Actor Yoon Kyung-ho shared his candid thoughts on the conclusion of the hit drama "Mr. Kim," reflecting on its explosive popularity and viewers' deep affection for his character.
During a wrap-up press interview held at a cafe in Cheongdam-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, on the 27th for the SBS Friday-Saturday drama "Mr. Kim" (written by Nam Dae-jung, directed by Lee Seung-young and Lee So-eun), Yoon expressed his feelings, saying, "I think I'll be suffering from 'Mr. Kim withdrawal symptoms' for quite a while. Looking back, I also feel a bit of regret, wishing I had tried certain lines or ad-libs."
He shared, "Every morning when I woke up, I would search my name and check the comments while chuckling. The happy moments felt as if I were walking on clouds, and they felt so real that I think it will be hard to snap out of it for a while."
In particular, he recalled that the ripple effect of this project was unlike any of his previous hit works, such as the film "Intimate Strangers" or the drama "Severe Trauma Center." Yoon added, "Airings on a terrestrial network make a tremendous impact. The nationwide popularity felt much hotter than before," and "It gave me goosebumps to see people of all ages recognizing and greeting me as 'Park Jin-chul' wherever I went. I recently went to Gwangju to throw out a ceremonial first pitch at a baseball game, and everyone recognized me there too, which was thrilling. It was truly a thrill I felt for the first time."
Expressing both gratitude and humility about recently topping the actor brand reputation rankings, he calmly noted, "When I first heard the news, it was absurd and unbelievable. It was thrilling to think that such a moment could happen in my life," while also stating, "I know that popularity can come like a gift and vanish at any moment. I tried to calm my excited mind, spend time with my family, and reground myself, and I am currently working hard to return to a blank slate and prepare for my next project."
Meanwhile, "Mr. Kim" is a revenge action drama about an ordinary father who sets out to rescue his daughter, and it concluded its run on the 25th. The final episode of "Mr. Kim" achieved massive success, recording a nationwide viewership rating of 23.0% and 23.4% in the metropolitan area (based on Nielsen Korea). The series also extended its popularity globally, ranking No. 1 in Netflix's non-English TV shows category for three consecutive weeks.
In this project, Yoon played the role of Park Jin-chul, perfectly portraying everything from the image of an ordinary head of a household to the comedic camaraderie of "middle-aged men in glasses" and the overwhelming action of someone dubbed the "god of the battlefield," securely anchoring the center of the story and driving its box office success.
[Photo: Noon Company]
Reporter Kang Sun-ae
(SBS Entertainment News, Reporter Kang Sun-ae)
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