For the award-winning Korean film actor Song Kang-ho, the Covid-19 pandemic was a time for reflection and re-evaluating the meaning of cinema.
It left him with much to ponder, and he asked himself fundadrew allar jersey rowan university new jersey Florida state seminars jerseys OSU Jerseys custom ohio state jersey custom ohio state jersey kansas state football uniforms fsu jersey florida jersey penn state jersey brock purdy jersey brock purdy jersey kansas state football uniforms Iowa State Football Uniforms deuce vaughn jerseyental questions, such as “What is a film?” and “What makes a film look like a film?”
“The pandemic brought about unprecedented changes in our lives, allowing us to easily consume TV shows and films through streaming services,” Song says.
“During that time, I often asked myself, ‘What kind of movies need to be seen on the big screen?’ That is why I decided to star in Cobweb.”
Our interview took place on Song’s recent visit to Hong Kong to attend the Hong Kong Asian Film Festival, where Cobweb was the festival’s opening film.
In the film, directed by Kim Jee-woon, Song plays Kim Yeol, a director from the 1970s who is haunted by the desire to reshoot the final part of his film.
Convinced that he can make a masterpiece with a new ending, the protagonist sets out on a misadventure in which he juggles actors’ complaints, government censorship and pressure from the production company to complete the film.
“It is a black comedy film that has humorous undertones,” Song says. “Director Kim’s comedy is so unique.
“Rather than making the audience laugh out loud, it makes them giggle. The scenes people find funny differ for each person.”
Cobweb, which premiered at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, doesn’t feature a conventional narrative. It has a “film within a film” structure and contains scenes in both colour and black and white.
Song, 56, says that he found it tricky portraying a character from the 1970s.
“Crafting my character’s arc and mastering the 1970s-era way of speaking required substantial work, but the hardest thing was making the film believable to the audience who are not familiar with the 1970s social atmosphere.”
Song also reveals that he has watched a lot of old movies from the 1950s to 1970s.
“Many of the older films have low picture quality compared to modern ones. Nonetheless, they reflect the period in which they were filmed,” he says, adding that his favourite Korean classic is the 1961 film Aimless Bullet.
Directed by Yu Hyun-mok, Aimless Bullet is considered one of the big three films of post-Korean war (1950-53) Korean cinema, alongside Shin Sang-ok’s My Mother and Her Guest (1961) and Kim Ki-young’s The Housemaid (1960).
It is seen as having driven the development of Korean cinematic realism.
With the release of Cobweb, Song and director Kim have now made five very different films together; the others are black-comedy horror movie The Quiet Family (1998), comedy drama The Foul King (2000), Western action film The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008) and period action thriller The Age of Shadows (2016).
“Kim’s darkly comic films are unlike any movies being made today,” Song says. “His films all have plenty of quirky and hilarious scenes. He has essentially created his own style and genre.”
As one of Korea’s best-known film actors today, Song has naturally worked with some of the country’s biggest filmmakers, from Lee Chang-dong to Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho and Hong Sang-soo.
“Each of them has a different creative vision, but the way they treat actors with respect and their passion for cinema are the same. I would say the biggest difference is their weight – director Bong is the heaviest,” Song says with a laugh.
Song’s 2019 film Parasite, directed by Bong, captured international attention and won the top prize at both the Cannes Film Festival and the Oscars. The actor has an idea why his movies resonate with people around the world even though there’s a language barrier.
Referring to films as “an intense study of human nature and society”, he says: “Movies are a mirror of our society. They have the power to transcend boundaries of nationality. That’s why my movies were able to get more attention from overseas.”
Song began his career as a stage actor and made his film debut in the 1996 production The Day a Pig fell into the Well, the directorial debut of Hong Sang-soo. The veteran actor has been a screen fixture in Korea for nearly three decades.
His filmography includes Korea’s first Hollywood-style blockbuster, Shiri (1999), director Park’s breakout hit Joint Security Area (2000) and, of course, Parasite.
Song is renowned for his versatility as an actor and his uncanny ability to make characters his own. His most recent international accolades include a best actor win at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, for his role in Japanese director Hirokazu Koreeda’s Broker.
“A lot of young actors come to me for acting advice,” says Song. “Personally, I always try to find a way to surprise the audience and go beyond their expectations.
“People come to cinemas and feel all kinds of emotions watching actors’ performances. However, they are most deeply moved and surprised when actors don’t play the predictable way.”
In spite of his success in front of the camera, Song shows little desire to try his hand at directing.
“I have been asked to direct since 20 years ago, but I don’t think I have the talent to be a director,” he says. “A director has to have a clear vision and talent. I’d rather concentrate on my career as an actor.”
Song expresses his admiration for the golden age of Hong Kong cinema when he reflects on the growth of Korea’s film industry.
“Korean actors and filmmakers, including myself, felt a sense of hope witnessing the golden age of Hong Kong cinema in the 1980s and 1990s. Writers and artists have worked hard in the last three decades to nurture Korean cinema. The success didn’t happen overnight,” he says.
Song recalls meeting Hong Kong superstar Chow Yun-fat at the Busan International Film Festival earlier this month. “It was an honour to meet Chow Yun-fat in Busan,” he says. “He has natural wit and showmanship that turn his fans into fanatics. No wonder fans love him so much.”
Song attributes the booming success of South Korean cultural content to the nation’s dynamic and creative social fabric, which nurtures innovation. “The vibrant, dynamic environment also unleashed the innovative potential of creators,” he says.
“Until the 1970s, the freedom of expression of an artist was heavily limited by censorship. I don’t remember exactly when, but society became less repressed and more politically free over the years. The social environment became more creative too.”
Of everything that has happened in his career to date, Song says the historic Oscar win for Parasite remains the most shocking event.
“What Parasite brought to me, personally, and Korea’s film industry was a big shock to me,” he says.
