Kim Soo Hyun as elite spy and village idiot

SINGAPORE - He may only be 25 years old but Kim Soo Hyun is one of the top South Korean actors in the Asian entertainment scene right now.

Breaking out with his likeable role as a musical genius trainee in Korean teen idol drama Dream High (2011), Kim went on to attract countless fans when he shot to superstardom in K-drama Moon Embracing The Sun (2012).

The handsome actor takes on the starring role of Won Ryu Hwan in new movie Secretly Greatly, now showing in theatres.

Based on the 2010 Korean spy webtoon series Covertness, this espionage-thriller sees the idol portraying Won Ryu Hwan, a tough North Korean spy who pretends to be a village idiot in the South.

Why did you decide to star in Secretly Greatly?

The original and beloved webtoon was a great influence. It was the cartoon’s quality that made the series so popular, and it also gave the film more support.

There was no reason for me not to take it.

What is it like to play two different roles – the elite spy and a village idiot?

To Won Ryu Hwan, everything is a mission. He is a man who survives several near-death missions.

Whatever the mission is, he will do it regardless of the situation.

For instance, when he has to go without pants while being the village idiot, he’ll do it.

While we were filming on set, I always hypnotised myself, saying “I am Won Ryu Hwan”, to get myself ready for the role.

Why do you think you’re loved greatly by the public?

I suppose the characters I play are attractive.

To me, characters must be loved. Whoever is playing them is the second priority.

I can be popular because my characters are good and they are appreciated by the public.

Frankly, when I search my name on the Internet, I find that not everything people say about me is positive. All I can do is just to keep working hard.

In terms of acting, do you have any role model?

I don’t have any definite model whom I want to follow because I know I cannot become anyone else but me.

But I want to act like Christoph Waltz. In the movie Django Unchained, I felt as if he was singing and not acting. His performance was so powerful that it made me listen carefully to what he said in the film.

Transcript courtesy of Golden Village Pictures

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