Kim Ji Won Talks About Her Socially Awkward Genius Surgeon Character In “Doctor X”

Kim Ji Won has shared more insights into her upcoming drama “Doctor X”!

Based on the hit Japanese series of the same name, “Doctor X” is a medical noir drama that follows “Doctor X” Gye Soo Jung (Kim Ji Won), a genius surgeon who proves what it truly means to be a doctor through pure skill alone as she operates on a corruption-ridden establishment.

In “Doctor X,” Kim Ji Won is set to undergo her most intense character transformation yet in her first drama in two years. Regarding why she chose “Doctor X” as her comeback project, Kim Ji Won explained, “I was drawn to the gap between Gye Soo Jung’s outward appearance and the new sides of her that you discover the more you look into her. I wanted to portray that appeal well.”

She continued, “Gye Soo Jung is someone who has exiled herself into the darkness and devoted herself solely to her surgical skills. To others, the title ‘genius surgeon’ may seem fitting, but after getting a glimpse into the path she has taken, I came to see her less as a ‘genius’ and more as someone who has simply done her best with a desperate determination to do what she can.”

Kim Ji Won also highlighted how Gye Soo Jung differs from typical protagonists in medical dramas, pointing to her unique way of expressing her sense of duty. “If a sense of justice and duty is something medical drama protagonists tend to have in common, Gye Soo Jung expresses these qualities differently,” she said. “Because she has devoted most of her abilities to surgical skills, she is somewhat clumsy when it comes to emotional areas such as social skills and flexibility.”

“Sometimes, seeing Gye Soo Jung’s lack of social skills despite her flawless surgical abilities made me laugh,” she added. “I tried to portray these contrasting sides well.”

Kim Ji Won also underwent extensive preparation to portray the “dark hero genius doctor” who is completely absorbed in surgery. “I learned the surgical techniques needed for the operating room scenes from our medical advisor and spent plenty of time getting comfortable with them,” she shared. “Gye Soo Jung’s genius is connected not only to the surgery scenes but also to the drama’s overall narrative, so I also tried to bring that same energy into my acting.”

Speaking about working with director Lee Jeong Rim—who previously directed Netflix’s “As You Stood By” and SBS’s “Revenant”—for the first time, Kim Ji Won revealed that her on-set style was different from what she had expected. “I was curious because I had really enjoyed her previous works,” she said. “Since she has directed many charismatic projects, I expected her directing style to be straightforward and bold as well. But in reality, rather than deciding on an answer in advance, she had a delicate approach of working closely with the actors on set to shape each scene together.”

She added, “So I also brought various analyses of the character and built Gye Soo Jung within the director’s direction, and that process remains especially memorable to me.”

Kim Ji Won also teased her character’s highly anticipated friendship with Lee Jung Eun.