Ryu Seung Ryong has shared his thoughts on his upcoming JTBC drama “The Dream Life of Mr. Kim”!
Based on a webtoon, “The Dream Life of Mr. Kim” follows a middle-aged man who loses everything he once believed was valuable. Through his journey, he comes to realize that his worth doesn’t lie in being a major corporate manager, but in embracing his true self.
Ryu Seung Ryong plays Kim Nak Soo, head of Sales Team 1, who has worked at a major corporation for 25 years. After joining ACT, Kim Nak Soo advanced his career through tireless effort, eventually becoming a department head at a leading company and owning his own house in Seoul. With a homemaker wife and a son attending a prestigious university, his life appears stable and enviable on the surface.
On why he chose to star in the drama, Ryu Seung Ryong shared, “What struck me most was how realistic the story felt. We live in an era where everyone is just trying to get by in their respective places, and this drama captures that very honestly. I thought a lot of people would be able to relate to it.”
Speaking about his character Kim Nak Soo, Ryu Seung Ryong explained, “At first, he felt like someone familiar—the kind of person you could find anywhere around you. He’s not special, and that’s exactly what makes him more realistic.”
He continued, “On the surface, he seems blunt and stubborn, but inside, he’s full of love for his family and is guided by his own principles. He’s someone you can’t bring yourself to dislike—the more you see him, the fonder of him you get.”
Ryu Seung Ryong also spoke about the effort he put into perfectly portraying the character of Kim Nak Soo. “I focused on staying true to the script while building the character,” he said, explaining that he believes the path a character takes is already laid out in the script. “I read the script carefully to understand what kind of person Nak Soo is and what sort of emotional journey he goes through. On set, I constantly discussed each scene with the director, crew, and other actors in order to depict Nak Soo as authentically as possible.”
Ryu Seung Ryong described his character as “a man with many riches,” explaining, “Nak Soo’s greatest achievement isn’t prestige or background—it’s the good people he has around him. When life gets busy, it’s easy to forget ourselves. So I think the most important thing is to live flexibly and not be too hard on yourself. That’s why I’d like to tell Nak Soo, ‘You’ve worked so hard and done so well.’”
He concluded, “I believe ‘The Dream Life of Mr. Kim’ isn’t just about one man named Mr. Kim, but about all ordinary people living in this world. I hope that as viewers watch the drama, they will reflect on questions like ‘What have I missed while living?’, ‘What have I taken for granted?’, and ‘What am I still clinging to?’”
“The Dream Life of Mr. Kim” is set to premiere on October 25 at 10:40 p.m. KST.
In the meantime, watch Ryu Seung Ryong in “Perhaps Love” below:
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