Working within the Korean movie business for greater than 30 years, veteran actor Kwon Hae-hyo has collaborated with among the largest names within the scene and witnessed Korean cinema’s rise as a world cultural powerhouse.
All through these three a long time, Kwon has additionally developed a formidable pairing with prolific filmmaker Hong Sang-soo, showing in 12 of his movies thus far. In addition to starring in Hong’s movies, Kwon has acted in titles like Prepare to Busan sequel Peninsula, crime thriller Bogota: Metropolis of the Misplaced and authorized drama Juror 8.
Arriving on the Berlinale for the world premiere of Hong’s newest movie, What Does that Nature Say to You, Kwon tells Deadline that he’s drawn to Hong’s distinct long-take, pensive fashion, which repeatedly presents a contemporary and liberating problem for him as an actor.
“With different movies, you recognize from begin to end what it’s going to be, however with director Hong Sang-soo, it’s not like that,” says Kwon. “Once I movie my scenes, I don’t know the way it’s going to end up. I don’t know the place my character’s headed, and there’s no plan in that means. This fashion of directing actually provides me a freedom about my characters. It’s not about some reality that we’re looking for. It’s solely concerning the reality and the truth that I’m going through proper at that second, and it’s like dwelling within the scene, within the second.”
What Does that Nature Say to You follows a younger poet as he drops off his girlfriend at her dad and mom’ home and is taken again by its measurement. He bumps into her father (performed by Kwon), meets her mom and sister, and so they find yourself spending an extended day collectively.
Kwon shares how director Hong famously provides out scripts to actors on the identical day of the shoot.
“Often actors have quite a lot of stress going earlier than they shoot a scene, whether or not it’s a battle scene or a extremely emotional scene,” says Kwon. “They fear how about their performing and portrayal. However with Hong Sang-soo, it’s not like that — you arrive on the location and then you definitely get the script. It’s actually near earlier than you begin taking pictures.”
Viewers members will even be stunned to know that regardless of Hong’s spontaneous fashion of working, there are only a few ad-libs or improvised strains in his movies.
“Out of all of Hong Sang-soo’s films, there are nearly no ad-libs,” says Kwon. “Out of all 30 movies that he has made, in case you put collectively all of the strains that got here from improvisation and never the script, the full will probably be most likely solely lower than a minute. Even for actually lengthy takes — these which might be greater than quarter-hour — we nonetheless should nail the dialogue completely.”
On the key to his longevity in present enterprise, Kwon stated that being concerned with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and social causes has helped him keep a way of perspective on life.
“Typically, actors and performers can dwell within the small world of leisure enterprise, however I’ve stayed concerned in many alternative actions, like NGOs. I really feel like I’m dwelling not solely as an actor, however as an individual in society and speaking with many alternative folks from totally different fields. That’s one of many causes that I can nonetheless be so energetic in my performing profession for greater than 30 years.
“Additionally, in present enterprise, there are such a lot of actors, a whole bunch of 1000’s of actors,” provides Kwon. “I generally marvel how I’m totally different from the opposite actors, however I feel what’s actually pushed me is that I don’t attempt to be totally different, I’m simply attempting to be myself.”
On witnessing the explosive progress of Korean cinema during the last three a long time — from regional affect to world powerhouse, Kwon says that modifications in Korean politics have had a significant affect on its cinema.
“I feel there are quite a lot of nice administrators resembling Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho and Hong Sang-soo. What has pushed the Korean movie business is how the society has grown because the fall of the authoritarian regime in Korea and the onerous occasions that we’ve had,” says Kwon.
“It’s necessary that films are usually not about desires or unrealistic lives, it needs to be about society and actuality,” provides Kwon.
