Kim Nam Gil Discusses The Burning Sun Controversy Reference In “The Fiery Priest”

Kim Nam Gil shared his thoughts on referencing the Burning Sun issue in “The Fiery Priest.”

On April 29, 2019  the actor participated in an interview after the conclusion of his latest drama. “The Fiery Priest,” which centered around the topic of justice, was loved by viewers and ended with high viewership ratings of 22 percent.

The characters in the drama took on a case called the Rising Moon, a nod to the currently ongoing Burning Sun controversy. In his interview, Kim Nam Gil said, “I think the Burning Sun controversy became a bigger problem because societal issues and celebrities were connected. I did think that it might be a bit uncomfortable to deal with a case that has not yet been resolved.”

He continued, “Writer [Park Jae Bum] had thought about similar cases before the Burning Sun controversy came up. He did incorporate elements from the Burning Sun issue, but I think it was the incorporation of unjust things that are likely to happen in reality that fit well with the state of our current society.”

“At first, I worried a lot about what direction I should go with, but the writer wanted to be straightforward,” said Kim Nam Gil. “Contrary to my concerns, I was relieved that the viewers felt liberated by that part.”

Mentioning the scene where he had a conversation with Kim Sung Kyun while wearing a dog mask, Kim Nam Gil explained, “In the car, Kim Sung Kyun asked, ‘Why are you being so nice to Park Kyung Sun (Honey Lee)?’ and Kim Hae Il (Kim Nam Gil) said, ‘Saints have a past and sinners have a future.’ I thought that this was the ultimate message of the drama. There were many lines and scenes, but this was my favorite.”

He continued, “The part where Ssong Sak (played by Ahn Chang Hwan) awakens was also so good that I got chills. A strength of this drama is that every small role is used well and doesn’t go to waste. I really liked that every character’s story and emotions were portrayed.”

Kim Nam Gil sustained multiple injuries while filming “The Fiery Priest” including fractured wrists and a fractured rib, but returned to the set to fulfill his role. “A person who’s good at it doesn’t get hurt, and I got hurt because my drive got ahead of me,” said the actor. “In the past, if I was I was admitted to the hospital, I would’ve wanted to rest since I was hurt, but I got mad at myself this time. That happened around episode 9 or 10, and I felt like I was going to cause harm to a drama that was smooth sailing. The broadcasting company (SBS) was so considerate and first thought of canceling episodes, but at a time when there were so many factors that could raise viewership ratings, I didn’t want to be the reason for the drama to miss that timing. That would have negatively affected the drama as well as actors who just started gaining attention.”

He shared with a laugh, “I said that I would come out and film, but that was also causing a nuisance. Honey Lee scolded me a lot. I thought she was my mom because she scolded me so much. Because I was scolded so much, I wondered if I should’ve returned after my body was completely healed. Actually, Honey Lee also had a finger fracture, but she filmed while repeatedly removing and putting on the cast.”

Because it’s difficult for major network dramas to achieve 10 percent in viewership ratings these days, the 20-percent range achieved by “The Fiery Priest” holds even more meaning. As the beloved drama came to an end, many viewers requested for a second season.

“Assuming this is season one, we don’t know if season two will get the same reaction as now, and it would be a concern as to how to satisfy the high expectations,” stated Kim Nam Gil. “We’ve agreed between the actors that we would not do season two if even one actor leaves.”

The actor doesn’t have a follow-up project as of yet and wants to focus on treatment for both of his wrists for now. “My bones healed quickly in my 20s, but I get scared now that I’m aging. I want to take care of my health first and then try whatever is good without limiting myself to a type of media whether that’s a drama or a film. I don’t really want to rest, but I think treatment should come first.”

 Cast Of “The Fiery Priest” Has A Blast Looking Back On Their Drama

On April 25, 2019 the cast of “The Fiery Priest” appeared on their own variety show with Kang Ho Dong and Yang Se Hyung as hosts!

Kang Ho Dong told Kim Nam Gil, “You met your best character. Do you watch the news?” Kim Nam Gil said he didn’t, but when Honey Lee called him out for lying, he admitted, “I actually do watch. I knew there would be this kind of reaction.”

Then Kim Nam Gil revealed that he ends up meeting Kang Ho Dong whenever one of his dramas becomes successful. He mentioned he appeared on Kang Ho Dong’s former show “Knee Drop Guru” a few hours before entering the military because of his popularity after “The Great Queen Seon Deok.” Honey Lee joked, “Then you should meet up with Kang Ho Dong often.”



Director Lee Myung Woo chose Kim Nam Gil as the lead who had unexpected charms. He said, “I wrote the character with him in mind.” Honey Lee added, “I was worried that priests and believers would feel uncomfortable because the concept of a priest with anger management issues was burdensome. Kim Nam Gil played a good role as, not just a priest who curses, but a priest with a passion for the world.”

Kim Nam Gil said, “I thought priests would feel uncomfortable, but when I asked a priest, he said, ‘It’s an anger for justice, and it’s a reasonable anger, so there’s no problem at all,’ so I was very grateful.”

Honey Lee also praised Kim Hyung Muk, saying, “He’s actually a great singer. Even when we were filming a scene where he was scolding [me], he started singing.” The actor wasn’t afraid to show off his quirky yet skillful dance moves with a lollipop in his mouth.

Of course, they couldn’t leave out the action scenes. Lee Myung Woo said, “[Kim Nam Gil] uses a body double, but he mostly does all the [action scenes]. He worked so hard that he broke his ribs.” The other actors commented that he does the action scenes so passionately that they worry about him.

Kim Sung Kyun and Honey Lee commented, “Kim Nam GIl has long arms and legs, so the action scenes look cool. Also, he knows he looks cool.” Kim Nam Gil responded, “Ever since I was little, I learned the fundamentals of taekwondo.” He even displayed an effortless 130 degree spinning kick, awing everyone on the show.

Next, the cast discussed the scene where Kim Nam Gil and Honey Lee reenacted “Mr. Sunshine.” Lee Myung Woo said, “I heard they filmed [that scene] for two days, but we filmed it in two hours,” making everyone laugh. He also talked about the “Matrix” parody and commented, “It took two months. We wanted to film it well because it was the most Father Kim Hae Il could do to get revenge. There was difficulty in that they had to slow down on their own, and Kim Sung Kyun brought life to the scene where he was beaten by doing his best to act until he disappeared from the screen.”



Honey Lee added, “When actors see a parody script, they wonder how they can pull it off, and I realized that it happens when you have the amazing acting skills to build upon.” The director agreed, saying, “The important thing in parody scenes is the teamwork between actors and the director, and I had a lot of fun while filming them.”

Honey Lee shared that she loved acting with Kim Hyung Muk the most, making him smile widely with pride. Then she made everyone laugh when she revealed it was because her face looks smaller due to his big face and added that she hates standing next to Kim Nam Gil.

Baek Ji Won commented, “I heard that I resemble Hollywood actress Sandra Oh a lot as well as DJ DOC’s Lee Ha Neul,” and everyone laughed at her frank confession.

Also, Kim Sung Kyun exposed Go Joon’s tendency to boast about things. Kim Sung Kyun said, “The funny thing is that he brags about himself quietly. One day, he came and said, ‘I suddenly have to film a kickboxing scene. What would I have done if I didn’t know kickboxing?'”

Honey Lee and Kim Nam Gil admitted they love to imitate Go Joon’s breathing, and Go Joon said, “Let me explain. I learned muay thai, and I have to breathe in a certain way.” Honey Lee kept teasing him about that and Kim Nam Gil jokingly grabbed her collar and said, “Don’t make him do it!”
 

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