I tried to go back to the feelings I had during 'Peppermint Candy' (2000) and at least imitate them. I felt like I was hypnotizing myself and saying, ‘This is my first intention.’
Actor Sol Kyung-gu recalled memories of the movie 'Peppermint Candy' 26 years ago while filming his new film 'Possible Love' with director Lee Chang-dong.
For Seol Kyeong-gu, his debut work ‘Peppermint Candy’ was a work that brought both unbearable pressure and great satisfaction.
When we met at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 9th, he said, "At the time, I was going crazy because the load was more than I could handle every day. I felt guilty because I thought I couldn't handle it, but I don't think I felt that much satisfaction after filming when I went home."
So when the opportunity to work with director Lee came again, I didn't want to miss it. The appearance almost got canceled due to scheduling conflicts, but I tried to participate anyway.
Sol Kyeong-gu said with a laugh, “It was terrible to imagine casting articles under another actor’s name,” and “I wasn’t interested in the content of the work, and all I could think about was having to do it again with the director somehow.”
Regarding the script he received after deciding to appear, he said, "It felt like reading a novel that left a lasting impression, like in 'Peppermint Candy.'"
'Possible Love' depicts the story of laid-off worker Hoseok (Sol Kyeong-gu), who lives with the wounds of his past, and his wife Miok (Jeon Do-yeon), when they meet a documentary director couple. It won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival last September and was released on Netflix on the 6th of this month.
Hoseok, played by Sol Kyeong-gu, is a character who relies emotionally and financially on his wife, bearing the wounds he suffered during past mass layoffs. Sol Kyung-gu tried to express Hoseok's pain through silence and empty gaze.
He interpreted, "It seems like the internal wounds this person suffered were beyond words," and "He seemed to be a person who spoke with his body because his mind was all mixed up and he didn't know what to say."
He added, "I tried to be on screen with an insecure behavior, an uncomfortable appearance, or a blank, indifferent gaze," and added, "Rather than thinking about how I should show something, I just faithfully followed my feelings."
The scene in which Hoseok vents his deep wounds, including the sense of betrayal and disillusionment he felt from union members while fighting against mass layoffs, was also filmed without much preparation.
Sol Kyeong-gu said, “Rather than thinking about and analyzing something, I think I just had the situation Hoseok was in in my head,” and recalled, “I sat in front of the camera and filmed it without any preparation, just like a real person being interviewed.”
The scene where Hoseok recreates the moment when he was forcibly suppressed by the police during a group sit-in protest was filmed at the end of filming. As this scene directly shows the violence and trauma that Hoseok experienced, it was filmed over three or four days by recreating the actual rooftop sit-in scene and using water cannons.
Sol Kyeong-gu said, “I filmed it with a brace on, but I couldn’t come to my senses after being beaten for three or four days.” He added, “The director said, ‘Let’s do it again, it doesn’t look that painful,’ so I filmed quite a bit.”
Sol Kyeong-gu, who became a hot topic after shedding tears after the screening of the film at the Venice International Film Festival last September, recalled the emotions he felt while watching the final scene.
He said, "When I first saw it at a technology screening in Korea, I thought, 'What kind of weird thing is there just the moon on the screen?' But in Venice, the moment the moon was illuminated, my heart became strange," and "The movie ended like that, and suddenly I couldn't stop crying."
It is said that in the final scene where Mi-ok and Hoseok are sitting side by side on a table, they felt both hope and bitterness.
Seol Kyeong-gu said, “It’s not that there was no hope, but there was also a bitterness, as if I was back in that same place again with nothing getting better.” He added, “I think overall, I felt a little lonely and bitter.”
Jeon Do-yeon, who played Mi-ok, who stays by Hoseok's side until the end, revealed the trust he had built up over a long period of time.
He praised Jeon Do-yeon, saying, “Jeon Do-yeon is the most comfortable, the best actress, and the best partner.” He also said, “In this movie, Jeon Do-yeon guided me solidly from the beginning to the end, and it was an acting that I couldn’t even think of if it wasn’t for Jeon Do-yeon.”
