InterviewKim Woo-bin on transforming into cynical genie in 'Genie, Make a Wish'

Actor Kim Woo-bin / Courtesy of Netflix

In "Genie, Make a Wish," Kim Woo-bin trades his signature cool charisma to become a jaded genie who no longer believes in humanity. Behind that magical transformation is Kim Eun-sook, who penned the drama.

Reuniting with the “Midas touch” writer for a third time after “A Gentleman’s Dignity” (2012) and “The Heirs” (2013), the model-turned-actor shared that the star screenwriter personally offered him the role, calling her script “a knockout.”

“When I read her script for ‘A Gentleman’s Dignity,’ I could immediately sense the purpose behind every scene. It was as if our minds were wired the same way,” Kim said as he recalled his first project with the writer during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Monday.

“While I was acting, she told me, ‘You seem to know exactly why I wrote this scene, and you bring it to life just as I imagined.’ That made performing more comfortable for me, and because she really got where I was coming from, she could write scenes that suited me perfectly. I felt supported throughout, and truly enjoyed bringing the role to life."

Tackling the romantic comedy genre for the first time, he takes on the role of a genie, a lamp spirit who fulfills three wishes for people, but believes that humans are inherently evil. After awakening from a thousand-year rest, Genie meets Ka-young (Suzy), an emotionless human, and becomes intertwined in the drama of her three wishes.

Portraying Genie, who moves between the past and the present, Kim undergoes a wide range of visual transformations in the production. In the early part of the story, he portrays a Genie with long hair — a look quite different from his usually sharp and sleek image.

Actor Kim Woo-bin is seen in the Netflix series "Genie, Make A Wish." Courtesy of Netflix

Some drama fans initially commented that the long-haired look didn’t suit him. However, rather than worrying about it, the 36-year-old said he actually felt he could really enjoy taking on the role that way.

“It was the writer who told me from the beginning not to worry too much about it. But I didn't worry about it. The long hair was clearly stated in the script — after all, the character’s hair grows over a thousand years. I needed to show that visually and also keep it fun, since our project is a romantic comedy. So I prepared for it with excitement," he said. "The only problem was that the hair was so long it became really heavy," he added with a laugh.

The 13-part drama was highly anticipated, but Kim expressed some regret over the mid-production change of director from Lee Byeong-heon to An Gil-ho. Regarding the divided reactions among viewers, he said, “I think it’s natural for there to be a variety of opinions. No matter what the response, I’m grateful that people watched our drama and shared their thoughts.”

Kim anchored the series with a commanding presence. Moving fluidly between sly humor and the tragedy of his past life, he balanced laughter, sorrow, spirit and warmth to serve as the emotional axis that shaped the show’s tone.

Playing a Genie, a character with many existing cultural references, Kim worked to create a version that was uniquely his own.

“From my speech patterns and rhythm to my reactions, I tried to make everything just slightly different from how a human would behave,” he explained.

He described his latest drama as “a story that asks many questions.”

“Each time a new script arrived, I was struck by how deep and expansive the story really was. At first, when I heard about the concept, I couldn’t quite grasp its full depth. Since it’s a romantic comedy, I initially imagined something much lighter — but it turned out to be warmer, more profound and more touching than I expected. I’ve felt genuinely happy to be part of it,” he said.

“Because it’s a work that raises so many meaningful questions, I think that makes it even more special. It’s a story you can only truly understand once you’ve seen it through to the final episode, so I hope viewers will stay with us until the end.”