[Interview②] 'Lucky Monster' Kim Do-yoon "Taking the subway to interviews, living near a station"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] Actor Kim Doyoon expressed his desire to meet good projects.

On the afternoon of the 24th, Kim Doyoon shared various stories about his work during an interview held at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, ahead of the release of the film Lucky Monster (directed by Bong Junyoung).

Lucky Monster depicts the story of Do Maengsoo (Kim Doyoon), who lives a life buried in debt, winning the first prize in the lottery after receiving signals from the mysterious auditory hallucination Lucky Monster (Park Seongjun), and then embarking on a journey to find his wife Seong Ria (Jang Jinhui), who disappeared after a fake divorce, leading to a runaway rich man’s frenzy.

Kim Doyoon takes on the role of Do Maengsoo, who suddenly becomes a wealthy man overnight, marking his first lead role on the big screen.

Previously, Kim Doyoon left a brief but strong impression as a clumsy police officer in 26 Years (2012) and received a love call from director Na Hongjin. In The Wailing (2016), he played Yang Isam, a Catholic priest trainee who loses his faith due to the bizarre appearance of an outsider (Jun Kunimura), leaving a strong impression as a symbolic character showing human frailty. In Peninsula, released last July, he portrayed a tragic character who loses his wife and son to zombies and becomes prey to zombies himself.

On this day, Kim Doyoon laughed, saying, “I have played many roles where I suffer in other films, but in Lucky Monster, there were many scenes where I got to return the favor.”

When asked about his real personality, Kim Doyoon said, “I have many sides. Right now, I’m pretending to be nice while facing the reporters, but somewhere else, I might be running wild doing whatever I want. When I’m with my child, I show another side. I can be both evil and good.”

Kim Doyoon cited “not easily being satisfied with myself” as his driving force. He added, “Watching my acting, the parts I lack or the desire to do better become motivation. It keeps me moving forward. Questions like how to truly act give me great strength.”

In an interview with this outlet last July, director Yeon Sangho described Kim Doyoon as “an actor I want to continue working with” and revealed strong trust by saying, “I insisted on working together on the upcoming Netflix drama Hellbound.” When asked about the secret behind receiving love calls from talented directors like Yeon Sangho and Na Hongjin, Kim Doyoon laughed and said, “I’m curious about that myself.” He humbly added, “There are many actors who act well and have a lot of charm. Compared to them, I’m grateful to be someone who seems like I could be anywhere.”

Kim Doyoon, who said he came to the interview by subway, smiled brightly and said, “I usually enjoy taking the subway.” He joked, “I live near a station, so it’s easy to take the subway.”

Having left a strong impression through his work with directors Na Hongjin and Yeon Sangho, attention is focused on his next projects. Kim Doyoon said, “I get a lot of roles as a socially vulnerable character. I think if I reach the peak with a pathetic role, I might be able to move on to the next.”

He continued, “I also want to try professional roles like a lawyer or office worker, and I want to try playing a father,” laughing.

Kim Doyoon also expressed his desire to meet viewers at home as well as on the big screen. He said, “My mother is elderly and doesn’t watch movies well. If I get the chance, I’d like to appear in dramas as well.”

Kim Doyoon said, “I’m not in a position to choose projects, but I have the desire to do good works. I have also preserved that desire. Whether it’s drama, film, or theater, I want to meet good works in any form and wait with gratitude.”

Lucky Monster opens on December 3.