Kim Sung-cheol who replaced Yoo Ah-in in ‘Hellbound’ Season 2 says he didn’t afraid of viewers’ comparison

Actor Kim Sung-cheol played Jung Jin-soo, the leader of cult-like New Truth Society who returned from hell, in the original Netflix TV series “Hellbound” Season 2. Courtesy of Netflix

It is always hard to fill someone’s shoes. Comparisons are a must, and in many cases, it is hard to receive a favorable evaluation no matter how hard you try. But what if another actor had to play a key role in the next season of an already successful TV series?

The reason why there were concerns and expectations when actor Kim Sung-cheol (33) joined the cast of Netflix’s original TV series “Hellbound” Season 2 last year. He took over the role of Jung Jin-soo, the leader of the cult-like New Truth Society, replacing actor Yoo Ah-in, who dropped out after being accused of drug abuse. From the beginning, he went in with the heavy task of “The same character, but different actor.”

But in “Hellbound” Season 2, which was recently released on Netflix, Kim completely blows away the concerns surrounding him. “I thought the comparisons were inevitable, but I think it would have been the same no matter who did it. Even if Timothée Chalamet or Tony Leung Chiu Wai did it, they would have been compared,” he said with a smile as we met at a cafe in Seoul, on the afternoon of October 30.

“Hellbound” tells the story of what happens when messengers from hell suddenly appear in the human world and people are sentenced to hell. Yeon Sang-ho, director of “Train to Busan,” wrote and directed the story based on the webtoon of the same name.

At the end of Season 1, Jung Jin-soo, the chairman of the New Truth Society, who rose to power amidst the chaos, is revealed to be the one who was “notified” to go to hell. He was eventually dragged to Hell, but was resurrected and returned to the human world in Season 2. After spending eight years in hell, Jung becomes a different person than before. His eyes are hollow and his entire body radiates pain. Kim thought “’emptiness” as the key to Jung who returned.

“I thought Jung was a “disassembled figure,” because he can’t be sane when he comes back after experiencing the constant amputation of limbs for an unbelievable amount of time. The empty eyes were the most important aspect of Jung.”

Despite the concerns, Kim’s reason for choosing Jung was simple. He was drawn to Jung’s personality. “He’s a cult leader, to put it simply, but in a world dominated by religion, he’s a huge ruler, like the Pope. He can change people with his words, and that’s really fascinating.”

In “Hellbound” Season 2, Jung is resurrected and wreaks havoc on the world before being eaten by the hell lion. There are many interpretations of the ending, and Kim gave his own interpretation.

“I think Jung was eaten by the hell lion because he couldn’t overcome the pain and fear inside of him. He is the one who made the world a dystopia, and he corrupted people with his doctrine. The one who was dragged to hell after preying on people was dragged to hell again by doing the same thing. He is really bad.”

Kim, who made his debut in 2014 with the musical “Adolescence,” is currently more active than ever appearing in musicals, films, and TV series. He has established himself as a leading actor in name and reality with his performance of Crown Prince So Hyun in the film “The Night Owl,” released in 2022, and recently took on the role of “Jekyll and Hyde” in the musical “Jekyll and Hyde,” which celebrated its 20th anniversary in Korea.

He said he felt like he is finally able to be an actor like “white paper,” a dream that was difficult to realize as a rookie when he had to have a specific “image” first. “You can’t write on a blank page unless someone chooses to use it, and I didn’t have a pen. But now that I have the opportunity to play various roles, I think I’ll show a face that you haven’t seen before. I think an actor who makes people wonder, ‘What did he do this time?’ survives as an actor longer than others.”

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.