2024-07-24 11:00:28
Yakusho Koji visited Korea on the 20th and 21st to commemorate the release of the film ‘Perfect Days’ (directed by Wim Wenders). He appeared with Song Kang-ho in a Cine Talk hosted by Cine21 reporter Kim So-mi at Cine Cube after the screening at 1:10 PM on the 21st. This Cine Talk sold out as soon as tickets opened.
‘Perfect Days’ is a film that captures the ordinary yet sparkling moments of Hirayama, a janitor in Tokyo who lives a repeating day. On this day, Song Kang-ho said, “After greeting Koji Yakusho by chance on the red carpet at the closing ceremony of the Cannes Film Festival last year, we celebrated backstage and this is our second meeting. The film ‘Perfect Days’ was the first film I saw in December last year as an Academy member to vote, and the first thing I felt was that the depth of the acting and the depth of the beauty of life that the film pursues were beyond measure.”
Next, Koji Yakusho said, “I’ve been traveling around the world for the past year with ‘Perfect Days,’ and it’s like a dream to be able to end that trip with Song Kang-ho.” He then showed his wit by saying, “If this film had been directed by Bong Joon-ho instead of Wim Wenders, I think Song Kang-ho would have played Hirayama. In that sense, it’s lucky that he got the role first.”
The two actors have something in common: they won the Best Actor Award at the Cannes Film Festival for films shot in their own countries and with foreign directors. Koji Yakusho said, “It was like filming in a Wim Wenders classroom, learning about how Wim Wenders makes films. In addition, director Wim Wenders is a humorous person who never loses his humor on set, and it made me realize how enjoyable filmmaking can be.” Song Kang-ho then agreed, saying, “I feel exactly the same way.”
The two continued the warm atmosphere by talking about each other’s impressive works. Yakusho Koji said, “I first got to know actor Song Kang-ho through ‘Shiri’ and I’ve watched a lot of his recent works, including ‘Joint Security Area JSA’.” He then mentioned ‘Memories of Murder’ and said, “The work itself was great, but he’s a really charming actor who makes you feel like the characters in the movie actually exist.” He added, “When I first saw ‘Memories of Murder’, I thought, ‘What a great actor we have here. ‘”
Song Kang-ho listed countless of his masterpieces, including “Shall We Dance,” “Cure,” “The Unagi,” and “Wonderful World,” and made everyone burst into laughter by saying that he wore clothes that imitated the character played by Koji Yakusho in “The Blood of Wolf.” Song Kang-ho also said, “If I had to pick one scene from among Yakusho Koji’s many great performances, I would say ‘The Unagi.’ Even now, when I meet director Bong Joon-ho, he highly praises his acting in the first scene in ‘The Unagi’ where he rides a bicycle covered in blood to the police station after murdering his wife and declares that he killed her. We both say in unison that there is no other actor in the world who can express such depth of pain and compassion as Koji Yakusho.”
Koji Yakusho concluded the Cine Talk by saying, “‘Perfect Days’ is a work that makes you stop for a moment and think about your own life. Also, I heard that during a conversation with Japanese director Mamoru Hosoda, director Bong Joon-ho said that he would like to cast me in a movie and that he would like to have me play the role of ‘an old assistant who is bullied by a cartoonist. ‘ If that work were to come true, I thought that actor Song Kang-ho could appear as the cartoonist and film a scene where he kicks me in the sky with both feet.” He added, “Korea and Japan are really close, so I hope that we can continue to have good exchanges through the medium of movies.”
Meanwhile, ‘Perfect Days’ is currently showing in theaters nationwide.
Reporter Kim Kyung-eun Photo News 1
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2024-07-24 11:00:28