Actor Kim Ji-hoon Reflects on 25-Year Career and Life in His 40s

Actor Kim Ji-hoon is still deep in the work of staying sharp at 45. As he moved into his 40s, he began to feel the weight of health in a new way, and now leans on steady workouts to keep his stamina up and steady effort to fill in what he sees as gaps in his acting. Behind that discipline sits a simple wish: to act longer, and to act better.

He recently sat down for an interview at a cafe in Seoul's Samcheong-dong neighborhood, following his role in the Coupang Play original series "The Affair Was Just the Beginning."

The show is a black comedy about a popular influencer couple with a picture-perfect marriage and a neighboring doctor couple in the middle of divorce proceedings. The two couples become tangled in an unexpected secret. Kim plays Jae-hong, an actor and the younger husband of Kyung-hee (Kim Hye-soo), a well-known interior design influencer.

Kim said the response since release has been warm. "A lot of people told me they had fun watching it," he said. "The situations keep escalating, and every ending leaves you with a question, so I think that's what pulls people in." He added with a smile, "Each episode pushes things further to the extreme, so I think reactions will only get stronger from here."

Jae-hong is an actor who has never quite been recognized, living in the shadow of his famous influencer wife. Once his affair comes to light and his daughter causes an unexpected incident, he is backed further into a corner. Kim pointed to Jae-hong's "shabbiness" as the character's real appeal.

"Jae-hong is an actor, but he's not glamorous and he's not recognized," he said. "Everyone wants to look fine, wants to look cooler or prettier. But underneath that, no matter how much money or fame you have, there's a small, shabby side to people. I thought Jae-hong was a character who represents that."

The series moves through heavy material, from infidelity to murder to disposing of a body. Kim said he tried to stay focused on the human conflict inside all of it. "Even with the same subject matter, what matters is how relatable you can make it," he said. "Jae-hong feels guilt as a husband who cheated, he blames himself, and then he commits another wrong by disposing of a body for his daughter's sake. He goes through things most people wouldn't experience once in a lifetime, back to back. I tried to express the confusion, the anguish, and the collapse he feels in that."

This project marked his first time acting with Kim Hye-soo. Kim said he had expected the "Kim Hye-soo's husband" label to follow him, and welcomed it. "I've watched her on TV since I was young and always looked up to her, but this was my first time actually working with her and talking with her," he said. "We talked about a lot, from personal things to what it's like living as an actor to the characters themselves. At some point, the couple chemistry just started to come alive on its own."

He also spoke about a nude scene from the drama that drew attention. "We originally rehearsed it without any nudity," Kim said. "But to make the moment right after a shower feel more vivid and real, we tried it out on set and decided to go with it. I didn't prepare anything special for it."

The lack of pressure came from years of steady workouts. Kim, who enjoys pull-up training, said, "I don't work out to show my body. I just like exercising and I've kept up with it. Once you hit your 40s, even a little slacking and your condition drops fast. I want to keep being good at the workouts I love, so I stay consistent."

He said moving into his 40s has sharpened his sense of how much health matters. "To be a good actor, you have to be healthy," he said. "For a single scene, you have to repeat the same acting, the same lines, the same movements over and over. That takes a toll on the body. If you lose your health, the quality of your life drops, so I put health first. I especially try not to build bad habits."

Beyond health, Kim continues to think about how he fills himself as an actor. This year marks 25 years since his debut. "I don't look back on the past much," he said. "Suffering over the past doesn't help, and neither does worrying about the future." He said he tries to stay in the present.

He is also preparing a new face for his next project. Kim will play a lawyer in TV Chosun's "Sigor Amor," set to air in the second half of the year. "He's not the kind of lawyer people usually picture," he said. "He doesn't have a home. He eats and sleeps in a camper van and chases down debt collections. I'm working hard to build a character who feels real instead of typical. I hope people look forward to it," he said with a smile.