Already the Fourth... Reunion of Two Acting Masters

Actors Shin Goo and Son Sook to Star in Next Month's Sejong Center Opening Play 'Abeoji wa Na wa Hongmae wa'

[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] The round interview took place in the VIP room of Sejong Center for the Performing Arts. Even after covering Sejong Center for over a year as a culture reporter, it was my first time visiting this place. Considering that the combined acting careers of the two actors being interviewed total 115 years, the word 'VIP' seemed quite fitting.

Actors Shin Goo (84) and Son Sook (76) will play the lead roles of the father and mother Hongmae in the play Father, Me, and Hongmae, which opens next month on the 14th at Sejong Center's S Theater. This is their fourth performance, following productions in 2013, 2014, and 2016.

Since the premiere in 2013, the two lead actors of this play have been Shin Goo and Son Sook. Although they have performed multiple times, they said it feels fresh to do it again after four years.

Son Sook said, "Every line feels new. The fun of an encore performance is discovering and supplementing things we missed in previous performances. I think this will make the work more complete."

Shin Goo also said, "As we find things we hadn't noticed before, it feels like receiving a new script."

Father, Me, and Hongmae tells the story of a displaced father in the final stages of liver cancer spending his last few days with his family. The father experiences symptoms like hepatic coma, a kind of delirium, amid the pain of terminal cancer. Shin Goo described the play’s plot and admitted it is a difficult play.

Son Sook commented, "The grandmother’s feelings watching her husband live a terminal life are very realistic. He is so pitiful, but it’s also so hard that she scolds him. There’s a line where she gets angry, saying, 'You acted so proud, so why did it come to this?' These realistic stories don’t feel like someone else’s as we get older. It’s something that will soon happen, so it makes you think a lot about how to handle it and what kind of mindset is needed."

Perhaps because it resonates more deeply over time, Son Sook said it was a play she definitely wanted to do again. She added, "These days, I think a lot about well-dying. I hope to die with dignity, not with a bunch of flowers hanging around." She also mentioned that although the play deals with an uncomfortable death, the actual scene of the father passing away does not appear, which she thinks is very good.

Actors Shin Goo (right) and Son Sook [Photo by Shinsee Company]

Father, Me, and Hongmae is an autobiographical story by writer Kim Kwang-tak, who captured the last moments of his father who passed away from liver cancer. Kim Kwang-tak received the 6th Cha Beom-seok Playwriting Award for Father, Me, and Hongmae.

Son Sook said, "Because the writer wrote it after witnessing his own father’s deathbed, it feels very vivid. It’s very hard for actors. Even a small line can be missed if you lose focus for a moment. I think it’s a very delicate work."

Shin Goo and Son Sook built their relationship long ago while working together at the National Theater Company. Their conversation was as relaxed as their many years together.

Son Sook said, "While doing Father, Me, and Hongmae, we met again after almost 20 years, and his attitude toward theater is still admirable. He is my favorite co-actor." In response, Shin Goo shyly said, "You flatter me," and replied, "Son Sook teacher’s attitude toward theater is second to none." Especially, Son Sook mentioned that Shin Goo memorizes the entire script immediately after the reading and practices, which makes the juniors nervous. Shin Goo said, "After the reading, I learn the blocking. If I hold the script while moving, it’s hard to follow the director’s blocking. As a professional, I think it’s my duty to prepare in advance. I’ve done this for so long that it’s become a habit."

The two actors each mentioned a work they regretted not having done. Son Sook wished to play Blanche DuBois in A Streetcar Named Desire, and Shin Goo regretted never having played Hamlet.

Son Sook added, "Now, rather than wanting to do new works, I hope to stay on stage for a long time. Even if I don’t get lines, just sitting on stage would make me happy and be fun."