‘Musical veteran’ actor Kim Hyun-jin (35) has grown wings as a ‘rookie’.

Kim Hyun-jin, who debuted in the 2014 musical ‘Love Letter’, has appeared in over 30 musicals and plays while on stage for 10 years. Then, he expanded his scope of activities by challenging the small screen with the recently concluded Channel A drama ‘Check In Hanyang’.

Even though it was his first drama, the character was substantial. He played the role of Eunseong-gun, the son of the late king, and worked well with Bae In-hyuk, who played Muyeong-gun, his cousin and crown prince. At first, he was an unfortunate prince who lived quietly in the back of the palace, but towards the end, he became the center of a plot twist as he burned with a desire to regain the throne.

His successful drama debut was due to senior actor Kim Eui-seong‘s ‘eye’. Kim Eui-seong, who established his own agency, Ahn Company, in September 2023, sent a love call to Kim Hyun-jin as soon as he saw her play in Daehangno, and with the creation of her own agency, Kim Hyun-jin was able to “shake off her fears and jump into the small screen anew.

When we recently met at the Sports Donga building in Seodaemun-gu, Seoul, Kim Hyun-jin smiled and said, “I haven’t asked CEO Kim Eui-seong why he chose me. I wanted to ask him,” but he added, “Thanks to the CEO, I‘m breaking my ‘frame’ and enjoying the feeling of acting more freely. I’m really grateful,”and his eyes sparkle. Below is a Q&A with him.

Q. Did you know that a twist was in store for you?

“At first, I thought Eunseong was just Muyeong‘s helper, played by Bae In-hyeok. But at the after-party for the first script reading, writer Park Hyun-jin called me aside and said, ‘Eunseong will become king.’. She also said, ‘I want to show a contrast between Eunseong, who has gained everything but remains lonely, and Muyeong, who seems to have given up everything but has gained the most precious thing.’. After hearing that, I gradually started to get a feel for what kind of character Eunseong is.”

Q. You worked with Bae In-hyeok a lot. How was it?

“The other actors didn’t know about my surprise, but Bae In-hyeok was the only one who knew. So I kept asking In-hyeok how close we should seem and whether he trusted me as a character. What I‘m really grateful to Inhyeok is that when we met for the second time, he immediately told me to speak freely, saying, “Brother, please speak comfortably.” Thanks to that, a comfortable atmosphere was created and we actively shared ideas. I relied on Inhyeok a lot because he’s younger than me but has much more experience in dramas, so I was really grateful.“

Q. Maybe because you‘re set up to live quietly in a corner of the palace, you always appear alone.

”I must have been so envious that on the days when the ‘Hanoi 4-member group’ Bae Inhyeok, Kim Ji-eun, Jung Gun-joo, and Park Jae-chan were filming together, I took the KTX to Namwon, Jeollabuk-do to visit. To give you an idea of how much I filmed alone, on the first day when we were filming the scene where I was doing calligraphy in the pavilion, all the staff members went 100 meters away, leaving only a walkie-talkie next to me. I really felt a lot of loneliness, but I think that actually helped me express Eunseong-gun. But the staff on set often talked to me. Since it was my first time acting in front of the camera, the directors of photography took great care of me, saying things like, “It’s better to keep your gaze here.” Among the staff, wasn‘t filming almost like “Raising Kim Hyun-jin?” Haha! “

Q. How did you become acquainted with actor Kim Eui-seong as a CEO and an actor under his agency?

”The CEO came to me when I was performing in the 2023 play “The History Boys” in which I played a Jewish boy character. He said, “Your acting is clean, but sometimes you want to take it off. Do you want to do it together?” I was surprised at that time. He immediately saw through my own limitations. In fact, I had several opportunities to debut in dramas, but I was scared and turned them down because I didn’t trust myself. But when senior Kim Eui-seong said this, I thought that there might be a possibility within me that I didn‘t know about. I gained the courage to take on the challenge, and I definitely feel that I’ve taken a step forward.“

Q. I heard that your mother is a voice actor. Did you inherit her talent?

”My mother is announcer Nam Min-sook, who was affiliated with EBS Radio. She recorded the time signal for EBS, and also hosted TBS FM‘s ‘Beautiful Korean Words’. Even the listening test guidance that started with ‘Listen to the following’ for the College Scholastic Ability Test was in my mother’s voice. My mother worked until I was young, so there were large tapes for broadcasting stations piled up at home, and I used to go watch her emcee concerts. I think my dream of becoming an actor might have been influenced by my mother. I went to an independent private high school during my school days, and in middle school, I got one question wrong in all subjects and got an average score of 99.9, and I ranked first in the whole school. I was just studying, but when I saw the happy faces of the audience members while watching the musical ‘Aida’ for my middle school vacation homework, I thought, ‘This is it!’. My mother was against my dream of becoming an actor because she knew how difficult broadcasting was. She likes me a lot now.”

Q. I saw that you are also registered as a lyricist. Do you plan on continuing your lyricist career?

“I have about 30 songs registered with the Korea Music Copyright Association. Most of them are hymns, and I also wrote the theme song for a national event. Composer Nam Ji-young, who I am close with, saw my SNS posts and said, ‘They would be good to put into songs,’ and polished them up into lyrics. That was the opportunity for me to gradually practice writing lyrics. The royalties are only about 40 won per quarter. Haha! I have completed lyrics, and among them, there is a song that I want singer Park Jung-hyun to sing. If we ever get the chance, I would like to participate as a lyricist for Park Jung-hyun‘s song. I also want to make an album of the songs I wrote.”

Q. What kind of image do you want to be remembered as as an actor?

“I really sympathized with the acceptance speech of Soya Kurokawa, the lead actor of the Japanese film ‘The Host’, who said, ‘There are two hearts fighting inside me.’ I also always have a battle between my desire to learn and my thoughts of ‘I’m done with this’. I want to be the type of person where the desire to learn wins for most people. To do that, you have to be a good person. When I was attending the Korea National University of Arts, the professors always taught me, ‘Before you become a good actor, become a good person’, and now I understand what they meant. “An actor who deals with people and life can act better when he or she becomes a better person. I promise to myself every day to become a person and actor who is not ashamed of someone’s support.”


Reporter Yoo Ji-hye yjh0304@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.