Actor Son Suk Goo has issued an apology for his recent controversial remarks about "fake acting."
The actor appeared in a pre-recorded interview on JTBC's 'News Room,' which aired on the afternoon of July 23.
During the interview, Son Suk Goo was asked about the recent controversy surrounding his remarks on acting in a theater play. He explained that when he first started acting about a decade ago, he worked diligently to improve his skills and sometimes felt pressured to conform to a standardized approach to acting. He shared, "I started acting about 10 years ago and I put in the effort to become a good actor. But at times, I felt pressured to conform to a standardized way of acting." He added, "(looking back) it might not have been the case but I might have felt that way because of my narrow-mindedness and stubbornness. So since I was younger, I thought I should find my own color."
He continued, "Even now, I carefully consider how I can infuse my unique style into the roles," emphasizing the excitement of bringing his creative vision to the characters he portrays. However, his choice of words in expressing this sentiment caused misunderstanding, making it sound as if he was criticizing others for 'acting fake.'
Realizing the impact of his words, Son Suk Goo took personal responsibility for the misunderstanding and expressed remorse. He further revealed that he personally reached out to senior actor Nam Myung Ryul, offering a handwritten apology letter. He explained, "I think it was my personal view and I self-reflected. I even wrote a handwritten letter to Senior (Nam Myung Ryul) to apologize. He saw the letter and understood my heart, he even gave me a reply, and said he will come to see my play."
At a press conference for the play 'Army on the Tree' held last month, Son Suk Goo stated that altering his acting style for a play would compromise one of the core purposes of his acting. He stated, "(The script) asks for love to be whispered, but if you do that, they should give a microphone. I think it's fake acting when they tell you you can't whisper on stage though. So I decided to quit theater and focus on film and television."
This statement drew criticism from actor Nam Myung Ryul, who shared an article with Son Suk Goo's remark on his social media platform, expressing his disapproval.
As a result, the situation sparked heated debates and discussions in various online communities, with people sharing their views on both Son Suk Goo's initial remarks and Nam Myung Ryul's response.
It sounds like a big misunderstanding. Though given that Korea has such a "seniority/age trumps all" mentality that I'm glad Son Suk Goo was able to take the mature route and extend an olive branch first.