[Interview] Im Siwan "With Overflowing Content, We Must Carefully Consider Viewers' Likes and Dislikes"

'Tracer' Hwang Dong-joo Role
"Glad for Healthy Content Competition"
"Box Office and Success Are Not the Actor's Share"

Im Si-wan. Photo by Plum A&C

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] "As an actor, my mission is not to chase box office success, and if the work is good, not to refuse it. Acting is the art of choice. I am drawn to works that have excellent social messages or allow me to surpass my limits. I believe that box office success and popularity are not within my domain."

Lim Siwan recently said this in a video interview with Asia Economy, adding, "I spend more than 80% of my day thinking about acting."

Since his discharge in 2019, he has appeared in dramas such as 'Strangers from Hell' and 'Run On', as well as the variety show 'House on Wheels 2'. He has also completed filming for the movies 'Boston 1947' and 'Emergency Declaration'. It was a time of working like a horse, frequently going in and out of filming sets.

Afterwards, Lim Siwan turned his attention to online video streaming services (OTT). In the Wavve original series 'Tracer' (written by Kim Hyunjung, directed by Lee Seungyoung), which depicts the thrilling pursuit of illicit money by National Tax Service experts, he portrayed Hwang Dongju, the head of the Tax Bureau 5 team, revealing another side of himself. The series was also broadcast as an MBC Friday-Saturday drama.

Lim Siwan shared his thoughts, saying, "I approached the filming thinking of it as an OTT project. I am grateful that it was also aired through MBC, which felt like a bonus."

"I was actually more cheeky than originally planned. That was a kind of risk, but many viewers said they enjoyed it, so I felt relieved that it wasn't the wrong direction. It became a turning point for me to resolve to work harder to bring out the charm of the script."

Im Si-wan. Photo by Plum A&C

Having mainly worked in dramas and films, this was the first time he received a script for an OTT project. Lim Siwan viewed the increasingly fierce competition as "not a welcome word for those involved, but I think it is a healthy change."

When asked how he faces the expansion of the OTT platform market and changes in the content market as an actor of this era, Lim Siwan continued with a serious expression.

"The range of content choices has widened. It's no exaggeration to say that works are pouring out now. We can't watch all of them. Because we have to choose what to watch, tastes will become clearer. It will be an opportunity to judge what kind of works viewers like or dislike these days. Through this, I want to observe content preferences and think more deeply as an actor."

In many works such as the movie 'The Attorney' (2013) and the drama 'Misaeng' (2014), Lim Siwan has shown a witty yet pathos-filled face. The energy given by the loneliness hidden behind the righteous youth's spirit and the expression full of irony is definitely 'Lim Siwan's strength.' When this was mentioned, he shyly smiled and said, "I also feel the pathos."

Im Si-wan. Photo by Plum A&C

He said, "I think there are people who like me because of that charm. I am also trying to actively use it. I want to show a variety of faces by maximizing characters that are opposite to pathos or by expanding the range of characters I can act."

When asked about his plans for this year, Lim Siwan said without hesitation that he would put a comma. "It's been about three years since my discharge, and I realized I haven't taken a break from projects. My goal this year is to do maybe one project at most, but if I see a good work, my sense of mission might kick in. (laughs) But I want to take a break this year. I want to have time to reflect on myself."