Nam Joo-hyuk on His Struggle to Play Kim Ji-yong’s Character Duality in ‘Vigilante’

Flawlessly attuned to Kim Ji-yong Nam Joo-hyuk stars as the eponymous character in the ongoing Disney+ original series based on this webtoon of the same name. And he is doing great, ascending into the action role like a pro.

Nam Joo-hyuk noted for his intrinsic persuasiveness and sensitivity accomplished via exquisite candor in acting, emerges for the first time in the realm of action as a dual character navigating a painful past.

The series has, Nam’s Ji-yong—a National Police University star student covertly leading a vigilante life. By day, he is a savvy martial artist, erudite, and varied player; by night, though, he flips into a vicious vigilante seeking vengeance for his mom’s brutal murder by a local mobster.

Ji-yong is so incensed by the culprit’s wrongful release from jail and continued crimes that he takes it upon himself to avenge the perpetrator and other offenders serving lower sentences; he believes the police and law-enforcing authorities are inept at regulating crime.

The 28th Busan International Film Festival’s “On Screen” segment hosted Vigilante‘s premiere last month, ahead of its Disney+ release. Nam, who is currently serving his mandatory military service, expressed his thoughts on playing Kim Ji-yong in a video at a pre-release press conference. Reports from Korean media stated that Nam discussed a lot with the martial arts crew during production, as it was his maiden action drama. He trained assiduously to build up the required physicality and execute the action sequences without a hitch.

The actor went on to say that it was difficult to portray Ji-yong’s duality since his darker aspect needed to be well matched with his lighter side. He was drawn to the original webtoon, though, which is why he was interested in taking on Jin-yong’s part. According to a post in Ten Asia, Nam found it rather challenging to play someone whose characteristics are so opposed that they vary over the day and night and behave erratically. “I tried to act internally rather than express my emotions intensely,” he said, opening up about the struggle he had in capturing Kim Ji-yong’s complex personality.

One of Nam Ji-hyuk’s greatest attributes for the role, reckons Vigilante director Choi Jeong-yeol, is his luminous eyes, which effectively reflect the gloom and void within them as well as the boundary between good and evil. He added that Nam’s amazing evocation of Ji-yong’s character impressed him on multiple occasions.