Kim Soo-hyun celebrates his birthday today (Photo: Instagram/ Kim Soo-hyun) At an awards show in 2012, a rather nervous but determined Kim Soo-hyun stood on the stage and told the audience, “I promise you all, in ten years, you’ll see me as a good actor.” The words reverberate when one watches him in the 2020 show It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, in which he plays a man overwhelmed by the trauma of his past, trying to provide for his autistic elder brother, and is convinced that there is no other life for him.
Kim Soo-hyun doesn’t communicate with words; he knows his eyes can do that. He can even inject a seemingly blank alien with emotion, as he did in My Love From The Star. There is something different about each show and film that he has selected–he veers away from the typical ‘k-dramas’, which restrict him to playing romantic heroes. There’s always something fresh in his roles, and a certain darkness that he explores.
He doesn’t play the same character twice–he is determined to prove that he is just as capable of playing a ruthless mercenary in one film, and a sensitive nurse in another. So, it isn’t really much of a surprise that after several hit successful shows and films, he is now among the highest paid Korean stars, and took home around 500 million ((423,000 dollars) won for each episode in his latest outing, One Ordinary Day.
After a handful of small comedies and show, he somehow made a strong impact on fans with the drama, Is it Going to Snow Today? He became an instant online sensation for his matinee-idol looks. In an interview to Esquire years later, he admitted that he enjoyed ‘walking the steep path’. He said, “When people see my choice of works, they might feel that I’m weird person. I’m not someone who walks the easy path in acting; rather I’m someone who walks the narrow, steep paths. I only wish to walk the path that I want to walk towards. Even if I don’t have money or reputation, because I am still young. I might not be that famous in the future anymore. As compared to shows that is more suited to my age, I want to act in shows that only Kim Soo Hyun is able to do.”
Kim Soo-hyun established himself with the 2011 series Dream High, which also featured Bae Suzy. He played the role of a country bumpkin who is shocked by his own musical genius. Real and rustic, his delivery was earnest and almost flawless, and he knew how to tug at the heartstrings of his fans. One of the most memorable scenes was when he learns that his hearing has been damaged forever. The confusion and frustration showed in each word that he uttered. His tears never seemed excessive. He’s always been a master at crying silently. Shortly after Dream High, he played the role of a king in Moon Embracing the Sun, which was another resounding success, though critics considered the show to be rather mediocre. Yet, the consensus around him was always glowing; he was praised for his intense and nuanced portrayal of a harrowed king, and some went so far as to call it a ‘one-man show’.
Kim Soo-hyun in Dream High (Photo: Viki) In My Love From the Star, he played the role of an alien who has lived on Earth long enough to be sick of it. Just as he plans to leave, he falls for a cynical and washed-up actress, played by the exemplary Jun Ji-jyun. Battling the unnatural feelings of love and desire as well as his own will to return to his home planet, he finds himself embroiled in traps laid by wicked men, and has to constantly find a way to save the love of his life. The show was quirky and enjoyable, but Kim Soo-hyun’s performance was a highlight.
Kim Soo-hyun in My Love From The Star (Photo: Netflix) After his military service, he returned with Netflix’s psychological drama It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, featuring Soo Yea-ji. The show brought him international fame and further raised his star value. The series focussed on mental health and the overwhelming nature of unresolved grief. He played the role of Gang-Tae, a man who has never lived for himself, and has just looked after his autistic brother Sang-Tae. The character of Gang-Tae was disturbingly relatable, and Kim Soo-hyun ensured that the viewers felt each and every painful aspect of the his existence.
A brutal confrontation between him and Sang-Tae was almost triggering to watch. The scene was a heart-breaking masterpiece, one of the best in South Korean shows, as a sobbing Gang-Tae crouches in the corner while his brother accuses him of abandoning him.
A still from It’s Okay To Not Be Okay (Photo: Netflix) In an interview with Vogue, Soo-hyun said that he approached the show with a ‘comfortable’ attitude. “I took a step back and approached it with a more contemplative mood. I didn’t need to be super dramatic or dynamic. In a competition full of professionals, trying to stand out only makes you look like more of an amateur. If you only focus on results, then you feel lonely during the flow of the race, so it’s better to finish at your own pace. I approached the drama with that attitude and it went well.” After It’s Okay to Not Be Okay, Soo-hyun didn’t follow the ‘narrow’ path as he promised. He delved straight into One Ordinary Day, in which he played the role of a college student who is framed for a murder.
He is determined to keep his fans on their toes, and that’s the reason why he is one of the most revered actors in South Korea.
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