Daniel Dae Kim stars in butterfly: Family drama and action filmed across South Korea

Actor Daniel Dae Kim started his career in experimental theater while in college. He recalls performing on a beach in Connecticut in winter, wearing a seaweed loin cloth. He played Poseidon and said, “I am Poseidon, god of the seas!” His parents watched and felt he was very dedicated, claim report.

Kim became famous in Hollywood as one of the stars of the hit TV show Lost. Since then, he has acted in and produced shows like Hawaii Five-0, The Good Doctor, and Avatar: The Last Airbender. In the Prime series Butterfly, Kim plays David, a former U.S. spy who faked his death to protect his daughter. Almost 10 years later, his daughter Rebecca becomes an assassin, unaware her father is alive. David comes out of hiding to save her, as reported by NPR.

Family drama and filming in South Korea

Kim says, “At its heart, it's actually a family relationship drama… a lot of scenes between David and Rebecca resonated with me because I've made mistakes as a father”. Butterfly was filmed in over 20 locations across South Korea, including Andong’s mountains and Seoul’s skyscrapers. Filming in his hometown of Busan was especially meaningful; he invited 15 family members to visit the set, as per the reports.

Action, representation, and Hollywood progress

Kim enjoys his acting. He believes physical performance helps him connect with his character and the emotions in scenes. Action grounds him and makes acting more realistic. When Lost started, Kim feared the show might be canceled and was concerned about his character Jin reinforcing stereotypes. He praised the creators for developing three-dimensional characters, avoiding shallow portrayals, according to the report by NPR.

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Kim noticed that his kids would ask if his characters die onscreen. He observed similar trends where Asian or Black actors were often the first to die in films. This made him aware of the impact of his roles on both society and his family, as per the reports.

He explained that representation is not just social but personal, influencing his children’s views. Kim said, “I often think about what the consequences of representation are for that character…until we can play all of humanity, we have to focus on how certain ideas diminish who we are”.

Kim believes Hollywood has improved, pointing to movies like Crazy Rich Asians and shows like Squid Game and Beef, which give Asian actors more complex roles. He appreciates the progress but notes he still hasn’t played a romantic lead, despite 30 years in the industry, according to the report by NPR.

FAQs

Q1. Who does Daniel Dae Kim play in Butterfly?
He plays David, a former U.S. spy trying to save his daughter from being an assassin.

Q2. Where was Butterfly filmed?
The series was filmed in over 20 locations across South Korea, including Busan, Andong, and Seoul.