Working within the Korean movie trade for greater than 30 years, veteran actor Kwon Hae-hyo has collaborated with a few of the largest names within the scene and witnessed Korean cinema’s rise as a world cultural powerhouse.
All through these three many years, Kwon has additionally developed a formidable pairing with prolific filmmaker Hong Sang-soo, showing in 12 of his movies thus far. Moreover starring in Hong’s movies, Kwon has acted in titles like Practice 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 latest film, What Does that Nature Say to You, Kwon tells Deadline that he’s drawn to Hong’s distinct long-take, pensive type, which repeatedly presents a recent and liberating problem for him as an actor.
“With different movies, you understand 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 prove. I don’t know the place my character’s headed, and there’s no plan in that approach. This type of directing actually provides me a freedom about my characters. It’s not about some reality that we’re looking for. It’s solely in regards to the reality and the truth that I’m going through proper at that second, and it’s like residing 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 mother and father’ home and is taken again by its dimension. 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.
“Normally actors have loads of stress going earlier than they shoot a scene, whether or not it’s a combat scene or a very 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 definately get the script. It’s actually near earlier than you begin capturing.”
Viewers members may also be stunned to know that regardless of Hong’s spontaneous type of working, there are only a few ad-libs or improvised traces in his movies.
“Out of all of Hong Sang-soo’s motion pictures, there are virtually no ad-libs,” says Kwon. “Out of all 30 movies that he has made, for those who put collectively all of the traces 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 mentioned that being concerned with non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and social causes has helped him preserve 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 various actions, like NGOs. I really feel like I’m residing not solely as an actor, however as an individual in society and speaking with many various individuals from totally different fields. That’s one of many causes that I can nonetheless be so lively in my performing profession for greater than 30 years.
“Additionally, in present enterprise, there are such a lot of actors, tons of of hundreds of actors,” provides Kwon. “I generally surprise how I’m totally different from the opposite actors, however I believe what’s actually pushed me is that I don’t attempt to be totally different, I’m simply making an attempt to be myself.”
On witnessing the explosive progress of Korean cinema over the past three many years — from regional affect to international powerhouse, Kwon says that modifications in Korean politics have had a serious affect on its cinema.
“I believe there are loads of nice administrators resembling Park Chan-wook, Bong Joon-ho and Hong Sang-soo. What has pushed the Korean movie trade is how the society has grown because the fall of the authoritarian regime in Korea and the exhausting occasions that we’ve had,” says Kwon.
“It’s vital that motion pictures are usually not about desires or unrealistic lives, it needs to be about society and actuality,” provides Kwon.
