Actor Kim Sung-cheol opened up about his mindset and the intense prep behind his return to the stage with "Death Note" after four years away.
Back as the enigmatic detective L in "Death Note: The Musical," Kim fronts the February cover of performing-arts magazine TheatrePlus.
In the photo spread, he commands the frame with a cool, unforced presence, moving between crisp tailoring and laid-back looks to blend formal polish with street ease. The stark interplay of bold color and pared-back black-and-white sharpens his impact.
Most striking is Kim’s quiet control―he fills the space without overplaying it. The mood he creates inside the frame is potent on its own, echoing L’s razor focus and piercing gaze with an intensity that never feels forced.
In the interview, Kim said, “This is my first time returning to a show I’ve already done. I could do it because it’s 'Death Note'―and because L is my all-time favorite.” He last performed the role in 2022, but says his approach this season runs deeper.
“Being familiar with a show and working hard on it are two different things,” he added. “For me, putting in the work is what creates real ease onstage.”
That effort shows in his character work. “I revisited the manga, the anime, and the films, studying L’s behavior and speech patterns,” he said, noting he even dug into the character’s formal speech to nail the nuances of how L talks.
When asked what he wanted to add to L this time, Kim said he actually aimed to hold back. He chose to lean into human imperfections and negative space―letting small cracks show to build a more vulnerable, three-dimensional L.
The dynamic with Light Yagami is a crucial axis for that portrait. On the knife’s edge between life and death, the two constantly trade tension in a high-stakes mind game―yet within those shifting energies, they also find fleeting, human points of contact. Rehearsing with new cast members this season, Kim says they discussed at length how to shape those moments, and now each scene naturally crackles with taut energy between Light and L.
Kim also acknowledges L’s fear of death―and says that fragile tension is what anchors the character’s presence. As those emotions build, they culminate in the kind of decisive, unmistakably “L” choices that leave a lasting impression on audiences. It’s why Kim’s turn is often praised for feeling fresh while constantly redefining what a “legendary” performance can be.
Asked what makes great acting, he answered, “Building a character so compelling it makes you hungry for the next chapter.”
“I wanted my very first entrance―one stance, one look―to make you believe, ‘That’s L,’” he said, underscoring just how rigorously he’s refined the role. He closed by emphasizing his sense of responsibility to the audience: “The time and effort people spend coming to the theater mean so much. My responsibility to honor that keeps growing.”
Based on the hit Japanese manga, "Death Note: The Musical" follows Light Yagami, a genius high schooler who stumbles on the Shinigami’s "Death Note" and sets out to purge evil, and L, the legendary detective determined to stop him. Alongside Kim Sung-cheol, the cast features Kyuhyun as Light, Kim Min-seok, Im Kyu-hyung, Sandeul, and Tang Joon-sang, among other powerhouse performers. The production runs through Sunday, May 10, at the D-CUBE Link Art Center.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)
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