'Yumi's Cells' heartthrob Kim Jae-won on taking risks and rising to stardom

Actor reflects on emotionally complex roles, joining the hit rom-com franchise, and his plans to avoid being typecast

Kim Jae-won (Tving)

At just 25, Kim Jae-won has built a resume defined by bold, unconventional choices — an unusual trajectory for an actor who has establish himself as one of Korean TV's leading men.

From playing a sexually conflicted older brother who dies by suicide in Netflix's "You and Everything Else" to portraying a man who resorts to selling his body to older women for the sake of his love interest in "Lady Dua," the actor has consistently gravitated toward emotionally thorny, high-risk material.

That willingness to shift personas on screen may have led Kim to what is arguably his biggest role yet: the male lead in the third season "Yumi's Cells," opposite industry heavyweight Kim Go-eun ("Guardian: The Lonely and Great God,""Exhuma").

Generating industry buzz from the start for its innovative blend of live-action storytelling and 3D animation, "Yumi's Cells" follows Yu-mi (Kim Go-eun) through different chapters of love and heartbreak.

Much like the emotions in Pixar's "Inside Out," the animated "cells" inside Yu-mi's mind narrate her inner emotional world, helping turn the series into one of Korea's most beloved rom-coms.

After launching in 2021 as an adaptation of the wildly popular webtoon of the same name, followed by a second season in 2022, the franchise is returning with what looks to be its final season.

Kim took over the role of Soon-rok, succeeding Yu-mi's previous love interests, Gu Woong, played by Ahn Bo-hyun, and Ba-bi, played by Park Jin-young, ultimately becoming Yu-mi's final partner and husband in the series finale.

"Yumi's Cells" starring Kim Jae-won (left) and Kim Go-eun (Tving)

Speaking to reporters in Seoul on Thursday, Kim reflected on the overwhelming response following the third season of "Yumi's Cells."

"Ever since ‘Yumi's Cells 3' aired, a lot of people have been recognizing me on the street," he said. "I've been spending my days feeling grateful, realizing just how much love the series is receiving."

Joining an already beloved franchise naturally came with its own sense of pressure, especially since Soon-rok is widely regarded by fans of the original webtoon as an almost impossibly ideal romantic figure.

Kim acknowledged that weight, noting, "Honestly, Soon-rok in the original webtoon is such a unicorn-like younger man. Because he's such an idealized character, I definitely felt a pleasant kind of pressure wondering whether I'd be able to portray him well."

At the same time, he said he found reassurance in both the creative team's guidance and his own natural resemblance to the character, which helped him ease into the role.

"Director Lee Sang-yeob told me I resembled Soon-rok physically," he said, adding, "I actually wore glasses like Soon-rok when I was younger, and I think viewers really responded to how closely the visuals matched."

He went on to explain that the similarities weren't just physical, but also extended to personality traits that those around him recognized.

"People who know me personally also say we're very alike," he said. "I tend to act cute sometimes, and my friends told me that side of me came through a lot in the character."

"Yumi's Cells" stars Kim Jae-won (left) and Kim Go-eun (Tving)

Asked what "Yumi's Cells" ultimately means to him, Kim described the project as a defining chapter in both his career and personal life.

"It's a project I'll never forget," he said. "I grew not only as an actor, but also as a person. Kim Go-eun taught me so much on set about the mindset a lead actor should have and the attitude you need to bring to a project. I learned a lot about responsibility."

"Yumi's Cells" starrs Kim Jae-won. (Tving)

Looking ahead, Kim made clear that he has no intention of being boxed into romance simply because the genre has brought him mainstream attention.

"I want to continue taking on a wide variety of roles," he said. "Just because romance projects have been well received doesn't mean I think I should only keep doing romance. I want to challenge myself with genres I haven't tried before. As an actor, my goal is to keep showing new sides of myself regardless of the role. I think that's how I'll continue building my career."

That philosophy, he said, has already guided many of the choices that shaped his filmography so far, including his memorable turns in "Lady Dua" and "You and Everything Else."

"Those were very unconventional characters that I'd never played before," Kim said. "They revealed sides of me I hadn't shown previously, and I felt they could become major turning points in my career. Whenever I choose a project, the biggest question for me is always, ‘What's something I haven't done before?'"