Actor You Need To Know: Kim Soo-Hyun

The Korean superstar, a dynamo who is ingenious at mining emotions, employs a distinct bit of himself in each of his characters

- Debashree Dutta

He's usually incognito, as most well-known Korean celebs are when they're out in public. But there's something about Kim Soo-hyun that makes him instantly recognizable even behind a mask or a cap that hides half of his face,” shares a K-drama industry acquaintance of mine. “If you're standing close to him and note his eyes, you'll know it's him in seconds... Kim is a huge star in South Korea, possibly even more so for his pleasant personality and good disposition, let alone his acting chops. He is my fave,” she adds.

I pick the two words "his eyes" from the extract above to describe my sentiments towards the actor. Indeed, his eyes do it all; they speak volumes about the thoughts and emotions of his characters. His incredible screen presence and acting make up for whatever little precision is left to achieve. Kim, I believe, is ingenious at mining emotions (particularly dark ones) on screen. He moved me as Min Jun in My Love from the Star, left me teary-eyed as Gang Tae in It's Okay to Not Be Okay, and took my breath away as Hyun Soo in An Ordinary Day.

I feel so glad to be writing about him; one of the finest South Korean actors of our times, a Hallyu superstar, and, most essentially, an artist delivering one blockbuster after another. He is, therefore, the highest-paid actor in the K-drama business right now.