Song Kang-ho
: Movie Stars that Korean Audiences Love (1)
: Movie Stars that Korean Audiences Love (1)
Movie actors and actresses are a mirror of the times. So who are the favorite film stars of Korean audiences today? On whom do we project our dreams and aspirations? Here we picked out three who have dominated the big screen and seem set to continue to do so for quite a while.
Tectonic Shift that Began 20 Years Ago
With the success of his most recent movie “The Age of Shadows” (2016), Song Kang-ho has become the first actor in the history of Korean cinema to attract a cumulative 100 million viewers for the movies he has headlined. His achievements cannot be gauged by numbers alone, but the 22 movies that he has starred in during his 20-year career are sufficient proof of why he is widely regarded as one of Korea’s greatest and most influential screen actors.
Song Kang-ho is the face of our day, shaped by the changing times. He made his mark as a third-rate gangster in “No. 3” in 1997. It was a minor role but he captivated audiences with his comic acting, heightened by his strong Busan accent. Koreanstyle gangster movies combining comedy and action were enjoying a boom at the time, and Song just seemed to be a standout among the many supporting actors in that genre. Unknown to many, his entry into the movie scene had set off a tectonic shift in the Korean movie industry.
Song did not fit the movie star mold of that time. He did not have the chiseled features of popular actors, and his Busan accent was far from chic. Back then, no one thought that he would one day become a household name, helping to attract audiences of over 10 million each with “The Host” (2006) and “The Attorney” (2013), and break into the Hollywood scene with “Snowpiercer” (2013).
With the success of his most recent movie “The Age of Shadows” (2016), Song Kang-ho has become the first actor in the history of Korean cinema to attract a cumulative 100 million viewers for the movies he has headlined. His achievements cannot be gauged by numbers alone, but the 22 movies that he has starred in during his 20-year career are sufficient proof of why he is widely regarded as one of Korea’s greatest and most influential screen actors.
Song Kang-ho is the face of our day, shaped by the changing times. He made his mark as a third-rate gangster in “No. 3” in 1997. It was a minor role but he captivated audiences with his comic acting, heightened by his strong Busan accent. Koreanstyle gangster movies combining comedy and action were enjoying a boom at the time, and Song just seemed to be a standout among the many supporting actors in that genre. Unknown to many, his entry into the movie scene had set off a tectonic shift in the Korean movie industry.
Song did not fit the movie star mold of that time. He did not have the chiseled features of popular actors, and his Busan accent was far from chic. Back then, no one thought that he would one day become a household name, helping to attract audiences of over 10 million each with “The Host” (2006) and “The Attorney” (2013), and break into the Hollywood scene with “Snowpiercer” (2013).
Firmly grounded in the solid acting skills he cultivated on stage, Song’s understated naturalistic style, coupled with his distinctive accent and gestures, were a fresh departure from the norm. Director Park Chan-wook, who worked with Song on such films as “Joint Security Area” (2000) — in which Song gives an impressive, pathosfilled performance as North Korean Sergeant Oh Kyeong-pil, solidifying his status as a leading actor — “Sympathy for Mr. Vengeance” (2002) and “Thirst” (2009), describes Song’s acting: “I think the word that defines Song Kang-ho’s 20 years of acting is ‘modernity’ — modernity in acting. He started out in genre movies, but eventually expanded his scope to encompass all types of movies. I think that is what’s so special about him.”
Song does not hesitate to work with new directors. Han Jae-rim, who worked with Song on his second movie, “The Show Must Go On” (2007), recalls how Song willingly agreed to do it without even seeing the screenplay, though he had already worked with several prominent directors. Song has one rule for choosing the movies he wants to do; he steers clear of similar characters to avoid being typecast.
Song does not hesitate to work with new directors. Han Jae-rim, who worked with Song on his second movie, “The Show Must Go On” (2007), recalls how Song willingly agreed to do it without even seeing the screenplay, though he had already worked with several prominent directors. Song has one rule for choosing the movies he wants to do; he steers clear of similar characters to avoid being typecast.
The keyword of Song’s acting is the “ordinary man.” “I get offered a lot of those roles. They’re right up my alley. I can’t picture myself playing the part of a super rich, intelligent guy or a melancholic character,” he says with a laugh. His characters that stand up for the regular guy have resonated deeply with audiences. In “The Show Must Go On,” he turns in a convincing performance as the underboss of an organized gang who struggles to provide for his family like any ordinary middle-aged man. In “Memories of Murder” (2003), he blurts out the impromptu question, “Have you eaten?” to show that detectives are human, too. In “The Host,” he plays an ordinary father who runs a small food stand with his family at the Han River Citizen’s Park. He then struggles against all odds to save his daughter from the monstrous creature that has abducted her. As for this type of character, the most prominent is Song Woo-seok in “The Attorney,” modeled after former president Roh Moo-hyun in his early years as a human rights lawyer. The court scene where he declares passionately, “Sovereignty lies with the people. All authority is granted by the people. The people are the nation!” is a brilliant example of Song’s powerful screen presence.
Regarding the close-up of Song’s face at the end of “Memories of Murder,” film critic Kim Yeong-jin says, “It is an expression that sums up an era in Korean history.” He goes on: “Song is an actor who is capable of internalizing any character he takes on and transforming it into a Song Kang-ho type persona. He creates the aura of his character according to its occupation, social status, and personality, and in this sense he is an artist who brings the sensibilities of ordinary, everyday life to the screen.”
Song is currently shooting “Taxi Driver” in which he plays yet again an ordinary citizen, a taxi driver named Man-seop, who happens to pick up a German reporter and takes him to Gwangju, where the reporter risks his life to cover the May 18 Democratic Uprising of 1980.
The article above is courtesy of Korea Foundation (http://www.koreana.or.kr/user/0004/nd47477.do?View&boardNo=00000601&zineInfoNo=0004&pubYear=2016&pubMonth=WINTER&pubLang=English).
Song is currently shooting “Taxi Driver” in which he plays yet again an ordinary citizen, a taxi driver named Man-seop, who happens to pick up a German reporter and takes him to Gwangju, where the reporter risks his life to cover the May 18 Democratic Uprising of 1980.
The article above is courtesy of Korea Foundation (http://www.koreana.or.kr/user/0004/nd47477.do?View&boardNo=00000601&zineInfoNo=0004&pubYear=2016&pubMonth=WINTER&pubLang=English).