Are we the first visitors? Yes, you are. It's our first time too. So it's like a housewarming party. Nice. A housewarming party. The weather's so good. Gee, it's like summer. Seriously, it's like summer.
What's going on? It's nice. You did a great job. We're not done with this place yet. So we have a simple setup here. This is... Oh, it's a bit windy. I think it's fine. Right? You two can sit over here. Where? We have a ramyun cooker too. (A behind-the-scene talk show
taking place on an empty rooftop) Hurry, hurry! Open! Follow me to the rooftop. I'll grill you meat. (Sizzling with Nah) (Today's menu: Samgyeopsal) You two just finished a big project. We'll serve samgyeopsal
to show our gratitude and for both of you doing a great job. Oh, thank you. That's our concept here. We'll start grilling it. He's actually good at grilling.
Should I put one here? You grill it. This? I'm not good at talking. You grill some. Jung Min's also good at grilling meat. First, put this down. Yes, put it down and eat. - Careful.
- Oh, sure. I'm not sure if I'll do
a good job on this. Come on, yes you can. There. Should we do this? It doesn't matter as long as
we have a hole for the oil. (Clumsy hospitality) Sure, let's do it like this and eat. I'm sorry, but this is our first shooting. The first shooting of <Sizzling with Nah>. I have a feeling
I'm going to get frizzled. The setup may seem a bit unfinished... Very sloppy. But you're good at stuff like this. I am? You are. The green onions. Thank you. Give me an empty one. - What did you want?
- The empty one there. Which empty one? - This?
- An empty bowl. (Better than the owner) I'm not sure how well it'll cook
because of the wind. Dae Ju, behind you... See the newspaper?
Can you give me that? Should we grill garlic and kimchi too? (Working on maintenance
instead of the owners) I can't tell
where the wind is blowing from. - Oh, but it's not windy now.
- Yes, it stopped. Do you go camping? No, I don't. Then is this from stage art? Stage art? Wind? (Yung Suk is depending on the guests) We should be the ones serving you guys... What's the title of the movie you shot? <12.12: THE DAY>. - Both of you are in it?
- Yes. It's about the historic event... I'll grill it now. that happened on December 12. It was a real event, and the conflict
between characters was recreated by imagination. It's a huge event in Korean history. In Korean modern history! It was a huge event. I bet there was some pressure
while filming the movie. I'm saying everyone
including the director, the actors. You can't help it. Right, I'd be lying if I said
I felt no pressure. - Right.
- There was pressure. There's added weight when shooting
a movie based on real stories. What are your roles? Is it okay to share it? Of course.
I'm Lee Tae-sin, General Lee Tae-sin. A general? He's a fictional character. What about Jung Min? I'm Chun Doo-gwang. You.. You know what that means, right? Of course, Chun Doo-gwang. I totally get it. (Fictional characters recreated
based on imagination) Do you have to reenact it
as close as possible? When reenacting such characters, do you have to be similar to them? Sometimes, you can't just reenact it
no matter the effort. The story itself in the script, in the scenario has its own substance. So we contemplate on that
and judge each other from it and create something new. Okay, because when I first heard this, I knew I'd feel pressure
if I were the actor. That's what I thought. Well, the pressure would be immense
if it's coming from the idea that I have to reenact it
as close as possible or according to what people expect. But if it's a recreation
of a new character, that's just a challenge
I need to face as an actor. I just have to carry the pressure
on how to perform as an individual. Can you share a bit about
the story of the movie? It's what happened on December 12,
the day when the military insurrection took place from 7pm
until 4am the next day. It's about what happened
during those 9 hours. Oh, so it's a concise version of that? Just that. None of what happened afterward. It focuses on
what was being contemplated... It's a huge event, but the characters
must have great impact. Both of you are in opposition, right?
What's that relationship like? Should we turn it off? No, can't we eat this? We're in complete opposition. You can lower the heat now. (Samgyeopsal is more important
than his movie role) Oh, so you guys are in conflict. Yes, in complete opposition. You're trying to cause an uproar and he's trying to block you. Right, so we don't look at each other much
when working. Why not? We don't talk much on set too.
It... we talk less. Yes, and we don't talk. We keep it that way for our acting. You try to focus on compiling emotions
even before shooting. I don't intentionally try,
it just happens. So does seeing him make you feel annoyed? No, I need to become careless. So we... We quit caring about each other.
