Kim Jae-won is trading television for the big screen. The actor will make his film debut in Final Interview, a mystery thriller built around a cutthroat corporate hiring process, opening in theaters on November 4.
Final Interview follows six applicants who survive to the final round of interviews at a global IT company. Their assignment sounds simple: through two hours of discussion, they must collectively choose a single hire. But the process fractures when mysterious envelopes surface at the venue, each containing an exposé about one of the applicants. As secrets spill out one by one, the group turns on itself in a tense psychological battle.
Kim plays Han Jin-woo, the group's gentle idealist. He refuses to judge people by appearances, and after spending a month preparing for the team discussion alongside his fellow applicants, he genuinely hopes every one of them makes it through. He pays close attention to the people around him, remembering not just their names but their individual preferences.
But the envelopes rattle even him. Jin-woo immediately senses a setup — "This is obviously a trap," he warns — yet as revelation after revelation surfaces, the trust he placed in his colleagues begins to waver. The film tests both his refusal to judge others and his determination to keep believing in them.
The role marks Kim's first feature film. He built his name on television with steady performances in Our Blues, King the Land, Hierarchy, and The Tale of Lady Ok, followed by attention-grabbing turns in You and Everything Else and Yumi's Cells 3. He has also served as an MC on Music Bank, moving between acting and hosting.
Kim said he was drawn to the character's sincerity and the mystery hidden beneath it. He added that he paid close attention to even the smallest details, from his appearance to maintaining his character's desire to stay neutral amid the chaos.
Director Kim Jung-hoon said Jin-woo had to be someone the audience would naturally like and want to trust until the very end. He praised Kim Jae-won for conveying the character's sincerity through his warm appearance, soothing voice, and ability to subtly vary even a single line of dialogue.
The film surrounds Kim with a cast of rising stars: Jo Yi-hyun, Shin Seung-ho, Kang Yoo-seok, Kwak Dong-hyun, and Bae Kang-hee round out the six applicants. The ensemble was already turning heads before release — Final Interview earned an official invitation to the Panorama section of the 31st Busan International Film Festival.
Newly released stills tease the film's shifting dynamics. Early images show the six applicants laughing together during late-night study sessions, with Jin-woo exchanging warm glances with the calm observer Hye-in, played by Jo Yi-hyun. Once the envelopes appear, the mood snaps: the relaxed mediator Hee-chan, played by Kang Yoo-seok, studies a letter's contents while the others lean in, the perfectionist Joo-won, played by Bae Kang-hee, confronts the inscrutable strategist Yohan, played by Kwak Dong-hyun, and the action-driven leader Seung-bin, played by Shin Seung-ho, wears his turmoil openly. In one charged moment, Jin-woo physically restrains an agitated Yohan.
Final Interview opens in theaters on November 4.
Sources: Next Entertainment World, Naver
