South Korean heartthrob Kim Woo Bin attended a mall event in Hong
Kong to promote his debut movie "Friend: The Great Legacy" on Saturday
(16th August 2014). Hundreds of enthusiastic fans were packed in a small space to welcome the actor/model. The movie is a sequel of the 2001 South Korean box office hit "Friend," which was highest grossing South Korean film of all time until 2003.
Kim plays the role of Sung Hoon, a gangster who was put in prison and hooks up with his fellow inmate Joon Seok, played by South Korean actor Yu Oh Seong.
The two soon scheme to help Joon regain power in his gang.
Kim admitted that the pressure of sharing leads with acclaimed South Korean actors Yu Oh Seong and Joo Jin Mo was great, but advice from the two helped him to act better.
"They are such established actors, so there is definitely some pressure. I'd be lying if I said there was no pressure. The thing I worried most about was that they were acclaimed actors. I don't want to sully their name, so I tried my best to act out my part. I want to give my thanks to the two actors, who taught me a lot. I told them that I love them," he explained.
The pressure was increased by the dissimilarity of his personality and that of his character. Kim admitted that it was difficult to find something common between the two.
"The most similar thing I have with my character in the
film is my appearance. The character is very different. He has suffered
a lot and is more rough. Each time I assume a role, I try to find
similarities with the character, but this time it is more difficult,"
said Kim. Despite such difficulties, Kim was praised for his acting, in particular a scene where he acts as if he were drunk. Kim said it was all thanks to the help of the director and the other lead actors.
"Why was the acting so real? Because the director and the two actors helped me a lot. That's why I was able to express my character well," said Kim.
Kim came into the spotlight as a runway model in 2009. The 27-year-old made his acting debut in 2011 by starring in a sitcom "Vampire Idol". Kim became one of the most sought after actors in South Korea after he starred in the hugely popular South Korean television drama "The Heirs" in 2013.
The film "Friends: The Great Legacy" was released in South Korean theaters in November 2013 and will be in theaters in Hong Kong on 21st August 2014.
