Kim Kang Woo, “I have to contend for victory in my acting for the next ten years” [Interview]

(톱스타뉴스 Hannah Kang 기자) Kim Kang Woo, who is in the eleventh year of his acting career, has consistently built up his filmography after his debuting through the 2002 movie ‘The Coast Guard’. For over then years, he has never turned his attention away from his acting career. Top Star News met with Kim Kang Woo, who has established a solid foothold as an actor with sincerity.

Recently, Kim Kang Woo took the role of ‘Yang Chun Dong’, an investigator of violent crimes, in the movie ‘Psychometry’ (Director Kwon Ho Young), which was released in theaters on March 7. This was his third time acting as an investigator and through this movie, he create a character that was full of humanity.

▲ Photo=Kim Kang Woo, Top Star News Choi Kyu Suk journalist

“I did have the greed to act as a different type of character”

Around the time when filming for his previous work ‘The Taste of Money’, (Director Lim Sang Soo) came to an end, Kim Kang Woo received the scenario for ‘Psychometry’. He explained, “As I was filming ‘The Taste of Money’, I came to think that I wanted to try out another type of character. I wanted to create a character that is based on reality.”

In particular, when asked if ‘Yang Chun Dong’ from ‘Psychometry’, was more realistic, he responded, “Because the story is based on an unusual subject, it was necessary for the characters to be more realistic. We figured that that is how we would persuade the audience and raise their level of concentration when watching the movie. I acted while thinking that I’m a normal man in his 30’s whose career is an investigator.”

In the movie, ‘Yang Chun Dong’ is the best, short-tempered investigator in Mapo. When asked about the similarities between ‘Chun Dong’ and himself, Kim Kang Woo answered, “Honestly, I’m not sure what my personality is like. There are times when I’m short-tempered, others when I mess around, and also when I’m in a hurry. I think our director wanted me to act comfortably for this movie. A character that seems like he’s nearby. That may be why a lot of my adlibs were included in the overall movie.”

For this movie, Kim Kang Woo worked with Kim Bum, who to the role of psychometry ‘Kim Joon’. He praised Kim Bum and said carefully, “He’s someone who works really hard and does a lot to create his character” and “However, I don’t think I’m in the position to assess him as an actor.”


“’Psychometry’ is a movie that allows the audience to empty their hearts and enjoy themselves for two hours”

In the past, Kim Kang Woo has appeared in many projects with strong colors such as ‘Silmido’, ‘A Better Tomorrow’, and ‘The Taste of Many’ and he shared his hopes that the audience of ‘Psychometry’ will enjoy it. He said, “Although I’ve appeared in many movies that are extremely focused on its theme, I hope that the audience of ‘Psychometry’ will put their thoughts aside and enjoy the movie. The best way to watch the character of ‘Yang Chun Dong’ who is clumsy and not perfect is to enjoy it like you are riding a rollercoaster. I hope people will empty their hearts and enjoy the movie.”

When asked about any episodes that occurred while filming the action scenes for this movie, he confessed, “Although it pulled at my muscles, the action wasn’t very hard. Other than the more dangerous scenes, I didn’t use a double much. In particular, I didn’t think that stiff action went well with the movie. I wanted it to seem like it was offering space, so I even put the sum together in the morning.”

In particular, Kim Kang Woo shared that he focused a lot on his reactions while filming this movie saying, “Because the content consists of supernatural aspects, it was important to have good reactions to convince the audience. I had no choice but to come out stronger in my lines of emotion while acting.”

Because ‘Psychometry’ deals with the topic of abduction, it received an R rating. The reason for this was because the aggressive violence and rough lines are not appropriate for the youth audience. Kim Kang Woo said, “It could have been a chance for me to share the experience with my fans who are teenagers, so I’m sorry. (laughter) Truthfully, it’s a movie that is easy for younger audiences who are used to heroic figures to follow.”

He said that he is hoping that at least one million and fifty thousand people watch this movie. At the question of whether he’s being modest or not, he replied, “One million is not an unconditional number. It is my supreme task. I think that number will make the people who participated in the production of this movie happy. When I gave the number of two million five hundred thousand in a previous interview, I was thinking about the time and money that was invested into creating this movie. I don’t think I should be too greedy.”

▲ Photo=Kim Kang Woo, Top Star News Choi Kyu Suk journalist

 “I realized as I was acting that my emotions became more abundant after getting married”

In June of 2010, Kim Kang Woo married actress Han Hye Jin’s older sister, Han Mu Young and has been displaying acting that is filled with deeper emotions ever since. He, himself, said that his emotions grew after getting married saying, “I think marriage gave me an advantage in my acting.” He added, “There’s isn’t a big difference in my acting, but I’m able to become more immersed in my emotions than I was before.”

