Song Kang-Ho - Member of the Feature Films Jury - Opening Ceremony © Valery Hache / AFP
Interview with Song Kang-ho, member of the Feature Film Jury
Introducing the face of Korean cinema. Song Kang-ho's twenty-five-year career has seen him make films with some of the Korean silver screen's biggest names, from Park Chan-wook to Hong Sang-soo and Bong Joon Ho, who helped take the actor's career global. Two years after he triumphed in Cannes and throughout the world in Bong Joon Ho's Parasite (Gisaengchung), the iconic Memories of Murder (Salinui chueok, 2003) star is back as a member of the Feature Films Jury, and treats us to a humble retrospective of his journey to date.
You started out as a stage actor before catching the movie bug. How did it happen?
To be completely honest, it was never my dream or plan to become a film or TV actor. I just wanted to be recognised as a good actor! Working in theatre was challenging, but I learnt so much, and really spread my wings. I loved my time on stage. Cinema then came knocking, and the two directors who got me up and running were Hong Sang-soo and Lee Chang-dong.
Hong Sang-soo gave you your first break in 1996, with The Day a Pig Fell into the Well (Daijiga umule pajinnal)…
At the time, he was an unknown, as this was his first film. I had an audition, and I got the part, a very small part, in fact. It took just three days to shoot the film!
Your career (notably as a thriller actor) took off after N°3 (Songneunghan), Song Neung-han's comedy, in which you play a gangster. What is it about this genre that appeals to you?
I don't necessarily prefer it to any other genre, but the characters I chose to play in these thrillers all had an undercurrent of humour, and I liked that. That's primarily why I agreed to do those movies.
How do you pick your parts?
It's a fairly complex process, my decisions are mostly based on the extent to which I have faith in the directors. Sure, the screenplay is important, and I need to feel drawn to the story, the narrative needs to have meaning, at least from my perspective. If a film ticks all the right boxes, there's no reason why I'd turn a part down. I don't mind whether it's a big or small part, either. I like to throw myself heart and soul into what I do, and that's why I like to focus on one project at a time.
Looking back at all the films you've done, which has a special place in your heart?
Probably Im Dae-ho in The Foul King (Banchikwang), the Kim Jee-woon comedy released in 2000. The character I played is very similar to who I am. A funny guy, who underneath it all, has a pretty Joe Average life. Of all the parts I've played, that character lay closest to the lives we all generally lead, whether in Korea or elsewhere. His everyday life is a struggle, but he fights back and tries to find a way through. Even when he fails, he tries to see the silver lining in it all. So I have a bit of a soft spot for that role.
You've worked with Korea's biggest directors. Who had the deepest impact on your approach to acting?
It's true, I've been lucky enough to work with so many hugely talented directors, and four of them in particular impacted on my career as an actor: Lee Chang-dong, Park Chan-wook, Kim Jee-woon, and of course, Bong Joon Ho. All four are unique characters, and wonderful human beings. What they all share is a very focused vision of what they want to accomplish, but they differ in the way they use their actors to bring their characters to life, so to speak.
How do you feel about Korea's new generation of actors?
The first thing that springs to mind is how talented they all are across the board, in contrast to my generation: we all generally started off on the stage. When I was starting out, it was about honing our particular qualities, by going through a learning process step by step. Nowadays, the new generation is exploding onto the screen already armed with everything they need to succeed. It's incredibly impressive.
Do you think you might ever step behind the camera one day?
Never say never. I've been asked so many times to direct! But now looking back over my career, I don't think I have the talent for it. For the time being, I'd rather concentrate on my career as an actor in Korea, which brings me so much joy. I still have so much I want to do in front of the camera!
