Kim Nam-gil, “Island,” the first film to rely on CG, was an interesting experience.

Actor Kim Nam-gil told various stories through an interview with the American economic magazine Forbes.

Recently, Forbes released an interview conducted with Kim Nam-gil. Through the interview, Kim Nam-gil told us about TVING's original series Island, and about Kim Nam-gil, an actor and CEO of culture and arts NGOs Gilstory and Gilstory ENT.

Regarding the reason why he decided to appear in 'Island', Kim Nam-gil said, "It is half the first fantasy character in my filmography," and "'Island' is the most intense fantasy genre based on Korean folktales among live-action adaptations of original Korean comics. "I think it's a work of. So, as a huge fan of the original, I was glad to hear that it was being made into a live-action film, and I was curious about how the story would be portrayed. I think everything can be explained by the fact that I was a fan of the original more than any other words."

Regarding the fantasy action shown for the first time through 'Island', Kim Nam-gil said, "There is a clear difference between the action shown in previous works and the action in 'Island'. There were many works made with VFX and CG, but the action movements themselves were made with CG. “It was an interesting experience because it was my first time relying on it,” he explained.

He continued, "I think actors need more imagination when acting in the fantasy genre. Since the big picture design comes from the director, it seems like they rely a lot on the director, VFX, and action team. It's synchronized with the original cartoon. “I studied and compared action scenes to improve my performance, and I even practiced following the movements to express the actions drawn in the cartoon in real life,” he added.

Kim Nam-gil also said about the fantasy character Ban, which he played for the first time, "I think the first thing is to express and act humanity, whether he is immortal or an ordinary person. The appeal of being half human and half monster is that he is a supernatural being. “He is a character. In the original work, it is not explained well what kind of character he has, but I added the character’s narrative within the dramatic limits, such as the pain he has and why he lives like that.”

Namgil Kim has run a non-profit organization himself as the CEO of Gilstory, a culture and arts NGO, since 2015, and founded Gilstory ENT based on his experience creating social impact through various global public art campaigns. He said, "Gilstory ENT is a comprehensive entertainment company that combines a new management system and IP business by recruiting the best talent in the industry. We are growing into a global company that encompasses artist management, content production such as movies and dramas, and IP business as a whole."

Part 2 of ‘Island’ starring Kim Nam-gil will be released on February 24th. Additionally, he is about to release the movies ‘Guardian’ and ‘Night Travel’. Currently, Kim Nam-gil is filming the Netflix original series ‘Thief: The Sound of the Sword’.

Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr