Song Joong-ki Reveals His Fate With “My Name Is Loh Kiwan”, A Film He Rejected 7 Years Ago
Actor Song Joong-ki shared behind-the-scenes stories about his new recently released film “My Name Is Loh Kiwan”
Recently, actor Song Joong-ki had an interview with MK Sports and revealed various stories behind the production of his new movie “My Name Is Loh Kiwan”.
The Netflix movie “My Name Is Loh Kiwan” is about Loh Kiwan, a North Korean defector who comes to Belgium with the last hope of his life, and Marie, a Korean-Belgian who has lost her reason to live, falling in love with each other. Through the character Loh Kiwan, Song Joong-ki shows the struggles and desperate efforts of a North Korean defector who is struggling to survive in a foreign country and get recognition as a refugee in Belgium and also expresses the human’s desire to live. That’s why “My Name Is Loh Kiwan” is considered a dark yet hopeful film.
Regarding this film, Song Joong-ki called it “fate” and explained, “I turned down the casting offer for this project seven years ago, but it came back to me so I believed that I could not miss this opportunity again. It was not easy to work on a project that I already rejected before but it was not difficult in some way. Obviously, because the timing and my mindset are different now. I was a little worried, but I found it interesting that I started to empathize with the part I couldn’t relate to at first”, adding “The script was still the same but strangely, I only sympathized with Kiwan’s life when we met again. Unlike 7 years ago, I understand Loh Kiwan better now”.
When asked if environmental changes such as his marriage and the birth of his son over the past 7 years influenced his empathy with Loh Kiwan, Song Joong-ki shared, “I’m not sure what changed me exactly, and I feel like I’m just the same then and now. Even without the experiences of the past 7 years, I think I would still do this project if I met it again”, adding “I thought about the character Loh Kiwan. At first, I wondered, ‘Why is Kiwan struggling to get refugee status?’, but later, I realized that suffering physically might bring peace to his mind.”
Despite Song Joong-ki’s high satisfaction with his movie, critics’ opinions on “My Name Is Loh Kiwan” are somewhat lukewarm. Ranking third place on Netflix’s Global Top 10 for non-English films is not a bad result but it arouses mixed reactions. In this regard, Song Joong-ki said, “I didn’t expect such divided opinions but I understand people who show negative views. That’s why I refused this project in the first place. But it’s just like how I started to understand Kiwan after meeting the project again, I hope the parts that viewers couldn’t resonate with might become much more reasonable to them when they watch it again later.”
Song Joong-ki chose “North Korean dialect” as the most memorable experience for him while portraying Loh Kiwan. Mentioning his chemistry with Choi Sung-eun, Song Joong-ki praised her, saying “I met her a month after my first shoot. I had only done scenes about Kiwan’s struggles, so when Sung-eun appeared, I felt happy. It made me realize that I had been so lonely until then. Despite joining the filming late, she expressed her emotions very well. Watching Sung-eun’s acting, I envied her unwavering commitment. Despite the tough scenes, she tried to make it until the end. She’s a great partner.”
Considering Loh Kiwan, who lives as a defector and a refugee, as a “socially disadvantaged” person, Song Joong-ki revealed his thoughts about experiencing such a life, saying “I had many worries while portraying Kiwan. In reality, I’ve received so much love from many people, perhaps more than I deserve. But that also made me wonder about my surroundings. I don’t know if it was because of those worries but I’ve begun to care more about my surroundings.”
Despite the big gap between Loh Kiwan, a socially disadvantaged person, and himself, a well-loved actor in Korea, the actor still pointed out similarities between Loh Kiwan and Song Joong-ki, saying “During the filming, the production staff came to me and said my portrayal of Loh Kiwan felt much warmer than how the character was supposed to be. The reason might be because that’s how I am. (laughs) I wondered if my real personality was reflected in Loh Kiwan”.
