Choi Min-sik on Kim Go-eun's 'Exhuma' Performance: "So Real I Asked an Actual Shaman"

Veteran actor Choi Min-sik had high praise for his "Exhuma" co-star Kim Go-eun, saying her portrayal of a shaman felt so convincing he wondered if she was moonlighting in the role.

On August 30, the YouTube channel "Yojaehyung," hosted by singer Jung Jae-hyung, posted a video titled "Choi Min-sik Was Reading All the Comments Too. Peak Honesty." In the episode, Choi appeared as a guest and spoke with Jung about acting and his recent projects.

Choi opened up about the two approaches actors take to building a character. "Some actors calculate everything rationally and give a technical performance. Others get emotionally immersed and try to become the character," he said. "I move between the two. For 'Exhuma,' it was the former."

When Jung brought up Kim's portrayal of shaman Lee Hwa-rim in the 2024 occult hit, Choi drew laughs with his response. "I thought she had a second job," he said, meaning her performance was so believable it felt like the real thing.

Choi said he was so struck by her work that he asked a shaman consultant on the film about her. "I even asked the shaman teacher, 'Is Kim Go-eun one of your people, by any chance?'" he recalled. "There's an old saying that actors and singers are only a hair's breadth away from being shamans."

He added with a laugh that the answer put him at ease. "But the shaman consultant said, 'No, don't worry. She's not that.' I felt relieved."