Kim Eui-seong, the CEO of the entertainment company, said, “No matter how good an actor is, if he harasses the staff, he will not be recruited. The goal is Hive.”

Actor Kim Eui-seong (58), wearing a navy knit with a character on it, melted hearts frozen in the cold with a warm smile that was different from his appearance in the movie. He also shared his unique vision not only as an actor, but also as the CEO of a company and as a producer.

On the 21st, Kim Eui-seong met with Ten Asia at Megabox in Seongsu-dong, Seoul and told various stories of his life, including the movie '12.12: THE DAY' (directed by Kim Seong-su).

Kim Eui-seong founded Ahn Company, a new entertainment company, last September and is currently serving as its CEO. Following the story of '12.12: THE DAY', Kim Eui-seong adjusted his posture and asked, "What are you curious about?" in response to questions related to the company.

When asked if Ahn Company had its own recruiting philosophy, Kim Eui-seong smiled and said, "Oh, of course, we don't allow school violence or drunk driving," and added, "If we have a unique characteristic, we follow the principle that actors who harass the staff should not be allowed." “Actors have personalities and are artists, so there are some things that are difficult for people to understand. However, I don’t think that should bother the staff and make them unhappy. For me, not only are actors, but the staff and their happiness are also very important. “I would rather not be an actor who is not a member of the team. I like the personality of getting along well with many people.”

Kim Eui-seong, who said he became a little impatient after the establishment of the entertainment company, said, "When I was alone, I thought it would be okay for me to fail alone, but now when I look at the faces and bright eyes of my employees, I think, 'I don't want them to fail,' so I feel like I have to work hard too." “I was wondering if I should work hard as a representative and reduce my acting, but I think I’ll have to work hard for the time being.”

As for why he created Enter and became its CEO, he said it was to realize his dream of creating a community of filmmakers rather than just a business.

"Originally, I had a strong desire to work with good actors and was interested in making things happen. If a director was doing something, I would recommend it and say, 'I would like this actor to join,' and I would tell the actor, 'I don't know about this director, but I think he would be a good fit.' They also give advice like, 'It's the same.' As I recently started working for a large company, that wild nature disappeared and I started to focus only on my own work. Although I achieved some success as an actor, I had no joy as a filmmaker. I think I want to share the joy. I did."

He laughed, saying, "When the company sends me a car, I don't just drive to the company's office and spend a lot of time there. I help seniors and juniors and go to auditions. I had a dream of creating a company like that, and I wanted to make it come true."

When asked about the meaning of Ahn Company's mission, Kim Eui-seong said, "It doesn't have any special meaning, I just wanted it to be a comfortable name. I'm a very talkative person, so I looked for a name that didn't sound too harsh, and it became Ahn Company."

At the end of the interview, Kim Eui-seong drew attention by jokingly revealing the company's vision, saying, "There are a lot of actors I want to recruit. I'm ready to recruit them." He also jokingly said, "Our goal is Hive."

Meanwhile, '12.12: THE DAY' depicts the Seoul military revolt on December 12, 1979, which changed the fate of the Republic of Korea. It contains 9 hours of tense action between Chun Doo-gwang (Hwang Jung-min)'s rebel army and Lee Tae-shin's (Jung Woo-sung) suppression army. Kim Eui-seong plays the role of Oh Guk-sang, the Minister of National Defense who is only concerned about his own safety when the coup breaks out, drawing the ire of the audience.

Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr