[Interview] Im Siwan: "Cannes Film Festival Became a Crucial Driving Force for My Acting"

'Just Dropped My Smartphone' Junyoung Role
Villain with Conflicting Values... Finds Justification Through Donation

"Your phone, I picked it up." A mysterious man calmly says this with bright eyes after picking up someone else's phone. The chill lasts only a moment. The movie soon draws viewers deeply into the story. Actor Im Si-wan (34, Im Woong-jae) plays Jun-young, a man who approaches the owner of a smartphone he accidentally picked up with ill intentions, in the Netflix original film "Smartphone: Only Dropped" (director Kim Tae-joon), released on the 17th. He commits crimes meticulously without any sense of guilt, yet remains relaxed and composed. In today's terms, he is a "clear-eyed madman." The ordinary nature of this character makes it even more chilling, and the calmness brings a deeper sense of horror?this is because it is "Im Si-wan." His face holds an irresistible charm.

When recently meeting at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Im Si-wan said, "We did not create a backstory for Jun-young," and added, "I focused on expressing the artistic temperament of a twisted villain."

Clear-eyed Madman... Chilling Villain

Actor Im Si-wan [Photo by Netflix]

The film "Smartphone: Only Dropped" depicts the story of an ordinary office worker whose daily life is threatened after losing a smartphone and being hacked. Im Si-wan plays Jun-young, who approaches Nami (played by Chun Woo-hee) after picking up her smartphone. Jun-young analyzes the numerous personal data stored on the phone with malicious intent, understanding the user's interests and relationships to approach Nami.

Im Si-wan sees the chilling Jun-young as a character grounded in reality. He said, "I thought he could very well exist in real life. Even if not for financial gain, there might be someone somewhere who hacks and abuses phones. It feels scarier because it could happen to me."

"When it is revealed that Jun-young, who was thought to be a woman, is actually a mysterious man, I was like 'Wow!'?it gave me goosebumps. I saw a distorted artistic face in Jun-young. He might have thought, 'You touched my artistic inspiration!' while changing his methods of killing people. He is very twisted. Also, his collector-like trait of gathering photos of victims as trophies is something I wanted to express as an artistic temperament."

Im Si-wan said he had many concerns while playing the villain. He said, "I had to focus and immerse myself as much as possible, pouring energy into it and finding justification within myself. There were many times when my values clashed." He continued, "As an actor, I want to choose well-structured scripts, but what if the villain role makes me look bad? I couldn't find an answer to that. To dilute the emotional weight, I donated part of my fee."

'I Just Dropped My Smartphone' Still [Photo by Netflix]

He also shared his thoughts on social networking services (SNS). Im Si-wan laughed, saying, "If I weren't an actor, I probably wouldn't use Instagram." He added, "I don't post many daily photos on SNS. That kind of activity doesn't seem very healthy. I do it steadily out of necessity, but mostly post work-related content. Posting very personal content feels burdensome. It's unsettling that all information about where I was today, what I did, and what I like is uploaded. Although fictional, it might make one more vulnerable to dangers like in the movie."

His most frequently used smartphone application is KakaoTalk. Im Si-wan said, "I use it mainly for messaging. Since many people use it, I use it out of necessity for communication."

"There Is No Right Answer in Acting... Endless Research"

Actor Im Si-wan [Photo by Netflix]

Im Si-wan walked the red carpet at the 74th Cannes Film Festival in 2021 for the non-competitive section film "Emergency Declaration" (2022). Although he had previously visited Cannes for "A Model Family" (2017), he had to leave immediately after a tight schedule due to drama commitments and military enlistment. Therefore, this Cannes Film Festival was especially meaningful to him.

"Going to Cannes became a driving force for me as an actor. It still holds true. I can't forget the look in my eyes. I will never forget the moment when I entered the first screening, watching the film with foreign audiences who didn't know me at all, and they gave a standing ovation. I felt, 'This is why I act.' My goal became clear. It was a turning point that raised my standards. I decided I shouldn't do acting half-heartedly; I want to work hard and someday enjoy this glory again."

Im Si-wan has worked with prominent senior actors such as Lee Sung-min in "Misaeng" (2014), Song Kang-ho in "The Attorney" (2013), Sol Kyung-gu in "A Model Family: The World of Bad Guys" (2017), and Lee Byung-hun in "Emergency Declaration" (2022). Reflecting on this, he said, "It became a great asset," giving it special meaning. He added, "By observing how senior actors approach acting and what they think on set, I was able to understand. Even top actors feel the pressure of acting. I learned that acting requires endless contemplation and research."