Kim Hye-soo on professional ethics: "If you're paid, there are no excuses"

Actress Kim Hye-soo has once again proven why she has maintained her position at the top for so long. More powerful than any grand description was a single sentence: "An actor is a freelancer who works for money. You must deliver as much as you are paid. There are no excuses."

During a recent cast talk for the Coupang Play series "It's Not an Affair Right Now," featured on the YouTube channel PDC by PDC, Kim candidly revealed her philosophy regarding the profession of acting. The answer provided by the actress, who has represented Korean film and drama for 41 years, was unexpectedly not a tale of glamorous success, but rather something closer to fundamental professional ethics.

Actor Kim Jae-cheol, who appeared alongside her, expressed his respect while recalling the moment he first worked with Kim. Recalling his meeting with her through the 2020 drama "Hyena," he mentioned her consideration, saying, "I was very nervous because it was the first project where I was given a significant role. But my senior approached me first and said, 'Let's practice our lines together, Kevin.'"

He continued, "During filming, I could feel the sincerity in her eyes, as if saying, 'Kevin, you did well, keep going like this.' That gave me great strength."

However, Kim did not take the junior's praise for herself. She stated, "Being a senior doesn't mean I have a magic solution. No relationship is built solely because one person is good. While working together, I also learn and gain courage."

Her words contained both the humility and the composure that only an actress who has guarded the set for a long time can possess.

What Kim emphasized was not being evaluated as a "good person," but becoming a "good actor."

She said, "We are all actors who came here to work. Everyone is anxious on a film set. We worry about whether we might miss something we know, whether our condition might collapse, or whether our concentration might break. We are people gathered for the same purpose."

And the following remark left a deep resonance with many.

"An actor is a freelancer who works for money. You are someone who must deliver as much as you are paid. There are no excuses."

This is not a story that applies only to the profession of acting. It was a statement about the basic attitude of a professional who must fulfill their responsibility to their assigned role without relying on their name value, career, or status.

Kim added, "It is not important for me to be a good person here. I must do well. And since I need help to do well, we must all do well together."

This aligns with the attitude of "self-overcoming" mentioned by Nietzsche. It is the perspective that humans begin to decline the moment they settle for achievements they have already attained, and only grow when they constantly surpass themselves. Although Kim has been at the top for over 40 years, she does not view herself as a completed being. She defines herself as someone who must learn again and prove herself again at every moment.

Junior actor Kim Ji-hoon also highly praised Kim's attitude. He expressed his respect, saying, "If you stay in a high position for a long time, there is a risk of only hearing pleasant words and losing your center. But my senior is not like that at all."

In fact, Kim's greatness does not lie simply in the record of appearing in many works. While she has been a star for a long time, she has simultaneously been an actress of the field. Even in the position of a lead, she did not regard her role as a privilege but accepted it as a responsibility.

The reason the public calls Kim a "top actress" is not just because of her outstanding acting skills. She demonstrates an attitude of not losing her initial mindset even after success, the grace of respecting juniors, and a sense of professionalism to fulfill her part until the end.

Ultimately, the words "There are no excuses" spoken by Kim are not cold or harsh. It is a sentence that shows the paradox that the person who is strictest with themselves can also be the warmest toward others.

The reason 41-year veteran actress Kim Hye-soo still shines is that she still considers herself not a "completed actress," but an "actress who must continue to grow."