On October 4, a special tribute titled “Remembering the Late Actor Lee Sun-kyun” took place at Lotte Cinema Centum City in Haeundae, Busan, as part of the 29th Busan International Film Festival. The event included a special talk session about the tvN drama “My Mister”, with director Kim Won-seok and actors Park Ho-san and Song Sae-byeok in attendance.
“My Mister”, which aired in 2018, tells the story of three brothers struggling through life and a woman who has lived a harsh life. Together, they heal each other’s wounds and find solace.
During the event, director Kim Won-seok shared a memorable line from the drama. He recalled, “There was a line that hit me in a new way: ‘Why are you so eager to cut people off?’”, to which Park Dong-hoon (played by Lee Sun-kyun) replied, “That’s just how companies work. Do you think they cut people based on who can’t do their job? No, they cut people who are an inconvenience.”
Kim Won-seok then shared his perspective, “For actors, and for directors like me, the ‘company’ is the ‘public.’ The ones doing the cutting are the masses.”
He continued, “Lately, I think about this a lot. How difficult must it be for someone who is attacked, criticized and then abandoned by the public? That’s what being ‘cut’ feels like. Personally, I believe that the media outlets, police, and prosecutors responsible for these absurd articles are only empowered because the public tolerates it. If the public hadn’t accepted those articles, they wouldn’t have been published. I think the public knows very well how powerful they are in this age of media.”
He also added, “What I want to say is, before cutting someone off, please give them another chance. Even if they committed a crime, I believe they can be given an opportunity. In this case, it wasn’t even a crime, and there was no evidence of any crime. It was just an uncomfortable situation. I can’t help but feel that my suggestion might have been a heavy burden on Lee Sun-kyun’s heart, and that breaks my heart.”
He apologized to the audience, “I’m sorry to speak on this matter, which might not concern most of the public. I just hope we can all be more careful. The ultimate power lies with you, the public. Without your support and encouragement, actors wouldn’t exist. Those who leaked false information and baseless investigation reports must be punished.”
Source: Daum
