Daniel Dae Kim on 'Fascinating' AMC+ Show 'Pantheon': 'It's Not About Death'

Pantheon deals with the intriguing subject matter of whether humans should use technology to transcend death, which actor Daniel Dae Kim found "fascinating," he told Newsweek.

An AMC+ original based on short stories by Ken Liu, the sci-fi animated series explores the ways in which humanity could evolve in the future, namely how we could achieve everlasting life.

For Kim's character, David, this is a reality that is thrust upon him, as the scientist's consciousness is uploaded to an online system after he passes away from an illness, and he later tries to reconnect with his daughter Maddie (Katie Chang) through her computer.

Maddie decides to uncover the truth of what happened to her father and, with the help of teen genius Caspian (Paul Dano), learns of a much darker truth underneath the surface.

Daniel Dae Kim on 'Fascinating' AMC+ Show 'Pantheon'

For Kim, it was the show's intriguing subject matter that fueled his desire to appear in the voice cast for Pantheon.

"I am interested in technology and its ramifications. I am fascinated by the future of our existence, and I like the family dynamic between Maddie and her father, David, who I play," he said. "As a father I can relate to a lot of the issues that the show deals with, in terms of the best way to keep an open, honest relationship with your children.

"It's a fascinating idea. There's so many among us who are obsessed with the idea of everlasting life, so the exploration of it is interesting.

"Like any technology it will have its pluses and minuses, and I was curious to see what the writers wanted to show us in terms of their position on whether it's a good or bad thing."

The Lost actor has previously spoken out about playing characters that die on screen after portraying so many in the past that it became "a real issue" for his children.

In a statement on Twitter in 2021 about Asian representation on screen, he cited that the ultimate fate of his characters had become one of "the primary factors in deciding whether I take a role or not."

For Kim, Pantheon was different "because it's not about death," he said. "It's really about life and how to prolong life. I thought it was fascinating to find a human made way to find out what happens after death. It is a very interesting question to me."

The Hawaii Five-0 star, who shares two children with his wife Mia, also felt drawn to the role of David because of the character's bond with his daughter Maddie.

"I always enjoy playing a father who cares about his children," Kim shared. "It's one of the things that I was most curious to see in the progression in the scripts.

"It's interesting because I've never actually met the actress who plays David's daughter, and so to be able to build a relationship remote from one another actually kind of parallels the storyline itself."

Reflecting on the show's predictions for the future, the actor explained that the most interesting question the show posed was: "How are we going to use what we've learned from everlasting life?"

Kim added: "Like so many technologies, like nuclear energy, it can be used to prolong our existence on our planet or shorten it drastically."

"If you are a fan of real-world based science fiction, this will appeal to you," he said. "I also think that if you have a family or care about the themes of family, this will be an interesting show to you. If you are interested at all at the intersection of technology and humanity, this has something that will appeal to you."

Pantheon airs Thursdays on AMC+.