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Happy Kim Ji Hoon Day: Breaking down actor’s compelling villain roles in Flower of Evil, Ballerina, and Death’s Game
Kim Ji Hoon turns 43 today. The actor is known for portraying a plethora of antagonist roles in popular K-dramas and films. Today, let’s decode them one by one.
Kim Ji Hoon, a popular Korean actor is known for delving into many genres. From rom-com to thriller, this star seems to have done it all. However, his best are still the antagonist roles where he so passionately excels. Especially, with his sturdy build, long hair, and sharp facial features, he is often the first choice for many compelling villain characters.
Once an SM Entertainment trainee, Kim Ji Hoon transitioned into an actor in 2002, with a role in the KBS drama Loving You Back. Through his prolific career, spanning decades, the actor has exhibited his acting chop in more than 30 TV series including Money Heist: Joint Economic Area, Flower of Evil, Death's Game, and more. As this Korean luminary turns 43 today, May 9, let’s celebrate his day with a thorough look at some of his best antagonist roles.
Breakdown of Kim Ji Hoon's scary villain roles in hit K-dramas and films
Flower of Evil (2020)
This jolting crime-thriller revolves around Do Hyun Soo (played by Lee Joon Gi), a murderous mind hiding behind the identity of Baek Hee Sung. He gets married to a detective named Cha Ji Won (Moon Chae Won).
They have a daughter together, and Do Hyun Soo aka Baek Hee Sung’s life seems to be picture perfect. But things go west when the detective comes across a clue linking her own husband to a past crime.
Actor Kim Hee Joon enters here as the real Baek Hee Sung, or at least it seems so. His appearance brings a major change to the drama’s entire narrative. The real Baek Hee Sung frames Do Hyun Soo for his crimes. But what sends a chill down the spine is his entire personality, which is not only scary but also creepy.
During the first half of Flower of Evil, Kim Ji Hoon’s character is in a coma, but when he regains consciousness, his past deeds come to light to the extent of his mother finding a bloody knife in his room.
The most engaging part of this drama is a fight sequence between the real Baek Hee Sung aka Kim Ji Hoon and Lee Joon Gi, the fake one. Upon its release, the clip of this scene went viral online and stayed a trending search in South Korea days after the drama’s finale.
Death’s Game (2023)
If You still have the courage to discover him in another villain role, we have a platter ready for you - Death’s Game, starring Parasite actress Park So Dam, Seo In Guk, Lee Jae Wook, and Go Young Jung in some other main roles.
This fantasy-thriller drama depicts the whirlwind life of Choi Yee Jae (Seo In Guk), who contemplates suicide after facing multiple setbacks. But when he encounters Death (played by Park So Dam), he is handed over a task to die several times in other lives to finally have a chance of surviving.
In this TVING original drama, Kim Ji Hoon takes on the role of Park Tae Woo, a fearsome antagonist. His engrossing character is a psychopath killer, who targets the reincarnations of Choi Yee Jae.
But what makes Park Tae Woo even more scary and unforgettable is his motive behind the murders. Turns out, he doesn’t actually have much reason except his own pleasure.
This sadistic villain commits gruesome acts like running over a model (Lee Do Hyun) and dismembering an artist (Kim Jae Wook) just for simple fun.
With Kim Ji Hoon’s realistic acting, this maniac character genuinely scared the viewers to the bone. In addition, there are a bunch of adrenaline-rushing action scenes involving falling from an airplane and getting hit by a car, these engrossing scenes are sure to keep you seated throughout Death’s Game.
Regarding his villain role in this drama, Kim Ji Hoon once said, “Every time I see people commenting that I am scary, I feel blessed and thank myself”, and he should as well, because we don’t think many other actors could have pulled out Park Tae Woo with such tenacity like Kim Ji Hoon.
Ballerina (2023)
This is by far one of the most beloved villain roles portrayed by Kim Ji Hoon. This exhilarating 2023 film is a proper revenge thriller starring Jeon Jong Seo in the lead role. The story follows Jang Ok Ju (played by Jeon Jong Seo), a former bodyguard. The film starts with her running errands in a convenience store.
Then, she returns to her ballerina friend’s apartment only to find her lifeless in a pool of her own blood. The story then takes place as Ok Ju sets out to avenge this wrongful death through action-packed sequences.
Thus enter Kim Ji Hoon as Choi Pro, the sole antagonist throughout the 1 hour and 33 minutes of this film. Through the eyes of Ok Ju, viewers learn the many heinous acts of the villain, who is a sex trafficker and a ‘pro’ in blackmailing females after filming illicit and nonconsensual stuff.
In addition, he also turns out to be running a gang and deals in weapons. Though the film does end on a satisfying note, with Choi Pro ending up with what he deserves, ‘death’, Kim Ji Hoon’s organic portrayal of this brutal character is sure to leave a lingering impression.
He continues to set a strong foothold in the Korean film and television industry with his meticulous synchronization with the antagonist roles. An actor, who is not afraid of getting typecast and is only zealous about his craft, Kim Ji Hoon sure has a long way to go forward.
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