Like they don't exist. Really? You really have to become careless. That helps when acting to... To develop the drive of my emotions. To act Chun Doo-gwang, Jung Min tried to utilize certain characteristics
in appearance. Can we eat it? Of course. It takes a while to get the makeup done. When you came out
once the makeup was done, were you spooked? He looked like... It was brilliant. I'm excited to see that. I should go check it in theaters. (He's only excited for the samgyeopsal) Mmm! It's good. (Serving himself some samgyeopsal) Mmm, tasty. Kim Sung Soo's the Director, right? Director Kim and I are... We did <Beat>, <City of The Rising Sun>,
<The Warriors>, and <Asura: The City of Madness>. Was he a young Director
when you were doing <Beat>? He was in his 30s. When you... Dae Ju, pass me some chili. When you decide to do a movie, do you consider who the director is too? You can't be making the decision
solely by script. What moves actors... In my case, it's the script. If the script is interesting... The thing is, well-known directors usually write great scripts. Oh, I see. I think that's why
they become famous directors. They're good writers, it's fun. Anyway, back to the question of
deciding based on script or director. The first thing actors get, is the script. So directors write the script too? Yes! But the director didn't write
the script for this movie. He did a bit of dramatization
for <12.12: THE DAY>. Right. But they are deeply involved in movies. Even the small props need
to be directly confirmed. Oh, I see. Only then you can start working, right? I heard that TV dramas are
a writer's work of art, and movies are a director's work of art.
I get what that means now. Can I get more meat, please? Oh, yes. I think this show is going to do great. Put that here.
It'll be better to put it here. I wasn't expecting
this kind of a reaction. I bet <Sizzling with Nah> will do great. I mean, the meat is so good. I don't know where you got it, but how can pork neck taste so good
without being tough? Jung Min, would you like rice?
Woo Sung too? Me? I... Share it with me. Okay, I'll bring a little. We can share a bowl. Recently, I went to Romania... I had to travel 7 hours
into the countryside of Romania for a shoot. Wow. But Romanians don't eat much beef. I heard beef meat is tough there. But the pork was so good. Oh, pork in Romania? Yes, so this corner shop
in the middle of the countryside was sold out of samgyeopsal. Because all the staff ate it. Once the shop was out of samgyeopsal,
the owner was asking why we were only having pork when there's other meat
that's good too. That's how we ended up
hoarding samgyeopsal. Koreans' love
for samgyeopsal is unmatched. How long were you in Romania? For a month! A month? That's pretty long. How old were you when you debuted? In my early 20s. 1993? That was <Beat>? <The Fox With Nine Tails>. <The Fox With Nine Tails>! That was the best CG created
in Korea at the time. Yes, the first morphing technique. (Coming through) - Eye colors changed too.
- The kimchi, please. What? Kimchi? (Passionately enjoying his meal) We're heating up doenjang jjigae too. Jung Min, when did you debut? My debut... <The General's Son> in 1989. Then when you were 20 years old... I was 19 in 1989. I never heard of someone having <The General's Son> as their debut project. I had a small role. What were you? I was the manager of Woomigwan. Hey! A 19-year-old being
the manager of Woomigwan? What did you look like
when you were 19? It's similar to now. I mean, so, well... All of the actors there... They all went through the same audition. That's how they made it. It was a big audition back then. You remember? Were you an actor then? No, but I regularly checked
the entertainment news. Anyway, it was directed
by Director Im Kwon Taek. Yes, Director Im. He had all the actors gather together. Kang Soo Youn came
and gave acting lessons too. Oh, because everyone was a newbie? Yes, all newbies. - Oh, that's an interesting system.
- Like an academy. Yes. That's what happened. Then, the director would tell people which role to do and stuff. So even up to a week before, - not even the roles are assigned?
- Nobody knows. At the time,
most of the actors in <The General's Son> were all young actors. They were all selected through auditions. Who were selected after that audition? Shin Hyunjoon, KIM SEUNG WOO,
SANG MIN, PARK SANG MIN! So every one of them auditioned and... Yes, everyone. There was no Costume Team back then. So it was our due diligence
to buy the right clothes. I remember my mom, she went to the department store to buy a coat that resembled the era with the little money we had. I remember wearing that on set. Each actor was in charge
of their outfit for the movie? Yes, so we carried around our own clothes
back then, right? When I was doing <The Man from the Asphalt Street>,
I had to do all my costumes. We had a shoot overseas. I loaded my luggage
with all the costumes I had to wear. That's what things used to be, right? I bet they did have
a Costume Team, though... Yes, but... Maybe it was only for the lead actors. Maybe. You must've felt like
you were being treated less. You went through the same audition,
but someone's a lead role and... You were only the manager of Woomigwan. I bet it was a bit disappointing. But, I mean... I was grateful enough to have made it. So you were already acting then? You were only 19. Jung Min's been doing plays
since high school. I acted since high school. In theater? I went to an art school. So I... In high school... I gave up
taking the college entrance exam. Why did you give up? To start a theater company.
