Following the Nov. 30 finale, Ryu ― who anchored the show as Kim Naksu ― left a lasting impression at the center of the story. His grounded presence and layered performance held the series together from start to finish.
With his signature voice and finely tuned nuance, Ryu captured the everyday reality of a middle-aged breadwinner and ordinary office worker, striking a deep chord with viewers. In a candid interview on Prain TPC’s YouTube channel The Actors, he opened up about his affection for the project and what it stirred in him personally.
Reflecting on his first TV drama in a while, Ryu said the story felt “genuinely fun and deeply relatable,” adding that centering a man in his 50s felt refreshingly new. He was drawn to how the show rose above any single profession to tell something universal ― the kind of life moment anyone might face ― and felt a sense of purpose bringing that to the screen.
He also recalled an unexpected wave of emotion during filming. In a scene where Naksu comes home after a long day and his wife, Hajin (played by Myung Se-bin), tells him, “You worked hard,” he suddenly choked up. “I realized I’d never said to myself, ‘You did well. Thank you,’” he shared. “In that moment, the words just poured out from a very deep place.”
Ryu spoke honestly about his evolving approach to acting. “There are days I wonder if I only looked like I was acting,” he admitted. “If I can’t fully concentrate, it really gets to me.” To push through, he focuses on his health: walking a lot, calming his mind, and keeping his daily life in order. For him, that’s become part of the craft. Authentic emotion, he believes, only surfaces when body and mind are well: “You can truly express a range of feelings only when you’re grounded and full.”
More than just a comeback, the project became a mirror for self-reflection. “For quite a long stretch, I gave it everything ― passion and my very best, as if I might never get to do it like this again,” he said. “Every time I felt that sincerity reach viewers, it was incredibly rewarding.”
With meticulous detail that evokes real-life “Mr. Kims,” Ryu rounded out Kim Naksu’s many layers ― and his self-examination lingers long after the credits roll. For more from Ryu on "The Dream Life of Mr. Kim", head to Prain TPC’s YouTube channel, The Actors.
[Photos: Prain TPC]
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Sun-ae)