Song Kang Ho: From an actor who was rejected because of his appearance to "National Treasure" of Korean cinema

Unlike male actors who have a "handsome" appearance from the hallyu wave of Korean cinema or television (mainly thanks to plastic surgery), Song Kang Ho has a simple appearance with a large face, single eyes. eyelids and lines are somewhat rough. Perhaps because of this weakness in appearance, Song Kang Ho was quite struggling when he first entered the profession.

Song Kang Ho, born in 1967, is a famous South Korean actor. He joined the entertainment industry in the early 1990s as a theater actor.

For many years, Song Kang Ho only focused on acting in movies. He appeared in more than 30 movies. Among them are dozens of Song Kang Ho's films that are the most popular Korean works of all time.

Rejected for unattractive looks

Song Kang Ho grew up in a poor family in Gyeongsang Province (Korea), entered the entertainment industry in the early 1990s as a theater actor. In the early years of his career, he rarely went on stage because of his lack of appearance and bold pronunciation of regional and rural dialects. According to Daum, he dreamed of acting in movies since childhood and expects the theater stage to be a stepping stone to deepen his career in the acting industry.

In the period 1990 - 1995, Song Kang Ho did not have the opportunity to shine because he could not compete with Choi Min Sik, Han Suk Kyu, Moon Sung Keun or Son Chang Min... He went to many movie sets in the hope of finding a role. acting, but were rejected by the directors. The actor confided sadness and disappointment but did not give up. "At that time, I mainly helped on the set and spent most of my time practicing with a standard Seoul accent," he told Sports Chosun.

In 1996, the famous director Hong Sang Soo agreed to give Song Kang Ho a chance when he saw his passion through hard times "asking" for the role. With a supporting role in the independent film The day a pig fell into the well, he was recognized by the filmmaker for his acting ability despite the limited screen time.

Unlike actors who always try to spread their name by receiving dramas, right from the early days of pursuing art, Song Kang Ho determined to focus only on movies.

According to Naver, Koreans respect Song Kang Ho for his contributions to Korean cinema over the past 30 years. He once said, "I can dedicate my life to acting without regrets, even after death."

Art director Lili Hinstin commented, "Song Kang Ho has many diverse aspects, excellently conveying rich and intense emotions... His face easily portrays all kinds of films, from reality, to history. history to detective, sensational. No one but Song Kang Ho can encapsulate the outstanding achievements of Korean cinema during the past 20 years."

Korean movie "box office monster"

In 2000, Song Kang Ho first starred in the comedy project The foul king directed by Kim Jee Won. He took the audience's laughter and tears when transforming into a bank employee determined to become a professional wrestler. In the same year, he was invited by director Park Chan Wook to play a North Korean sergeant in Joint security area, co-starring Lee Young Ae and Lee Byung Hun. For realistic scenes, actors perform action scenes themselves, impressing with eye acting and facial expressions. The role brought Song Kang Ho five Best Actor awards, including Golden Bell, Baeksang Arts Awards. Since then, he has appeared in many art and commercial films.

Since 2002, Song Kang Ho has received films regularly and won all prestigious awards. In the list of 50 best-selling Korean movies of all time, Song Kang Ho starred in 10 movies, including Memories of Murder (5.1 million viewers - the highest in 2003), The Attorney (The attorney, 11, 11). 37 million tickets), Snowpiercer (Ice Train, 9.3 million tickets), The Face Reader (Ghosts, 9.1 million tickets), Taxi Driver (A taxi driver, nearly 12.2 million tickets). .. The movies The Age of Shadows, Secret Sunshine, Thrist and The Good, The Bad, The Weird... also attracted millions of people to theaters.

In 2006, Song Kang Ho acted in the movie Monsters of the Han River (The Host, 2006, directed by Bong Joon Ho) - the work that experts evaluated changed the whole Korean cinema. He plays the role of Park Gang Du - the clumsy father. When his daughter was captured by a monster, Gang Du and his family fought to the end to rescue her. Experts rated Song Kang Ho as excellent at portraying the naivete when the event had not yet happened and the heartbreaking pain of holding a child's body.

According to Hollywood filmmakers, Bong Joon Ho's dramatic storytelling and the acting of the cast, especially Kang Ho, impressed them. With more than 13 million tickets, Han River Monster became the most popular movie in the country's history, as of 2006. Since then, Song Kang Ho has been called "box office monster", "cinema king". ..

Another role that cannot be mentioned in Song Kang Ho's 25 years of acting is the role of unemployed father Kim Ki Taek in Parasite. The role earned him the title of Best Actor at Cannes 2019 in his career. In addition, Parasite is also the work that created a storm that won four Oscar gold statues.

Taking part in Bong Joon Ho's satirical drama, Song Kang Ho plays the helpless father who owns an impoverished family in Seoul.

After being accepted into a wealthy family, he took the opportunity to arrange members to hold most of the work in this house. Poor families live "parasites" on the rich and gullible. This father exudes the small character of the ordinary life of the needy and poor, and makes viewers feel sorry for him.

Perhaps, Song Kang Ho's forte is to specialize in roles with complex inner feelings. The ending of the father character when forever locked in the cellar deeply haunts the viewers. In order to escape the crime after trot committed the crime, he had to permanently bury himself, "parasite" forever in the basement of the villa. The son's dream of one day buying a villa to free his father is still open.

Recently, Song Kang Ho helped Korea win the male lead award for the first time at the 2022 Cannes Film Festival with the movie Broker. Previously, Jeon Do Yeon was the first Korean to win an acting award at the 2007 event with Secret Sunshine - a movie also starring Song Kang Ho.

Kim Se Jeong announced that she will not be in love with Ahn Hyo Seop, fans are extremely confused! Minh Lợi12:16:50 07/01/2023Earlier this year, the movie Dating in the Office aired and quickly caused a fever on the small screen. For the first time in love on screen, Ahn Hyo Seop and Kim Se Jeong made people restless because of their overflowing chemistry. The love affair both on film and in real life...