Kim Sung Cheol Opens Up About Pressure on Taking Over Yoo Ah In’s Role in ‘Hellbound’ Season 2

Actor Kim Sung Cheol recently revealed details about how difficult it was to step into the shoes of Jung Jin Soo for Hellbound Season 2 as the previous actor Yoo Ah In left due to drug allegations.

Kim plays the leader of the enigmatic New Truth Society, and the character’s rich backstory and darker elements come with expectations.

Kim went on to say that he based most of his approach on the original webtoon.

“Luckily, I had the original story to go off,” he said. “As I read it, I found myself so much like Jung Jin Soo that stepping into his shoes seemed both natural and difficult,’ he added.

As an actor who takes source material seriously, he revealed his top priority was to create continuity for the character while giving a unique perspective on it.

He confessed that he tried to gain sympathy from the viewers towards Jung Jin Soo despite leading him into a gray line of actions.

Kim said, “I wanted to give viewers a little bit of sympathy or empathy for him — even though he ultimately does deserve the punishment you get.

Thematic depth

Kim also examined the thematic depth of Hellbound season 2, mentioning an increasing emphasis on suffering and despair. His character has reached an extreme in his physical and mental pain, Kim said.

Jung Jin Soo now only lives for one purpose: to find somebody who could possibly understand his agony.

One of the most painful moments in Jung Jin Soo’s emotions is when he sees another person who has also come alive after death, Park Jung Ja.

Kim revealed that director Yeon Sang Ho’s compassionate method of storytelling enabled him to relate closely with the character.

“I could feel the humanity of Yeon Sang Ho in his work, and when we were making the film together it struck with me that even the most epic ideas need to be rooted in empathy.”

While waiting to see what Hellbound’s next chapter holds, Kim Sung Cheol shared a behind-the-scenes moment from the set.

In this moment, his character asks Jung Jin Soo’s character, Yeon, if he could “freely transition between human and emissary form in a potential third season which Yeon immediately forbade.

Even so, the audience is already likely familiar with and impressed by Kim’s portrayal of her character — upping the stakes for what comes next in Hellbound’s dark corner of the universe.

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Rovelyn Barba