A teen-theatre company. At that young age? How did you come up with that idea? I was mad, I was totally crazy. So I gave up
taking the college entrance exam. Because I could take it the next year, but this opportunity wouldn't come again. There was this small space
in Hannam-dong... Thank you. (Jjigae is served) I started in this tiny room and prepared a show
as a theater company. The parents of those
who joined you must have hated you so much. "That punk lured in my son..." No, but everyone around me wanted to do it so we did it. At home, they all thought they were
going to study rooms. But we were using that money
to borrow props for the show. But that's how you construct your future. It's challenging yourself. At first, we couldn't tell our parents. This is what we told them. We did a show, and it flopped. We did the musical <Godspell> and of course we didn't do well. We barely had 3, 4 audiences.
We couldn't pay the theater. So we ended up giving up within 2 weeks. We were forced to,
since we couldn't pay the theater. Right. We had to stop,
but how were we supposed to pay all that? - It's like going bankrupt.
- Right. We ended up sharing it
with our parents. So you confessed? How did your parents react? They cried, my mom cried. She cried a lot and... Anyway, she came and... The money, we had a lot in debt. You were kids,
but this was on a massive scale. Yes, a massive blow. He's a troublemaker! They rented a theater! It was... You made your parents suffer a lot, huh? Yes. That's why I always feel sorry for them. (Dreams were bigger than reality) I got to cover it
with what I got from doing <The General's Son>. So I guess the pay wasn't bad
even as a Woomigwan manager. They paid me 1 million won. Oh, that's a lot. Everyone got 1 million won. Each of the actors,
regardless of your role... Whether it was a small or big role. So I clearly remember getting paid
some 900,000 won excluding 3.3% tax. Almost 80% of it was spent to pay the debt from doing plays. You renewed yourself
from being a credit delinquent. Anyway... Good job playing the Woomigwan manager. And back then, everything was dubbed. Really? Yes, it was dubbed. It's not recorded on site, but recorded later separately? In a recording booth. So voice actors did it. - Not your own voice?
- It wasn't my voice. "Glad to see you today." Kind of like this. How funny. If you don't mind me asking, does your child take after
his mother or father? His wife is a go-getter too. She's even worse than I. Wow, with both DNAs, your child might have something more inside. When he was in 3rd grade, I guess he got a prompt that asked, "What are the things you like?" This is what he wrote. "Get-togethers (Newmaul)." That's what he wrote. We got a call from the teacher. "A get-together? Not even eating out?" It's confusing, right? So we got a call from his teacher. At the time, my wife and I, we were working on a musical together. After the show, we always drank and hung out at the Newmaul
with the actors. My kid would play in the green room
after school and then follow us to the get-together. With all the other uncles. He had great memories from that. I heard many things
from children, but never a child who loves going to get-togethers. So! He's been loving get-togethers since then. Even now, when I tell him
I'm at a get-together, he says, "Should I join?" Gee, hilarious. Hearing all that makes me jealous
of one thing. Being able to run around the green room where my dad works?
That experience is... Right. I envy that so much. You could You don't have children. Right, I don't. I just did this and that alone
and became an actor. I didn't have a chance
to do drama clubs... Didn't you say you couldn't do anything
because you were poor? Yes, I did part-time jobs, started modeling... I wanted to be an actor,
but didn't know how to. I went to audition at broadcast stations, but never made it. You also went through hardships? Of course, but... Who on earth would pass you
on an audition? It felt like you never would've had
any hardships. No, I just continued working alone, doing this and that, believing
I'll make it one day. - That was all.
