[Interview] Kim Woo-bin "I Pray for a Miracle to Happen Today as Well"

'Alien+In' Guard·Thunder Role Kim Woo-bin
Back on Screen 6 Years After Nasopharyngeal Cancer Recovery
"If I Return as an Actor, Definitely Choi Dong-hoon"

Kim Woo-bin/Photo by AM Entertainment

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Iseul] "Now, I hardly feel any stress when acting. I started working at twenty and always felt lacking, pushing myself without sleep. I stayed up all night reading scripts, exercised for two hours, and slept for one hour out of the three hours given after filming. I always lived looking toward the future. I was busy every day but never comforted myself. I know myself best, yet I was sad that I couldn’t say a warm word to myself. As I began to love myself more, I also started to love others."

Actor Kim Woo-bin (33, Kim Hyun-joong) said his mindset toward acting and projects has changed. The words he mentioned most throughout the interview were "gratitude" and "health." Sitting across with a noticeably calmer face, he said, "I’m not confident I’ll live better tomorrow than today," and added, "I live each day fully feeling it."

On the afternoon of the 18th in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Kim Woo-bin shared, "It has been five years since I finished treatment last week," and "I received a medical opinion that I am healthy." He smiled, saying, "I was excited thinking about meeting reporters for the first time in seven years for an interview yesterday."

'Alien+in' is Kim Woo-bin’s new work, appearing for the first time in six years after completely recovering from nasopharyngeal cancer. He had been enjoying great popularity and success with works like 'Friend 2' (2013), 'The Technicians' (2014), 'Twenty' (2015), and 'Master' (2016), but he stopped activities to fight illness. Director Choi Dong-hoon cast Kim Woo-bin in the 2017 film 'Wiretap' but decided to halt the project while waiting for his recovery. After about two years of battling illness, Kim first reunited with Director Choi.

"I had decided that if I returned as an actor, Director Choi’s scripts would be my top priority after 'Wiretap' was halted. I told him I would run to any role that needed me. When the 'Alien+in' script was almost finished, the director came to my house and asked about my condition. I said, 'I think I can return by now,' and he happily said, 'Then there’s a role called Guard,' and explained it to me. About a month later, he sent me the completed script, and I was grateful and happy because the role was much bigger and cooler than I expected."

Although Kim Woo-bin has stood countless times in front of the camera, he said the set he returned to after several years felt unfamiliar. When asked about his first shooting scene, he replied, "It was a relatively simple scene where I wore a full-body tights. It was the simplest scene among my parts and lasted about two hours, so I filmed it without burden. The director was considerate since it was my first shoot in a long time." Recalling that time, he said, "The atmosphere and temperature on set just before the first slate hit remain in my heart and won’t be forgotten."

"From a few days before the first shoot, I avoided unpleasant things and only watched good things to prepare. The night before filming, I went down to Daejeon and lay in the lodging but couldn’t sleep. I felt embarrassed to greet people in full-body tights at the set. I was wearing a long padded jacket but thought, 'If I shrink here, the road ahead is long and not easy,' so I took off the jacket. Walking around the set in tight clothes and greeting the staff, I fully felt the warm looks and applause welcoming me. It remains memorable."

Kim Woo-bin said his mindset toward acting and the profession of actor has changed compared to six years ago. "In the past, I easily gave comfort and empathy to others but couldn’t say a warm word to myself. Realizing that made me sad. Since then, I praise and love myself. Even when I recognize my shortcomings, I don’t push myself but accept them. As I started loving myself, I also began to love others more. I used to run looking only at the future, but now I focus on the people in front of me and try to empathize more with the characters when acting."

Kim Woo-bin, who cannot forget the many voices of support during his illness, said, "I was just a known face, but so many people cheered for me. That showed in the treatment results. People I met on the street sympathized and supported me. I gained strength from that and recovered quickly. The hospital staff often told me it was amazing."

"Since then, I always pray. I don’t want to forget the voices and hearts of many supporters. Every night, I pray for more miracles to happen."

Then Kim Woo-bin said, "The biggest change is that I’m enjoying my work now. I’m living each day happier." "I’m not confident I’ll live better tomorrow than today. So I try to live each given day faithfully and fully feel it."

In the movie, Kim Woo-bin plays a guard managing the escort of alien prisoners and acts as the cute companion Thunder. He recalled being surprised when he first received the script, saying, "It was a fun role, so I was glad. I spent many years mostly alone and in a peaceful state during breaks. So I was happy to get Thunder. I felt I could feel the high energy I had forgotten again."

"I’m sensitive to scents. When I smell a familiar scent somewhere, memories from the past come up. So I choose perfumes that suit the character when creating one. I sprayed different perfumes for Thunder and the guard during filming. The guard had a deep and heavy scent, and Thunder had a fresh and bright floral scent. Perfume? It’s the brand I model for. (laughs) Oh, I don’t even look at other perfumes."

Having spread his wings again, Kim Woo-bin said he has many roles he wants to try in the future. "I want to act characters I haven’t shown before. Professional or realistic roles are good too. When I show new sides, many people are happy. I will slowly show many hidden sides, so please look forward to it."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.