Actor Kim Mu-yeol, Photo courtesy of|Netflix

Now, ‘the era of Kim Mu-yeol’ has begun. The Netflix OTT platform series ‘True Education’ (directed by Hong Jong-chan) has exploded worldwide, and he has shot up to ‘world star’ status. Hollywood actor John Cena, often said to resemble him, also gave him a shout-out (shout-out·an expression of respect) on social media, attesting to its success.

“I am happy and grateful. At the same time, because of the weight of the subject matter, I am taking it seriously and gravely. As someone who was a pro-wrestling fan in childhood, John Cena’s ‘shout-out’ just fills me with gratitude. Since he directly posted my photo on social media, I honestly wrestled with what to do. I wondered whether I should post his photo on my account to express thanks, but after much thought I only left a reply. And even to my eyes, John Cena and I do look alike. If we produce season 2 of ‘True Education’, I hope he can make a special appearance. Haha.”

In an interview with Sports Kyunghyang on the afternoon of the 12th in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, Kim Mu-yeol answered a wide range of questions, from how it feels to have gained soaring popularity with ‘True Education’, to stories from the shoot, and even his wife Yoon Seung-ah’s reaction. Perhaps thanks to the project’s success, his bulked-up shoulders felt even broader, like the Pacific Ocean.

Kim Mu-yeol in ‘True Education’.

■“Kim Nam-gil being ‘brought back up’ over ‘True Education’, I actually feel sorry about it”

‘True Education’ is a Netflix series that depicts the unflinching activities of the Teacher Rights Protection Bureau, which stands with victims to set schools right. Kim Mu-yeol plays inspector Na Hwa-jin, who gives true education to school bullies, power-abusing parents, and corrupt teachers. On screen, he deals out cathartic ‘true education’ to the villains, heightening the show’s payoff.

“‘Na Hwa-jin’ is a character who gave me great comfort as well. As an actor you go through countless trials and errors and sometimes face discouragement, right? While playing ‘Na Hwa-jin’ this time, when I delivered the line ‘It is okay, let us try again’, it could be Na Hwa-jin speaking to the perpetrator ‘Jo Gyu-cheol’ (Lee Bong-jun), but I also felt it was actor Kim Mu-yeol speaking to Kim Mu-yeol, and I could not shake that feeling for a long time. Maybe because I am a parent, that line stayed with me all the more and was a comfort.”

During production, the project faced fierce backlash due to various controversies surrounding the original webtoon, including misogyny, racism, and the glorification of violence. In that process, Kim Nam-gil, who had originally been tapped to play ‘Na Hwa-jin’, declined the role twice, causing fissures in production. The one who carried ‘True Education’ through to this point was Kim Mu-yeol, who instead transformed into ‘Na Hwa-jin’ and delivered a powerful performance. Because of this, after the show’s success there was debate over Kim Nam-gil’s past decision.

“I also feel cautious and sorry because it seems disrespectful that talk about Nam-gil keeps coming up. I have only had the chance to greet him once in private, but what stayed with me then was that he sent me support, encouragement, and respect. Also, as a fan who was inspired while watching his ‘The Shameless’, I hope this kind of talk will no longer come up. The truth is, this kind of casting backstory is commonplace.”

Kim Mu-yeol, Photo courtesy of|Netflix

■“Park Ji-yeon as ‘U-jin's mother’ gave a powerful performance; even on set she acted so well it was terrifying”

This project was also meaningful in that it spotlighted new actors with a gleam of potential. In particular, Park Ji-yeon, who played ‘U-jin's mother’ in episode 5, became a hot topic as viewers were outraged by the character.

“I also worked with Park Ji-yeon on ‘Juvenile Justice’. By nature she is very quiet and shy. I was curious how it would be if such an actor took on such a role and expressed it without hesitation. The first shoot was the scene where I had gathered the mothers and was having coffee, and when I say I had ‘filed a complaint’, U-jin's mother walks in. The moment I saw Park Ji-yeon come into the cafe, I was really scared. The character’s aura was tremendous, to a terrifying degree. I even heard that right after the release people flocked to Park Ji-yeon’s social media to get angry. That is how well she did.”

He also recalled that it had been a while since Yoon Seung-ah praised him and the work.

“My wife is usually strict in evaluating me. That is what I want as well. But after watching ‘True Education’ she said, ‘It is fun. I think it will do well’. I felt extremely good.”

‘True Education’ also poses the question of ‘what makes a good adult’. What, to him, is a good adult?

“A good adult is someone who takes responsibility. Responsibility is heavy. So I also try not to speak carelessly when I say anything to juniors. I try to recognize the situation accurately and, fully understanding this person’s state, to speak precisely. And a good adult is someone who then acts in a way that can take responsibility for those words.”

‘True Education’ is available to stream on Netflix.