gentle on the outside. He showed a variety of feelings, from a rough and raw visual in the Laos setting to a neatly dressed-up concept in Busan. Sung Joon’s signature calm and soft tone combined to reinforce his cruel character, leaving a greater impact.

Sung Joon said that he felt more anxious than positive when he first joined Season 2. He said, “I thought that since I‘m the main villain, I have to have some weight, so I have to do a good job as a device. “It’s a structure where good and evil are in conflict, but if the evil is portrayed too weakly, it won’t be able to hold the axis and it will just float away, so I felt burdened,” he confessed.

There was no specific reference, but he completed the conceptual image with a flashy shirt and a Laotian warrior tattoo. Sung Joon not only worked out, but also lost 12 kg through diet and tanned. Although he had unconventional visuals, such as long hair and a bloody coat, he tried to show him as a person who could exist in reality. He explained, “Since it was an unfamiliar setting, I worried about how to make the viewers believe it. It had to feel like a ‘bad X that could exist’, so the conflict with Kim Hae Il (Kim Nam Gil) was formed, so I had to make it feel like a dirty, ‘necessary evil.’”

After returning to Korea, he directed it differently, giving it the feel of a successful mafia. Sung Joon said, “When I returned to Korea and started wearing suits, I lost about 9 kg. He revealed, ”I thought about bulking up, but the director said, ’I want it to feel cruel and hungry,‘ so I should lose weight.“


Is it because of Sung-joon’s warm and neat visuals that are strong in ‘Born to Be’ romantic comedies? Kim Hong-sik is clearly a cruel criminal, but he was loved for his ‘pure macho’ charm in his love line with prosecutor Park Kyung-sun (Lee Ha-nui). Many viewers collectively felt guilty pleasure (a feeling of guilt and a sense of guilt while enjoying great pleasure at the same time) due to the blatant ‘poisoning chemistry’ of Kim Hong-sik and Park Kyung-sun.

Seong-joon, who goes beyond ‘Power T’ to ‘T 100’, made people laugh by bluntly saying about the poisoning chemistry between Kim Hong-sik and Park Kyung-sun, “A love that shouldn‘t happen”. He said, “I thought it would be fun because they had a love line with Lee Ha-nui, but I worried about how to bring it to life. I wanted to show it in a three-dimensional way, but I wanted to restrain myself because the character shouldn’t be ruined too much.”I focused on Hong-sik‘s childlike side because he has a childlike side to him.”Seong-joon then said, “I think I broke something myself while acting as Kim Hong-sik. I feel like my perspective as an actor has broadened a bit. In the past, I wasn’t good at ogling, but when I tried it, it was fun and I enjoyed it more than I thought. Things I used to avoid were good when I actually did them. Now, I feel like I should try everything,” he said, expressing his satisfaction.

In addition, looking back on the set of ‘The Fiery Priest 2’, he said, “The bond based on trust was huge. I had an amazing experience where I felt like any scene could be completed as long as I had these hyungs and noonas, even if there was nothing. Everyone was harmonious because they did their own thing without being attached. Our chemistry was really good. The scenes were created as if they were possessed by something,” he said, expressing his affection. When asked about Season 3, he joked, “If Season 3 comes out, I‘ll do whatever you ask me to do. I have to protect my job,” and strongly appealed, “It would be nice to play a licorice role, even if it’s just a supporting role.”

After being discharged from the military in 2020, Sung Joon has been showing a wider range of works. Starting with the movie ‘The Strange Mansion’, the dramas ‘Island’‘Say It‘s Love’, and this ‘The Fiery Priest 2’, he has been transforming his acting by going back and forth between horror, fantasy, and emotional romance.

Sung Jun said, ”I think the culture of the piece is more important than the character. I like pieces like ‘Reply 1988’ that show the culture of the times, or pieces like ‘Misaeng’ that resonate with the company culture. I think emotions come out naturally within the culture. I like pieces that contain life,“ and ”I think I watch the movies ‘Na, Daniel Blake” about once every quarter. He expressed his wish, saying, “I really want to try this kind of work once.”


Although he has received much love for the romance genre in the past, such as ‘I Need Romance Season 3’ ‘Discovery of Love’, he said that he does not prefer or reject a specific genre. He said, “My real personality is more like an older brother than an older brother or a sweet younger brother,” and “However, I never thought that I necessarily wanted to show or reveal that side of me. Since an actor shows through a work, I thought that I could do that kind of role well.”

Sung Joon, who said, “If there is a good project, I unconditionally want to do it,” also said that he wants to be a father who is not ashamed of his son, who was born in 2019. He said, “(My son) is aware that his father is the one who plays the role. He said, “I saw him with white hair in ‘Ireland’ and said, ‘That’s dad.’ I think I recognize him,” and smiled as he thought of his son, saying, “I want to be a father who has a great personality and is respected.”

Jeong Hee-yeon, Donga.com reporter shine2562@donga.com