Actor You Need to Know: Kim Woo-bin

I grew fond of Kim Woo-bin upon watching Uncontrollably Fond (2016). His commanding presence on camera may be due in part to his deep, piercing eyes, which are so telling in how he engages with and connects with those watching. Second, his towering stature adds to his suave sophistication, making him the stunning Korean hero that he is. And let’s not forget about his subtle character representation, which elevates him to the rank of a fine actor. Wait, I have more thoughts to add to this passage (I’m an avid Kim Woo-bin fan). If you’re a good-looking man, you often get cast in projects where you’re expected to play good [positive] roles. I think Kim fantastically juxtaposes the idea and plays with it in different capacities, whether he’s impersonating an arrogant guy or a socially inept guy.

A tall-in-the-saddle Kim Hyun-joong, in the minds of many within the profession, has been the runway model of dreams. His attractiveness aided his breakthrough into Korean entertainment in 2011 with the television mystery drama White Christmas and the cable sitcom Vampire Idol under the stage name Kim Woo-bin. The runway supermodel had therefore discovered love, excitement, and enthusiasm for acting alongside modeling, forming an everlasting tryst with the art form ever since. In 2012, he was cast in the romantic comedy-drama A Gentleman’s Dignity and the drama adaptation of the renowned manga To the Beautiful You before enjoying an upsurge in fame beginning in 2013.

The year saw Kim leap with the hit drama School 2013. He portrayed Park Heung-soo, an unruly student who finds it difficult to integrate with his peers. Kim received accolades for his rendition of the role’s complexity and realism and took home the second APAN Star Award for Best New Actor. He appeared in The Heirs (2013), yet another iconic drama following the popularity of School 2013, featuring Choi Young-do, a troubled heir battling his inner demons and the demands of his family. His performance was once again lauded by all quarters.

Later that same year, his first significant film debut happened through Friend: The Great Legacy, in which he played a juvenile gang member. By then, he had become widely recognized for both his outstanding physical attributes and his fierce; compelling performances—a celebrity whose sense of flair and fashion began to be emulated. Notwithstanding his burgeoning celebrity, Kim maintained a modest demeanor and sense of gratitude for his achievements, shunning the trappings of his expanding notoriety. He also persisted in working hard and honing his art—a commitment that paid off with every assignment.

His filmography displays a verified history of a career graph that is increasing and glittering with a series of consecutive big-screen projects. The Con Artists (2014) is a heist film that feels like the ideal big-screen vehicle for an actor like Kim: it has an ambitious theft-ridden narrative with thrilling plot twists that provide high-quality entertainment, and the actor dazzles visually as Ji-hyuk, a safe-cracker living a luxurious existence by stealing schmuck and antiques. He forms an alliance with a brilliant hacker, a strategist, and others to steal a lump of money that is concealed in the Incheon Customs. The 40-minute heist’s intrigue makes it worthwhile to witness. You may detect Kim Woo-bin’s command of expressions by observing him intently in the film.

In Twenty (2015), a coming-of-age movie costarring Lee Jun-ho and Kang Ha-neul, he played the comedic role of a jobless player pursuing women. Following that, in the 2016 romantic melodrama Uncontrollably Fond, Kim played a top actor-singer, Shin Joon-young, who reconciles with his first love, Noh Eul (Bae Suzy), a documentary producer, and nailed his maiden television starring role. The drama was a rousing success, with fans appreciating Kim’s nuanced depiction of an intricate man coping with a terminal illness.

Joon-young’s reel life story surprisingly has some parallels to the superstar’s real life. Nasopharyngeal carcinoma, an aggressive type of cancer that attacks the top section of the throat, was discovered in Kim Woo-bin in 2017. He went on to take a break from acting as a result to zero in on his recuperation after giving a string of immaculate performances, such as in the crime action picture Master, which debuted in the final quarter of 2016 and ended up becoming the 11th best-selling film of the year in South Korea. Kim featured the mind and the mastermind of the firm’s president (Lee Byung-hun) in the flick concerning a smart crime investigation squad chasing a company implicated in a significant fraud case.

The actor’s re-emergence in the spotlight is a testament to his resilience. While having an acute medical condition, he never gave up on his goals and was steadfast in his commitment to work. Massive admiration and support greeted his comeback. We pictured him as the supernatural ‘Guard,’ manning alien prisoners in the blockbuster movie Alienoid (2022), whereby a portal of time opens between the swordsman seeking the fabled divine sword at the close of the Goryeo Dynasty and those pursuing an alien trapped in a human body in recent times. Thereafter, Kim co-starred in the acclaimed omnibus television series Our Blues (2022), set on Jeju Island, which explores the bittersweet lives of different individuals.

He has gone through the mill, working his way to success—surviving on scant supplies, living extended periods in a sauna, and fighting a fatal disease. His inspiring story is a motivating example of the value of perseverance and courage in facing adversity. In his words, “My favorite phrase is, ‘God only gives struggle to people who can overcome it.’ I saw it in a book, and it helped me out so much.”

His most recent: the dismal dystopian Black Knight, is also an account of survivalism and human fortitude. The drama unfolds in 2071, a year of extreme air pollution that makes survival challenging without an oxygen mask. Given that a major area of the Korean Peninsula is now desert and that only a small portion of the local population exists, delivery men are thus crucial to the survival of residents there, like 5-8 (Kim), a famed delivery man with extraordinary fighting prowess. He meets Sa-wol (Kang Yoo-seok), a refugee with dreams to be a delivery driver like him. The two team up with a group of people to take on the Cheonmyeong Group, a corporate giant that now governs all of humanity.