[Interview] 25-Year Veteran Kim Rae-won, Movies Shine Brighter When Desperation Grows

Actor Kim Rae-won as Deputy Chief in the movie 'Decibel'

Actor Kim Rae-won. Photo by Mindmark

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] In moments of crisis, he throws himself in without hesitation. As he rolls and falls relentlessly from one floor to another, the audience clenches their fists tightly. Actor Kim Rae-won (41)'s action scenes shine once again. Somehow, the more unfairly and desperately he is pushed, the more entertaining it becomes. His desperate and poignant gaze and fearless action explain why he has maintained the top spot for 25 years.

On the afternoon of the 9th, Kim Rae-won, whom I met at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, said, "'Decibel' initially planned to have stunt doubles perform the action scenes, but on set, I said, 'I will do it.'" He then revealed his exceptional passion, saying, "I did everything I could."

'Decibel,' directed by Hwang In-ho and opening on the 16th, is a sound terror action film about a bomb designer (Lee Jong-suk) who tries to seize the city with a special bomb that explodes when noise increases, and Kang Do-young (Kim Rae-won), a former navy lieutenant commander who becomes the target. To realistically portray his desperate struggle to find the bomb, Kim performed most of the action scenes himself. From car chases on the road, underwater action in a wave pool, wire action on high-rise buildings, to hand-to-hand combat scenes, he truly threw his body into it.

Kim Rae-won's fearless action is nothing new. He received praise for his intense, masculine action in various works such as 'Gangnam 1970' (2015), 'Prison,' and 'The Villainess' (2017). He also stands out in 'Decibel.' He said, "When stunt doubles perform action scenes on set, it looks much more flashy and cool. Since they are professionals, I initially planned to proceed with stunt actors, but I wanted to perform action with emotion. Even a hand gesture can disrupt or change a character's emotion. That's why I always try to choose the best option on set."

Through action performed without doubles, he gauged the following emotions. He said, "We shot in sequence while hanging on wires, and falling from that height made my knees hurt. So, I added a limping act when running afterward."

Kim Rae-won, who enjoyed director Hwang In-ho's melodrama script, said he met to appear in the work. That work was 'Decibel.' He laughed, "First, he said, 'Let's do Decibel and then a melodrama.' I got hooked." "After reading the script, the roles I wanted to play were reporter Oh Dae-oh played by Jung Sang-hoon and Lee Jong-suk's role. The director said no and insisted I play the lieutenant commander role, so I accepted."

If he wanted, the lead role could have easily stood out. Kim Rae-won emphasized that he did not want that this time. He took a step back to let each character be faithfully shown in the scenes. It was a thorough intention. Thanks to this, each role, including Lee Jong-suk and Jung Sang-hoon, comes alive with personality. He said, "This time, I firmly decided to focus on balancing the work. I supported the flow with tempo. In the past, I might have focused on my own story and expressed it. I would have tried to stand out, but this time I did differently. I am satisfied when looking at the whole movie." He added, "I am in the process of pursuing perfection. Although still inexperienced, I tried not to exaggerate according to the story."

Kang Do-young appears wearing a navy uniform throughout. At first, he couldn't understand it, but after watching the movie, he realized the importance of the outfit's fit. Kim Rae-won said, "The costume team said the fit is important. They asked how to do action wearing a uniform and dress shoes from start to finish. I thought acting was more important, but this time I realized why it matters. Running in dress shoes at the water park was slippery and uncomfortable, but I learned that fit is as important as acting."

Kim Rae-won debuted in 1997 at age 17 with the MBC drama 'Na.' Having started working early, he has now become a 25-year veteran actor. When mentioning this, he laughed, "People might think I'm in my 50s." He said, "I just did my best every moment, and time passed." "I never obsessed over maintaining my position. In the past, I only worried about acting, but now I think about the work. I tend to pursue perfection in how the story is expressed. I consider the chemistry among actors."

'Decibel' still. Photo by Mindmark

Recently, Kim Rae-won had a phone call with Han Suk-kyu and was deeply impressed by the senior's advice. He said, "The senior asked my age and said, 'You are at your best.' He advised me, 'You are a better actor than you think, with many qualities, so consider that you have been practicing acting until now and start anew from here.' It was an opportunity to refocus my mind."

"In my late 20s, I experienced burnout. Looking back now, I was a baby. I didn't know anything and just worked hard. I still don't know much, but I am starting to understand. There might be actors my age who don't know, and some might never know throughout their lives. I am a natural person. I try to live normally and humanely. I believe my usual self comes out in movies. If I pose normally, it will show in the work too. My original intention is passion. Having passion and always working hard. That continues."

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