Actor You Need to Know: Kim Seon-ho

The ‘Kim Seon-ho effect’: what is it? I questioned a Korean PR professional I know. He has long been involved in the K-drama industry and has collaborated with many different Korean artists. “Kim is the epitome of a really good man! He truly is a gentleman! Perhaps he has that effect on people,” he said, adding, “The actor connects with his smile. He has a smile worth a million dollars! The Seon-ho effect you’re talking about, though, is attributable to some of Kim’s brand endorsements, which broke sales records a few years ago and fueled his explosive ascent to fame.”

In the literal sense, that is accurate: Kim Seo-ho enjoys enormous fame (although he is often seen as a late-blooming actor). He has steadily advanced in his career over time, cementing his identity as a leading Korean actor and showcasing how much his followers and fans love him. I admire the guy for his brilliant performances even though I’m not a part of his fandom, called ‘Seonhohada.’ Kim is an expert at expressing and displaying the different facets that make up his characters and encompassing the entirety of their experiences.

Reportedly an introvert since childhood, Kim was raised in Seoul’s Bongcheon-dong neighborhood. After high school, he enrolled at the Seoul Institute of the Arts, where he specialized in broadcasting and entertainment and received a degree. To add to his curriculum, he joined the university’s theater group. His tryst with acting thus began long before he became a successful actor at a professional level. In a prior interview with Dazed Korea, Kim stated that his urge to act is still as strong as ever. Every time he goes onstage, the desire to learn more about acting keeps running through his thoughts.

It stands to reason that Kim’s filmography is a proven track record of his theatrical endeavors, which began after his conscription in 2007 and span from 2009 to 2016, before he made his television debut. The actor dabbled in a variety of roles during this period, whether it was playing Dr. Watson in the Korean production of William Gillette’s play Sherlock Holmes, the protagonist in the play Words I Couldn’t Say for 7 Years or a triple role in the play Rooftop House Cat’s 10th season. He was also chosen for a second titular role in the play Purpose of Love in 2015.

Later on, Kim expanded his roster by embodying grittier characters. Together with Lee Hyun-wook and Moon Sung-il, he played Austin in Sam Shephard’s famed Korean remake of True West. That same year, he performed Valentin in the Korean stage adaptation of Manuel Puig’s Kiss of the Spider Woman. Now dubbed ‘Theater Idol,’ Kim landed a role in Almost, Maine in 2016 and has since appeared in a number of other plays to date, most notably in the well-known Closer by Patrick Marber, where he shared the stage with Bae Seong-woo, Kim So-jin and Park So-dam, earning praise from critics for his onstage ferocity.

According to experts, Kim’s renown stems from the fact that he improvises his performances through minute details. When he made his debut in the office drama Good Manager in 2017, he made this abundantly clear once more. A major role followed in the next drama, Strongest Deliveryman, and another in which the 36-year-old co-starred with Jo Jung-suk as a crafty conman in the action comedy Two Cops, earning accolades at the 2017 MBC Drama Awards. In addition to a pivotal role in the smash-hit period drama 100 Days My Prince, he played a painter in the 2018 drama You Drive Me Crazy, which went on to become one of the highest-rated shows in Korean cable television history.

I first encountered the actor in Welcome to Waikiki 2 and fell in love with him right away. In the 2019 sitcom, he portrayed the aspiring musician Cha Woo-sik. Artists who make a good first impression may become pinned to your expectations regarding their abilities. When it comes to that, Kim has never disappointed me. After starring as a cop in the gripping crime drama Catch the Ghost (2019), he joined the cast of the fourth season of the reality series 2 Days & 1 Night. Being a natural at revealing his true self, his everyday habits, and the real person he is off-camera, the star won the Rookie Award at the 2020 KBS Entertainment Awards for his effortless performance on the episodes.

Since he depicts his characters in enthralling ways, Kim has a remarkable talent for moving you. Consider his depiction of Han Ji-pyeong, a start-up investor with a painful history, in the slice-of-life romantic drama Start-Up (2020). While watching the series, I couldn’t take my eyes off him and realized that he could play any role with genuine expertise. According to Korean media, while the series aired, Kim topped the monthly brand reputation ranking index by the Korean Business Research Institute and experienced a surge in popularity both domestically and abroad.

He had a standout performance as Hong Du-sik (locally addressed as 홍반장, Caption Hong in English), an all-around handyman in the coastal village of Gongjin but technically jobless, in the cathartic romantic comedy Hometown Cha-Cha-Cha (2021), co-starring with Shin Min-a. One of the highest-rated television series in Korean cable television history, the show acquired unprecedented popularity, amassing enormous audience ratings. Kim quickly rose to become one of my favorite romantic heroes as a result, and Captain Hong is still one of my favorite K-drama characters.

Kim Seon-ho is incredibly authentic thanks to his extensive theater experience. This man, in my opinion, is a gem of an actor who adds poise and polish to any scene. Even in a complex part, he appears effortless and instinctive. Every word he says and every expression he wears is a treat to behold. And I’m sure anyone who’s come across him is well aware of his attributes. It’s no surprise, therefore, that he was titled Gallup Korea’s Television Actor of the Year for 2021.

Sadly, an artist of his caliber missed out on several projects in the later part of that year when he received criticism over a personal matter. Consequently, he took a year off, even though everything eventually subsided. Fortunately, Kim is returning with The Childe, an upcoming Korean action-noir thriller film (originally named Sad Tropics) directed by Park Hoon-jung. The narrative’s protagonist is a struggling boxer who travels to Korea in search of his father, where he’s spied on and chased by mysterious, nefarious men. The movie, which may be released this year, will star Kim in the leading role.

I can’t wait to watch the actor’s artistic creativity re-emerge onscreen. His acting feels inextricably linked to his charm and sensitivity, so I know he’ll stun us yet again.