"I have received so much love that I am still dazed. It feels like being on a hidden camera show."
Actor So Jisub, who achieved remarkable milestones with the SBS Friday-Saturday drama "Agent Kim Reactivated" by surpassing 20% in viewership ratings and ranking No. 1 globally on Netflix's Non-English TV shows, shared his thoughts on the box office success.
In an interview held at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the 30th, So expressed his astonishment over the popularity of "Agent Kim Reactivated," saying, "Until the production presentation, I just hoped it would surpass 10 percent, but I never expected this at all."
Although he is a veteran actor celebrating his 30th year since debut, the success of this project was uniquely special to him. So showed deep affection, saying, "If I had to pick the first chapter of my acting life, it would undoubtedly be 'I'm Sorry, I Love You,' and 'Agent Kim Reactivated' seems to have become the second chapter following right after that."
He added, "Even people who never used to acknowledge me on the street now call out to me as 'Agent Kim!' I've also received many messages from dads around me saying, 'I found myself tearing up,'" and laughed as he said, "I was shocked to see an article calling me the 'No. 1 Rising Star.' In my 30th year since debut, I wonder if this is a fresh start all over again."
Based on the webtoon of the same name, "Agent Kim Reactivated" is a revenge action drama about an ordinary father who unfolds a fierce struggle to get his daughter back, and it came to an end on the 25th. The final episode of "Agent Kim Reactivated" achieved massive success, recording 23.0% nationwide and 23.4% in the metropolitan area according to Nielsen Korea. Furthermore, the project continued to gain popularity in the global market by ranking No. 1 in Netflix's Non-English TV show category for three consecutive weeks.
In this project, So played the role of "Agent Kim," a father who risks everything to retrieve his daughter, delivering intense action and profound paternal love. Regarding the differences from his previous work "Mercy for None," he explained, "While 'Mercy for None' was a moth-to-a-flame kind of action that ends only when I die, Agent Kim's action was a process to live on together with his daughter. I pursued showing the emotions first and then the action. I incorporated details of inflicting pain on someone without killing them. I tried to avoid passing, unnecessary action."
Expressing his desire to become an actor who can perform action acting for a long time like Liam Neeson, So also showed a positive response regarding a potential second season of "Agent Kim Reactivated." He added, "It would be great if Season 2 comes out. However, this time there was the major storyline of finding the daughter, but since she can't get lost again next time, figuring out what major storyline to take on seems like it will be the biggest dilemma."
(Photo courtesy of 51K)
(SBS Entertainment News, Reporter Kang Sun-ae)
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