Actor Ahn Hyo-seop books big-screen breakout with ‘Omniscient Reader’

After 10 years in the industry, actor Ahn Hyo-seop is set to make his big-screen debut with the fantasy action film “Omniscient Reader.” Having long dreamed of becoming a film actor, Ahn described the experience of seeing himself on the big screen as both “truly moving” and, at times, frankly, a bit “overwhelming.”

“I already thought the shots were pretty close-up, but seeing myself on such a huge screen was honestly overwhelming,” Ahn said during an interview with reporters at a cafe in Jongno District, central Seoul, on July 17.

“Still, it was a truly moving moment for me. After all, I’ve dreamed of becoming a film actor since I was a little and this was the first time my face appeared on the big screen.”

Directed by Kim Byung-woo, who helmed “The Terror Live” (2013) and “Take Point” (2018), “Omniscient Reader” centers around an utterly ordinary office worker, Kim Dok-ja, whose reality suddenly mirrors a novel he has read. Dok-ja becomes the only person who knows how the world will end and embarks on a journey to change the course of the novel’s story and save the world.

The film, based on a web novel of the same name by writer sing N song that was first released in 2018, has a strong fan base, having accumulated more than 200 million views so far.

Ahn plays Kim Dok-ja, with a star-studded cast that includes actors Lee Min-ho, Shin Seung-ho, Chae Soo-bin, Afterschool’s Nana and Blackpink’s Jisoo.

Playing a character from a beloved original work comes with pressure; he must satisfy fans of the original while also making the character convincing to newcomers. Ahn candidly admitted that some original fans might feel disappointed, as the film had to condense the massive narrative of the web novel into a limited runtime.

“I believe that there would be differences between the Kim Dok-ja from the original and the version I portrayed,” Ahn said. “For me, I had to focus on understanding Dok-ja as written in the script of this two-hour film, and while doing so, I did refer back to the original to find some hints. However, I believe fans of the original might naturally feel that certain elements are missing, since it’s nearly impossible to fit so much story from the original into just two hours.”

“So, what I thought I could do was simply give my best within the structure of the script and figure out how I could bring out the best version of Kim Dok-ja possible.”

One element Ahn particularly focused on was Dok-ja’s “ordinariness,” which was what initially attracted him to the script. It was a departure from his previous works. Ahn often played more distinct characters, such as a chaebol heir in “Abyss” (2019), a CEO in “Business Proposal” (2022) and a doctor in the second and third seasons of “Dr. Romantic” (2016-23).

“I wanted people to feel that anyone can be a ‘Dok-ja,’ that, at least in this world and in this moment, anyone can be the main character,” he said.

Ahn also revealed that Lee Min-ho in some way helped him connect with Dok-ja, as Lee had been an idol of Ahn’s growing up — similar to how Dok-ja views Yoo Jung-hyeok, Lee’s character in the story, who is the actual protagonist of the novel Dok-ja has read.

“I grew up watching Lee’s work back when I was in Canada, so in a way, he was a celebrity that I looked up to,” Ahn said. “And it was the same for Dok-ja with Jung-hyeok. Jung-hyeok was his hero, someone he looked up to like an idol. I think that connection came across naturally when I was acting.”

Set in a world where humanity is punished by so-called gods who impose brutal survival scenarios, the film required Ahn to fully grasp a fantasy universe far removed from real life.

Since most scenes were filmed against blue screens, Ahn said it was fascinating to finally see what his character was up against in the finished film.

He added, however, that he did have some “what am I doing” moments at first, since most of the time he was acting in front of nothing but empty space, relying entirely on his imagination.

“I definitely had that reality check moment early on. But at some point, I kind of had this moment of reflection like, ‘If I can’t believe in this world, how am I supposed to convince the audience?’ From then on, I really threw myself into it and acted with a lot more focus,” Ahn said.

With the original web novel still ongoing, there is plenty of story left to tell, leading to speculation about a sequel. While Ahn denied any concrete plans, he acknowledged that the possibility exists.

“There were definitely moments during filming where I could sense the director’s vision” that could include a sequel, he said.

“But honestly, it’s not something we as actors can control, and a lot of factors have to come together. For now, we’re just waiting to see how things turn out.”

The film “Omniscient Reader” is set to be released on July 23.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]