So Ji Sub opened up about the success of Agent Kim Reactivated and the growing pressure he feels after 30 years as an actor.
In an interview with Boldpage, So said the series has introduced him to a younger generation of viewers who may not have seen his earlier hit I’m Sorry, I Love You.
“There are a lot of people from a generation that never saw ‘I’m Sorry, I Love You,’ but ‘Agent Kim Reactivated’ reached a much wider range of age groups,” he said. “These days, people call me ‘Mr. Kim’ more often than they call me by my actual name.”
So said it was the character’s backstory, rather than the action, that drew him to the project. “I really liked Kim’s story, the environment he grew up in and the life he’d lived,” he said.
He also reflected on the enduring international popularity of I’m Sorry, I Love You, which has been cited in parts of Latin America as an example of “K-trauma” — Korean dramas that leave viewers emotionally shaken long after they finish watching.
“It’s fascinating that those emotions can connect across cultures,” he said. “Even when the language is different and emotions might come across differently, people still feel the same thing.”
Now in his 30th year as an actor, So said the responsibility he feels toward each project has only grown.
“If one project goes wrong, it can affect so many people, so I always have to be careful,” he said. “Back then, I didn’t know much and just did the work. Now I see too much.”
He added that the current industry climate has made that pressure even heavier. “The market is already difficult, and if a project fails, it doesn’t just affect me. It can mean other projects get entirely scrubbed,” he said. “In some ways, it gets harder as time goes on.”
As for a possible second season of Agent Kim Reactivated, So said he would prefer a larger overarching conflict rather than an episodic structure.
“Personally, I’d like there to be one major storyline running through the season, like the disappearance of his daughter this time,” he said.
He added, “I don’t know how it would be set up yet, but depending on that, Kim’s role would probably change a little. That could also let me show different sides of the character. We’d probably be moving more as a team. The world itself is very big.”
So also spoke candidly about spending much of his life in the public eye, describing it as something he is grateful for but not always easy. “If I had to put a number on it, maybe 51 good and 49 not so good,” he said. “It definitely isn’t an easy life.”
“Now it doesn’t end with Korea. People overseas watch and respond too,” he continued. “I think the lead actors definitely carry the responsibility for that.”
Agent Kim Reactivated, which follows the most ordinary father who becomes the most dangerous man in order to rescue his only daughter, ended its run with a peak nationwide rating of 23.1%.
>> So Ji Sub Gifts Gold to Every ‘Agent Kim Reactivated’ Staff Member, and Here’s Why
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