How Actor Im Si Wan Really Feels About Playing A Serial Killer In New Film "Unlocked"

Actor Im Si Wan (formerly ZE:A‘s Siwan) revealed how he feels about his role as a serial killer in the new film Unlocked.

Im Si Wan is well known for his roles as introverted “soft boys” in K-Dramas such as Run On and Summer Strike.

Now, he is shocking fans with his duality as the psychopath criminal Jun Yeong in the new Netflix thriller Unlocked, released on February 17.

im siwan is insane for making summer strike and unlocked back to back pic.twitter.com/0YnvQ4sgvm

— uly (@sairated) February 17, 2023

Unlocked is based on Akira Teshigawara‘s novel of the same name, which had previously been adapted into the 2018 film Stolen Identity. The Korean film version stars Chun Woo Hee, Im Si Wan, and Kim Hee Won. as Lee Na Mi, Oh Jun Yeong, and Woo Ji Man, respectively.

A woman’s life is turned upside-down when e dangerous man gets a hold of her lost cell phone and uses it to track her every move.

— Netflix

Im Si Wan revealed in a recent interview with The Korea Times that he actually felt conflicted about portraying Jun Yeong, so much so that he originally turned it down. His co-star Kim Hee Won was the one who talked him into accepting the part.

I initially turned down the offer because I was afraid that my role might have a negative influence on society. However, actor Kim Hee Won (who also starred in the film) persuaded me into playing the protagonist, Jun-yeong. It was a tightly-knit script with a cathartic end.

— Im Si Wan

From left: Chun Woo Hee, Im Si Wan, and Kim Hee Won.

He explained why he was hesitant to play Jun Yeong. The character has no motive, and he feared it would negatively impact society. Yet, upon taking on the part, Im Si Wan found liberation in playing the complex villain.

Jun-yeong has no true motive for his crimes. He collects other people’s information and steals their identities to show off and feel a sense of achievement. He sees cyberstalking as a game or a hobby. Ironically, it was quite liberating to play such a daring, insane character.

— Im Si Wan

Im Si Wan also learned an important lesson by working on the film. He emphasized being cautious regarding our technology, as any of us can become victims of hackers.

As smartphones and computers have been around controlling our lives for some time, we may fall prey to hackers. This can happen to any of us at any time,” he said. “After shooting this film, I changed my phone passcode into a complex one.

— Im Si Wan