Throughout the 2010s, Daniel Dae Kim found success on the action seriesHawaii Five-0, and now the star has shared what it feels like to return to the genre for his new Prime Video seriesButterfly. Kim is no stranger to intense action roles, but thetrailer forButterflyhas already hinted at just how action-packed the series will get.
Kim leadsButterfly’s castas former US Intelligence officer, David Jung, who is targeted by the agency’s leader (Piper Perabo). The series will see him team up with his daughter, Rebecca (Reina Hardesty), to take down the agency once and for all.
Ahead of the show’s premiere,ScreenRant’s Ash Crossan spoke with Daniel Dae Kim at Comic-Con about what it was like to return to the action genre.Kim shared just how much preparation went into the exhilarating role, hinting at the level of action audiences can expect. Read his full comments below:
EXCLUSIVE: ScreenRant: Daniel, is this your return to action TV since Hawaii Five-0?
Daniel Dae Kim: Oh, I’m trying to think. I guess so. I don’t know if you count Avatar: The Last Airbender.
ScreenRant: I guess I would categorize it slightly differently.
Daniel Dae Kim: Okay, then. Yeah, I think it is.
ScreenRant: What did it feel like to come back [to] kind of a parallel genre?
Daniel Dae Kim: It felt stiff and achy.
ScreenRant: Yeah. “I need to stretch.”
Daniel Dae Kim: It’s true, though. It’s been a minute since I was on Hawaii Five-0 or doing a lot of heavy action, and it’s a good thing. I love it because it takes a toll on your body, and it requires a lot of preparation. Reina and I were training together a month before shooting started and it’s something I feel lucky that I’m still able to do because not many can. And I take pride in the fact that I do most of my own stunts and we’ll see how long that goes. But this was fun to do.
What Daniel Dae Kim’s Comments Mean For Butterfly
Butterfly Promises To Be Action-Packed From Start To Finish
Butterflyis already shaping up to be a promising addition to theaction spy genre, and Daniel Dae Kim is a big part of that.He certainly has the experience to lead a big action series after his time onHawaii Five-0, so it will be exciting to see what his return holds.
His recent interview withScreenRantonly brings that return and all that went into it into sharper focus. While the star does have the acting history to make a believable action lead,his comments rightly note that it is a skill that needs to be practiced and maintained.
Daniel Dae Kim is set to reprise his role as Fire Lord Ozai in the next two seasons of Netflix’s live-actionAvatar: The Last Airbendershow.
Kim sharing the time it took to complete training and that he did many of his own stunts proves thathe was committed to doing the preparation the right way. This also means thatButterflyis the product of a lot of hard work and training, and the action sequences will likely feel all the more authentic because of it.
Our Take On Kim’s Comments
The Role Marks Both A Return To A Familiar Genre And A Fresh Experience For Kim
Daniel Dae Kim’s excitement about the new series and the action that it includes bodes well forButterfly. For us watching at home, it does come through when the cast is truly having fun and committed to a project, and it makes the series more fun to watch.
Butterflywill premiere on Wednesday, August 14, 2025, on Prime Video.
What’s more, knowing that Kim trained with Reina Hardesty, who plays his daughter, hints at an exciting, action-packed family dynamic in store for viewers. Overall, the level of training and fun that went into Kim’s upcoming role, even if it was also very tough, makes me even more excited to check outButterfly.
