South Korean actor Song Kang-ho has big-screen staying power
Song Kang-ho has shone in many South Korean films over the years and the actor is making sure his name stays on the marquee
Various actors have rocketed to stardom during South Korea's contemporary film renaissance over the past 15 years - but few have managed to remain at those heights. Staying power seems an elusive quality for most - except for Song Kang-ho.
Eighteen years after making his film debut, aged 29, in Hong Sang-soo's The Day a Pig Fell into the Well (1996), the former thespian has turned in his most successful year yet. That's saying something for an actor who has appeared in many of contemporary South Korean cinema's most famous and well-regarded works, including the pioneering big-budget blockbuster Shiri (1999, directed by Kang Je-gyu), Kim Jee-woon's wrestling comedy The Foul King (2000), Park Chan-wook's Joint Security Area (2000), Sympathy for Mr Vengeance (2002) and Thirst (2009), Bong Joon-ho's Memories of Murder (2003) and The Host (2006), and Lee Chang-dong's Secret Sunshine (2007).
Over the past 12 months, the 47-year-old has appeared in three hits that together sold close to 30 million tickets at home, where the 10-million-ticket mark has been individually achieved by just 10 Korean films to date. Set in the 15th century, Han Jae-rim's The Face Reader (2013) is about a man who can read people's nature and fate by looking at their face. The film earned praise for Song and sold nine million tickets on its release last September.
And then there's Snowpiercer. The science-fiction film about a train carrying the last remnants of humanity has enjoyed considerable critical kudos and general play internationally. Screened yesterday at Sarajevo, it has also featured at other film festivals including the Berlinale and was released in France, Italy, the US and many other territories where South Korean films don't usually play.
Directed by Bong Joon-ho, it's a mainly English-language work that sees Song holding his own in a strong ensemble cast that includes Chris Evans, John Hurt, Jamie Bell and Tilda Swinton. "Working with an international cast was a new experience for me. We got along fine, although it was hard to overcome the language barrier," Song says. "If it'd been any other person directing this project I would have turned it down. It's because I have a strong working relationship with Bong Joon-ho, and I trust him, that I decided to go abroad and shoot this film."
At home in South Korea, first-time director Yang Woo-seok's The Attorney - which opened in Hong Kong on June 19 and is still playing - is the most successful of Song's recent works. The human rights drama, which received a rapturous response from viewers with more than 11 million tickets sold, dominated public conversation for a time after its release at the end of 2013. So it's ironic to hear the actor say he initially turned the role down.