Kim Mingue has become one of the darlings of k-drama fans in Brazil over the past two years. Although not his first role, it was the charming and sweet Cha Sung Hoon, of “Pretendente Surpresa”, that showed the Brazilian public his potential. Soon after, we were surprised by the gloomy Joo Gyesok Chan in“Snowdrop” and later we surrender to the priest Rembrary, who ends up possessing the body of a k-pop artist in “The Heavenly Idol”, his last work on TV. There are three very different roles and the choice, according to the actor himself in an exclusive interview for K4US, It’s a way to challenge himself.

“I imagine that I give viewers fun by showing them different characters. And so, too broad the spectrum of my acting career by challenging myself in new roles,” explained the 28-year-old actor.

In “The Heavenly Idol”, Mingue plays a priest from another universe, Rembrary, who ends up invading the body of K-pop singer Woo Yeon Woo, while having to defeat Shin Jo Woon, played by Lee Jang Woo. Interestingly, for a short period of time, the actor even trained to become a singer alongside members who are now from the group SEVENTEEN, but chose to continue acting, where he found himself.

“Being an actor is a very charming profession. It is a profession where I discover different feelings by challenging myself and experiencing different things. And it is also a profession that receives love and affection from many people”.

Until he made the decision to become an actor, during his childhood and adolescence Mingue even considered  doing other types of jobs. He told K4US that as a child, he was passionate about Lego, then for a very brief moment, he dreamed of being an architect. Following a professional swimmer’s career was also not ruled out for a while and the actor could feel the profession firsthand in one of his first roles in the drama. “Who Are You: School 2015”.

“A Business Proposal” and the success in Brazil

In the end, the decision to pursue a career as an artist was right. Over a decade, the actor has already shown his talent in 25 TV productions, in addition to four other films, but it was with his characters in “So I married my anti-fan” and, mainly, “A Business Proposal”,  that he conquered   many Brazilian fans.

“The recording of ‘A Business Proposal’ was very enjoyable. Cha Sung Hoon is a very charming character  himself, but it was also a role that I managed to show well what I wanted to show, with the transformation of my image,” the actor told K4US.

During his work on this k-drama, Mingue was able to improvise in one of the scenes alongside Jin Young Seo, who brought Seol In Ah to life. In the scene, which went viral on social media, the character takes off his glasses before kissing In Ah, but the action was not foreseen in the script. The actor explains to K4US that he always prioritizes the text, but that lately he has been improvising much more!

“Actually, I’m faithful to the script. But the desire to make each scene richer and more fun made me create these improvisations and lately I think I’m improvising more and more”, he explained.

The role is so acclaimed that it earned the actor some awards, including in Brazil, such as Best Supporting Actor on K4US Annual Award (PAK) 2022, performed with the participation of Brazilian fans. For him, receiving an award on the other side of the world is very gratifying and that “the fact that there are people who are rooting for me from afar is something always exciting”. Seriously, he is such a cute person you guys.

“I am always grateful for you guys and would love to meet you in person and create amazing memories with you soon. Until the day this opportunity arrives, I will do my best to repay your love by delivering fun and emotion through various works and characters,” added the actor.

Career challenge

At the same time of “A Business Proposal”, Mingue still transformed himself into Joo Gyesok Chan in “Snowdrop”. He explains to K4US that the character was a great challenge and, in a way, caused concern by betting on an image so different from what he had presented so far. Comparing directly with Cha Sung Hoon, the contrast in tone and look of the characters is huge.

“It was very difficult and it was also a big challenge for me. Because it was a very different image from previous roles, I was worried if viewers would be able to focus on the work, if my performance wouldn’t be strange, if I wouldn’t be spoiling the immersion in the work. But thanks to the help of fellow actors, directors and producers, I think we ended the whole production well”.

Animal cause

Father of three cute kittens, Sian, Kun and Shyami, the singer still finds time in his busy schedule for the animal cause. In 2022, the actor even organized the exhibition “My Art, Your Art”, which was important to raise awareness of both fans and the general public about the abandonment of animals.

“I organized the event in the hope that cats that were abandoned, mistreated and even those that accidentally left home would receive help. I also wanted the bad image that people have about stray cats to change”, explained the actor.

Well, I think you can see that Mingue is simply one of the most amazing actors in dramaland. The actor has a wide range of characters in his portfolio ‒ one role more incredible than the other ‒ and he has been increasingly gaining recognition from both specialized critics and fans around the world, especially Brazilians. Follow Kim Mingue on Instagram and watch her latest work on Netflix and Viki.

Editing by Jolu & Ana Carol | Translation by Annyie & Mariana Araújo | K4US Writing Team
www.k4us.com.br | Do not withdraw without due credits