'Mercy for None': So Ji Sub on playing action hero, webtoon fans' mixed reactions to K-drama, & more

So Ji Sub shares his experience playing the action hero in the Netflix action K-drama Mercy for None, the challenges he faced, and more. 

Mercy for None follows Nam Gi Jun (So Ji Sub), who, after having left the underworld, returns after 11 years to avenge his brother Nam Gi Seok's (Lee Jun Hyuk) death. The K-drama, at the time of writing, is ranking second on Netflix's Global Top 10 list in the non-English category, trending in over 40 countries (top10.netflix.com). 

Regarding being the top pick in fan casting when the webtoon was first released, So Ji Sub said, "I'm grateful. I feel like I received the script because of the image I've built up so far. I think there are similarities between me and the character, which is probably why they gave me the script. I guess my actual image seemed to overlap with the character, so that's probably why they offered it to me," adding, "I also think I'm quite similar (to the character)."

However, unlike Nam Gi Jun in Mercy for None, So Ji Sub says he doesn't feel the need for revenge. So Ji Sub said, "I haven't really thought much about [the idea of] revenge. I'm not even sure if revenge is something that one must pursue. When something happens, I tend to question myself and torment myself over it, so I don't really seek revenge. To take revenge, you have to fight. And I don't like fighting. I believe it's better to endure. If I lose my temper and make a mistake, there's a lot I'll have to take responsibility for, so I try to hold back as much as possible." 

So Ji Sub read the script before checking out the original webtoon. Speaking about the action scenes in the K-drama, he said, "When I read the webtoon, I did wonder whether it would be doable. There's a lot of action, and I worried about whether I could recreate [the character] in a way that stays true to the webtoon original. I'm at an age now, and my joints… Fortunately, I didn't get injured and was able to finish safely. The difference compared to the past is that while my mind is quick, my body feels just a bit slower. It didn't feel as fully in sync as it used to. There may be comparisons between the character Gi Jun and the original, but the overall design was done by the director. He said, 'Charge forward fiercely and take revenge desperately, but don't retreat.' There is also a difference between punishment and suppression. Since my character keeps facing stronger opponents, I had to adjust how I used my energy and strength. Because I had to use mainly my upper body, if you watch closely, you'll notice sometimes I approach the opponent, but often they come toward me. And we filmed a lot in narrow spaces. I think we shot it that way quite a lot. Even when using a baseball bat, it was one-versus-many, but we deliberately made the space tight. We wanted to give a feel like the punch of the fight came from that discomfort. Safety was the top priority, so we practiced a lot before filming and constantly communicated. After all, someone could get hurt. Safety always comes first."

So picked the ant hole scene in episode 4 as the action sequence he put the most effort into. "I think that action scene is the climax. The action scenes after that only included what was necessary for the progression of the story. That was probably the toughest scene, physically and mentally. I think we filmed it in less than a week. I was constantly worried that someone might get hurt. A split second of carelessness can lead to injuries. It was the scene where I took great care for safety," and added, "I think I fought about a hundred people [in the K-drama]. All of them were tough, but the toughest was Kim Tae In, who's a real-life MMA fighter. Even the physical contact itself felt like a weapon... I liked all the action scenes, but after each one, the first thing I did was pray, thanking God that we finished without anyone getting hurt. I was most satisfied with the overall flow. Since there were also dangerous stunts, the stunt actors handled the risky scenes. I did about 70- 80% of the action. Scrapes and bruises are quite common during action shoots, so I think the injuries were about that level. Fortunately, I don't think anyone else got hurt either. My wife [Jo Eun Jung] doesn't know what scenes I'm filming because I don't talk about them. I rarely talk about my projects. But after the drama's release, I think she saw what I had gone through. She told me, 'You must have had a hard time.'"

So Ji Sub even went as far as losing weight for his comeback K-drama. He said, "I usually work out a lot, and it was really a matter of whether I could do it or not. I started at 95kg, and by the time we were filming, I was in the 70kg range. It's not that the amount of action increased, but I didn't really have much trouble using my body. Of course, I might have been faster and more energetic in the past, but even now, I don't feel much inconvenience. I want to keep doing noir. Whether there's a lot of action or a little, I want to keep doing it. It just makes my heart race and fills me with passion. I've always liked the action genre. It may not be a lot, but if possible, I'd like to keep doing it even in my seventies."

Talking about the emotions and eye acting required in a role with very few lines, he said, "Gi Jun is basically a fool for whom his younger brother is his world. He doesn't have a grand story, but his goal is very clear. As the scenes progressed, I tried to express it in a more desperate and sorrowful way. I hope that came through, but I don't know how viewers saw it. I worked hard to express those emotions. Gi Jun isn't exactly a good person, right? He carries out revenge mercilessly, but I wanted the desperation behind why he's doing this to be reflected as well. I tried to give it more depth as the story went on."

It is also revealed that the actor gifted each of his co-stars and staff members one don (3.75g) of gold as "a way to express gratitude."

"Ever since I started taking on lead roles, I've always given gifts," added, "I gave gifts this time as well, in the same way. I was surprised because there were so many people. The price of gold has also gone up a lot. I gave it to most of the people — on-site staff, managers, and actors. I gave quite a lot. Part of it was to express my gratitude that filming was completed safely, and also because it's thanks to these people that I can come across well on screen. For my previous projects, I gave many other kinds of gifts, but people thought they were sponsored items. They thought I was receiving them from sponsors and handing them out to them. I don't really care about that kind of misunderstanding, but (gold) is something that they might be able to sell later [if needed]. Still, I don't think they will sell it. I engraved Mercy for None on the gold. If I do another project, I'll probably give gifts again," he joked, adding, "Since gold is getting expensive, I might switch to silver next time." 

Though Mercy for None has climbed Netflix's Top 10 list, fans of the original webtoon have mixed reactions to the K-drama.  

"Before reading the original, I read the script first and felt satisfied with it, which is why I decided to take on the project. I've done quite a few projects based on webtoons/novels, but with Mercy for None in particular, I could really feel how much the fans love it. Of course, they may have mixed reactions, but the most important thing is that when you acquire the rights to an original work and invest a lot of money to create it, it's never with the intention of violating the original. On the contrary, it's because we want to go beyond the original. So while there may be differing opinions, the fact remains that we took on the project because we really loved the original. I hope people can view it positively." 

Mercy for None is streaming on Netflix.

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