Kim Nam-gil “I’m not an idol at all”

Actor Kim Nam-gil talked about the reaction of Japanese fans after the release of the Netflix series 'Thief: The Sound of the Sword'.

Kim Nam-gil met with Ten Asia at a cafe located in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the morning of the 26th and told various stories related to the Netflix series 'Thief: The Sound of the Sword'.

'Thieves: The Sound of the Sword', which was released on the 22nd, is an action drama about people who come together to protect their precious people and their home in Gando, a lawless land where the land of China, money from Japan, and people from Joseon gathered in 1920. . It contains the story of thieves, not thieves who rob others, but the 'sound of the sword'.

In the play, Kim Nam-gil plays the role of Lee Yoon. Lee Yoon went from being a slave to a Japanese soldier to a thief.

On this day, Kim Nam-gil said about the reason for choosing 'The Thief: The Sound of the Knife', "It was refreshing that it represented the 1920s Western genre. It could be said to be a period drama, but we thought we should combine the times of the East and the West. History “There were many historical dramas based on events. ‘The Thief: The Sound of the Sword’ is a period drama, but rather than using a special event as a motif, it was a work of fiction, but it reflected fantasy elements, so it was a subject that could have existed anyway,” he said.

He continued, "It looks like there will be a sandstorm, and not only in countries that specialize in westerns, but we as well. I think such a plan was fresh and fun. In some ways, it was a challenge. Since the originality of American movies is strong, for example, we can produce historical dramas in that country. "I should say it felt like I was making it. Since I couldn't make a work like that in English-speaking countries and have no idea how it would be received, I thought it would be good to stimulate the nostalgic side," he added.

‘The Thief: The Sound of the Sword’ was released in over 190 countries around the world ahead of the Chuseok holiday. In particular, it is noteworthy that it was released around the same time as the global hits 'Squid Game' and 'Suriname'. Regarding this, Kim Nam-gil confessed, "I felt quite a lot of pressure. I did my best to create my work, but I didn't know what the result would be, whether it would be chosen by the public or not. These days, I don't have a clue."

He said, "I do my best to make it so that the public can understand and follow. I didn't know when 'Suriname' and 'Squid Game' were released. (During the production briefing) I mentioned the Chuseok work and looked it up and found out that the previous works were Everything was successful, but I thought it would be good if the public would choose 'Thief: The Sound of the Sword', even if it wasn't to the same extent. I watched 'The Thief: The Sound of the Sword' for the first time after its release, and I got a lump in my throat. It was so burdensome that my throat was lumpy and painful. “There was,” he said honestly.

Kim Nam-gil is so popular that he holds fan meetings in Japan. He said, "I'm not an idol, and the fans seem to think that's a separate thing. Issues with the political world are issues, and cultures are different depending on the culture." He said, "I'm talking about an incident that happened in the past. It's not an incident that never happened. If you can't make sauce because you're afraid of maggots, you shouldn't do the work."

Kim Nam-gil said, "(Fans) all understand. I don't think there were any such concerns. I think that's what's good about culture. When the Dokdo issue arose in the past, cultural exchanges were a little more active at the time. Most Japanese people didn't support it either. "I didn't. In politics, the people who lead the country and the people who fight against each other are their stories. I thought that culture should be used as a tool for reconciliation," he said emphatically.

Kim Nam-gil says, “There’s a lot of action in everything I do.” He said, "Many of them were from special forces or soldiers. That setting is fun because there is freedom in creating characters. Now, if action characters go any further, there are areas where they can become standardized. Personally, I think coordination is needed. "I want to try a more diverse genre. Lately, there's been a lot of talk about melodies and romantic comedies. Even these days, there aren't many productions. The production environment is one where the rich get richer and the poor get poorer. I hope a lot of them are produced," he said.

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