Choi Min Sik: Korean cinema veteran, eats raw octopus in movies despite being Buddhist

Choi Min Sik is one of the "giants" of Korean cinema. In his acting career, Choi Min Sik's name is known to Hollywood and the whole world through his role as Oh Dae Su in the movie Oldboy.

In the early 1990s, Choi Min Sik made a name for himself with dramatic roles after graduating from Dongguk University. He made his mark in early films such as Kuro Arirang (1989) or Our Twisted Hero (1992). However, Choi Min Sik does not appear regularly in feature films but spends more time in plays or some Korean dramas. He only returned to cinema in 1997 with the work No. 3 (1997) and had a breakthrough with the work Shiri (1999), winning "Best Actor" at the Grand Bell Awards.

In 2002, he attracted attention by playing the role of famous painter Jang Seung-up in the work Chihwaseon (international title: Painted Fire ). When shown at the Cannes Film Festival, Chihwaseon won the "Outstanding Director" award. However, it was only a year or two later that Choi Min Sik's talent became widely known to international film fans with the masterpiece Oldeuboi (international name: Oldboy ).

In early 2006, Choi Min Sik took to the streets to protest the government's new regulations on Korean cinema. At that time, the free trade agreement the US signed with South Korea required the country to reduce protection for domestic cinema. The above decision angered many people in the Korean film industry. As a prominent star, Choi Min Sik returned the Okgwan medal to the Ministry of Culture with the reason: "This means a death sentence for Korean films. This medal was once a symbol." prestigious but now it's just a disgrace and I have to return it."

After the above incident, Choi Min Sik was absent from the big screen for four consecutive years. The reason is said to be because many film studios are hesitant to sign contracts with this outspoken star who often has political-related activities. As a result, the actor who attracted attention at the Cannes Film Festival returned to his starting point of theater.

Released in late 2003, Oldboy is the second film in the revenge trilogy ( The Vegeance Trilogy ) by director Park Chan-wook. With scenes of chilling violence and a shocking ending, Oldboy is not a work for everyone. However, this is still an excellent film and is always among the Korean films most remembered by international movie lovers. When competing at Cannes 2004, the film won the Grand Prix and received praise from the head of the jury, "monster" director Quentin Tarantino. By 2008, a CNN poll ranked Oldboy among the 10 best Asian films ever.

In the film, the actor born in 1952 had a role of a lifetime, perfect from action scenes to scenes expressing the character's psychology. Audiences once had to marvel when they witnessed Oh Dea-su describe a sudden altercation in the hallway with a group of thugs or had goosebumps at the scene of this character eating a live octopus with tentacles still wiggling on his face.

What is worth noting is that actor Choi Min Sik was originally a vegetarian due to Buddhism, but he still decided to eat the octopus alive in front of the camera to make the movie as realistic as possible. It was that sacrifice and Choi Min Sik's haunting eyes when transforming into Oh that completely convinced the audience. In 2013, Hollywood tried to remake Oldboy with veteran actor Josh Brolin but failed miserably because it could not overcome the giant shadow of the original film and Choi Min Sik.

After the success of Oldboy , Choi Min Sik became an international star. However, he did not rush to accept invitations to participate in many projects but appeared selectively. The roles that Choi Min Sik chooses are often very thorny with complex emotions. To play the role in the best way, Choi Min Sik said he applied experiences learned from theater and did not hesitate to change his appearance because "this is the most important thing in acting". Losing weight, cutting hair instead of using wigs... are things Choi Min Sik was willing to sacrifice when receiving the script. The films that bear his mark at this time are: I Saw the Devil (2010), Nameless Gangster (2012)...

In the summer of 2014, this star had his first English-language film, the blockbuster Lucy, directed by Luc Besson, playing the role of a gangster who kidnaps Lucy (Scarlett Johansson).

Just a few weeks after its release, Great Water War became Korea's first film, grossing more than 100 million USD and receiving positive reviews for the magnificence of the work and Choi Min Sik's performance. Choi Min Sik's successes both at home and internationally prove that he deserves to be one of the leading flags of Korean cinema.

In a meeting with the media, Choi said that for him, acting has become as essential as eating and drinking.

"Acting has become life for me, just like you can't live without meals" - Choi Min Sik said - "But that doesn't mean I feel pressured to show a different side It's just that I love acting so much. I will leave without hesitation if my love for acting decreases."

The actor added that as he entered his 60s, the scope of his understanding of acting has expanded. Choi Min Sik has a great desire to portray different characters living in a diverse cinematic universe.