Melo is not present in Kim Kang Woo’s filmography from the past twelve years. He shared that he was unable to take on the challenge of melo because afraid. He said, “Although I could receive external help in my emotions for action or thriller, melo requires actors to fight with their emotions until then end. When I saw young actors in their 20’s who are good at acting in melo, I envied them and they fascinated me. I told myself that I would try it out after I’ve lived a little and I want to do it now.”

As he said this, he compared melo acting to sushi. He stated, “I saved it because I wanted to do a better job at it later on. When it comes to sushi, there are many different types and people usually save the best-tasting one for last. I told myself that I would try it after mastering my career and I don’t think I should wait any longer. I’m in my mid-thirties. (laughter)” and “In the future, I want to try out a melo like ‘The Bridges of Madison County’.  It’s my goal to do thirties’ melo when I’m in my forties and forties’ melo when I’m in my fifties.”

More than anything, on the public’s assessment that Kim Kang Woo’s eye for projects is disappointing, he said, “I think it’s something complicated.” He revealed, “When I choose a project, I listen to the advice of the director and people close to me as I make my own opinion. I wish I could be really good at choosing” and “These days, my consideration for the public has grown.”

▲ Photo=Kim Kang Woo, Top Star News Choi Kyu Suk journalist

 “Although I’m thankful for the interest I received after appearing on ‘Healing Camp’, I’m also burdened”

On February 18, Kim Kang Woo appeared as a guest on SBS ‘Healing Camp’, the program in which Han Hye Jin, his sister-in-law, is an MC. As his television appearances are rare, his appearance on this brought about an incredible sensation. In particular, Kim Kang Woo’s hidden romantic and easygoing charms captured the hearts of female viewers. The show gained the highest viewer ratings for its time slot on that day and his name remained on the list of popular search terms online for a few days, proving that there is an immense interest in him.

At the question of whether he expected this, Kim Kang Woo answered, “Not at all. I was surprised at the strength of television. I even thought that maybe I shouldn’t have appeared on the show.” He continued, “If a certain image of me forms, it may make my acting harder for the audience to accept it. I would have to work harder to move past that, so I think there would be difficult aspects of it. Also, I’m careful because I’m afraid people think that I’m trying to gain too much from variety shows.”

In particular, at the unexpected response of the viewers of ‘Healing Camp’, Kim Kang Woo analyzed, “I was told that actors live a different life. I don’t know about anyone else, but I’m not like that. I’m no different from people who are my age or from people who are the heads of their family. Actually, there is more that I am lacking. I think people felt a sense of kinship that came from that fact.”

As he said this, he also revealed his personal definition of an actor saying, “In truth, acting is like living a universal life; it does not provide a special life for actors. I think that even though special characters are created, they have to be untangled through universal sentiment. That’s why my breaks are the same. Becoming a father to and watching over a child is a big deal and it makes a person drink, cook, and stay still…it’s all the same. Being an actor is just a career.”


 “As an actor, the next ten years will be the time for me to finely chop a weapon of my own”

Kim Kang Woo has walked the path as an actor for many years, but he self-assessed his acting as 15 out of 100. He said that he feels that he is always lacking something in his acting and the next ten years is when he will have to contend for victory. At some point, acting became more enjoyable, making him want to balance out various roles, even if they may not be the lead roles, in projects.

At this he pointed out, “These days, actors have their own personal characteristics and weapons. I believe that the actors in Korean, in particular, must have more weapons,” while sharing that he is a fan of actor Marlon Brando who is known for his liberal acting skills and two-time glory days.  Kim Kang Woo added, “I haven’t met my prime yet. In the future, I want to continue to work on finely chopping my weapons.”

▲ Photo=Kim Kang Woo, Top Star News Choi Kyu Suk journalist

Although he has a unique definition of acting, the dilemmas he faces as an actor are not to be taken lightly. He said, “An actor should aim to live a universal life. I’ve seen many people fall because they try to live like actors because they are actors. It took me a long time to realize that. Although it may be different for every person, the process is difficult and it is hard to come to peace with that fact. That’s why an actor gains a lot, but loses a lot as well. If my son grows up and tells me he wants to be an actor, I think that I’ll try to dissuade him from doing so.”

Although Kim Kang Woo is a veteran actor who has appeared in over twenty projects, he remains humble. He is an actor who sees more of the bad things about his acting over the good things. His sincere responses overflowed with deep contemplation as an actor. More than anything, it would be good to anticipate how he will continue to fill his filmography as someone who has become more desperate for acting and believes he has not hit his glory days just yet.