- Really? In my young memory, I saw you on screens. You were like a superstar
who came out of nowhere. That's what I remember of you. Right. Because you don't know
my whole story. I just appeared and you had no clue
about my life as a human being. And luckily, I was able to gain success
at a young age. So you did go through hardships. You had to go through trials
after multiple times of effort. Of course. Weren't you going through a lot
these days too? Yes, the past years... All the projects... I worked too hard, without rest. I told you before. Jung Woo Sung in three words,
a prolific actor. Why are you working so hard? He does everything he's told to do. And he works very hard. And you do it diligently. Of course, I should work hard. Everyone's gathered
to make something out of this. So I should work hard. Unlike my expectations,
he doesn't say no to anyone's order
and tries his best to do whatever is asked to be done. But I'm tired, I'm going to quit soon. (Saying empty words out of shyness) Then, Jung Min. When did you start working again
after playing the Woomigwan manager? So after that... But... At Woomigwan, I once... I had 1 line. You had 1 line? - One phrase.
- Oh, my. So, it was this. I was anxious, and Kim Du Han busts in, saying, "Hey, how dare you host
a birthday party here?" That's when I go up to him and explain that I'm sorry,
it's the birthday of Detective Maruoka. Anyway, it was a pretty long line. But that 1 phrase. I practiced it for days, but it just didn't come out of my mouth. I... Um... Detective Maruoka... There were no walkie-talkies then. Someone would go,
"Cut! Who is that punk?!" As a 19-year-old I got more scared. "Sorry, I'll do it again." So I went again. I tried it again. But I kept choking. Oh, dear. I would've felt like crying. I would've cried. Another "Cut!" "Who the funk is he?" All the cussing. The Assistant Director was... He shot that movie... <The Terrorist>. (Director Kim Young Bin was
the Assistant Director then) (Director Im Sang Soo was
the youngest scripter) Now, they're... Back then, they were young staff. But now, they're the biggest... The pillars. Right, the pillar of Korean movies. Director Kim Young Bin came up to me, "What are you doing, you punk?" "Wake up!" I said sorry. And inside, "Whatever, skip to the next scene." Oh my. I relocated to the next scene
with a guilty heart. I was in the back. They were shooting something else. I stood blankly and that was it for me. Oh my. That was it for me. So your line never got in the movie? I got curious, and at first,
I couldn't go watch it in theaters. I watched it months after it was released. The voice actor... mumbled exactly the way I mumbled in the scene. Exactly the same. They made it
so the mumbling was intentional, not because you forgot the lines. Yes, so even now when you watch it, I go, "Detective Maruoka..." That's been my biggest trauma. It was a huge shock. That's when... I realized I shouldn't be hasty. I needed to study more and train more. More experience. Afterward, I couldn't go to auditions that well. It was traumatic. Yes, so I started auditioning at around the age of 30. You took a break and then... That's almost 10 years. That's a 10-year hiatus. Yes, I kept performing in plays, in Daehakro theaters, and some... Some saw me interesting, as a good actor, I was gaining a good reputation and doing more shows. That helped me gain confidence and led me to audition again. I didn't get many roles, but I got cast in <Waikiki Brothers>. Yes, from Director Yim Soon Rye. I made that one. It took 10 years for you
to overcome your mistake. When you were doing <Waikiki Brothers>, were you working, Woo Sung? He was a star. - Unreachable?
- Yes. When did you film <Beat>? It was in 1995, 1996. I started doing films in 2000. He was a big star then. He was already... He received a lot of attention
upon his debut. Over 2 centuries. From the 20th to the 21st. From film to digital. What an amazing career. I know, so burdensome. For <The Fox With Nine Tails>,
I auditioned and got a role, and with great hopes of becoming
a movie star, I was full of passion to do well. On site, even when I couldn't do stunts,
I'd volunteer and do flips and rolls. People favored me for that hard-working effort. I later went to the theater
to watch the movie. All I could see was this stick. I was stiff like a stick. Wow, I couldn’t see myself. I was so embarrassed. (Memories of his early acting career
makes him cringe) Okay, this might be... a cheap question, but... Just ask him. The success from <Beat>, it was a huge success. Didn't you ever think like this? "I made it." "I'm a superstar, for real." Did you ever feel like that? I wasn't aware of it. Not at all? I wanted to break-free from the perceptions people had about me. Oh, I think I would've enjoyed it. In a way, I was very curious to know more about myself. You're kind of like a grandpa at heart. Right. People used to call me that when I was young too. "Where do I have to go next?" I'm not Jung Min,
where should I go next? I need to use the restroom. Shall I go to the restroom? (At this moment,
Jung Min wants to go to the restroom) (Continues in the next clip) (Sizzling with Nah)
