Netflix 'Trigger' Kim Nam-gil, "It carries the meaning of not addressing violence with violence"

The Netflix original series 〈Trigger〉 is gaining a lot of attention as it deals with the potential incidents that could occur if firearms were distributed in South Korea, known as the 'Gun-Free Country'. This work unfolds a unique imagination based on the characteristics of Korean society, where the opportunity for ordinary people to encounter firearms is extremely low.

The recent homemade gun incident in Incheon has caused a lot of shock, and with most gun terror news originating from abroad, 〈Trigger〉 depicts the complex situation of 21st-century Korea, where firearms are distributed and various incidents are frequent.

Kim Nam-gil, who plays the righteous police officer Lee Do in the Netflix original series 〈Trigger〉, and Kim Young-kwang, who plays the ruthless villain Moon Baek, conducted individual interviews at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 29th.

In this work, Kim Nam-gil takes on the role of Lee Do, a police officer with military experience who is skilled in using firearms but deeply aware of their dangers. He mentioned about his participation, "In a country where half of the citizens can handle guns through military experience, I found the setting of what would happen if firearms were released and how people would react to be refreshing."

〈Trigger〉 is a work that deals with firearms, but it consistently conveys the message that the use of firearms cannot be justified in any situation. Kim Nam-gil emphasized, "I have thought that I might need a gun to protect myself, but my thoughts changed while working on this project. We should avoid peace obtained by killing someone for any reason."

He explained the differentiated elements from existing gun action films, stating, "In typical gun action films, there are many scenes where the hero defeats the villain with a gun or seeks revenge." He added, "In 〈Trigger〉, rather than subduing a person with a gun, we tried to restrain them with bare hands. It carries the message to avoid suppressing violence with violence."

Regarding the recent gun death incidents in the country, he stated, "This was not something we foresaw and created; it was made with fantasy elements, but I was surprised that such things actually happened."

Since its release on the 25th, viewers have expressed frustration at Lee Do, who is an excellent marksman, making non-violent choices. Kim Nam-gil mentioned, "I have seen many such opinions, and I sometimes felt frustrated while acting as well," but he explained, "The core message of this work is to show that there are other ways besides repeating revenge and escalating to extremes. I have come to understand that this is the right way of thinking."

Kim Nam-gil humorously stated about taking on the role of a righteous apostle consecutively after 〈The Fiery Priest〉, "I think we should represent the socially weak more, but this character was not intentionally chosen." He added humorously, "I also have cowardly aspects, and if such a role is given to me, I think I could cowardly do it well."

Recognized as an actor specialized in genre works, Kim Nam-gil specifically mentioned the genre he wants to challenge in the future. He said, "Next, I want to try a noir romance with action. Since I have been doing a lot of action, I keep imagining scenes of hitting and being hit, so I hope it will be a romance that includes action."