[Limelight] 'Kkanbu Grandfather's' Selfless Acting Holds a 'Beautiful Life'

Netflix Original 'Squid Game' Actor Oh Young-soo
Debuted in 1968, 'Legend of the Theater World'... Stage as Life's Purpose and Meaning

Netflix 'Squid Game' still cut

"When the wind blows, leaves fall. When leaves fall, the soil becomes fertile. When the soil becomes fertile, fruits ripen. Step by step, slowly." This is a narration from director Fushihara Genshi's documentary Life Fruits. It summarizes the life philosophy practiced by the elderly couple protagonists (Shuichi and Hideko). It is a life enriched by living each day while adhering to self-imposed rituals and rules. At the end of the film, director Fushihara places an aphorism by architect Frank Lloyd Wright: "The longer you live, the more beautiful life becomes."

Actor Oh Young-soo (77, real name Oh Se-gang), who says he likes this work, has internalized a similar set of values. Among Korean words, he prefers the term "areumdawoom" (beauty) the most. A beautiful world, a beautiful society, beautiful people... He hopes even his departing figure from the stage will be beautiful. The key is not mere longevity. Actor Kiki Kirin (1943?2018), who narrated Life Fruits, advised, "Let go of obsession, relax your shoulders, and stand tall alone." He perfected convincing acting with the purity he regained that way. Oh is the same. Without selfish thoughts, he breathes slowly and draws out the silent language that exists between words. He expresses the authenticity of life discovered in everyday reality.

Movie 'In Life Fruits' Still Cut

Now the whole world recognizes him. As Oh Il-nam in the Netflix drama Squid Game. Known as the "Kkanbu Grandfather," he has gained explosive popularity. Oh Il-nam is the game’s architect who holds money and power, but in reality, he is a universal human embodying both good and evil. With a stooped posture, he swings his arms and smiles innocently, but at critical moments, he opens his eyes wide and strikes unexpectedly. He shows the wit of one who has realized life. Oh did not act out of greed or conscious effort. He thought, "How would a brain tumor patient with slight dementia behave?" and entered the role with a relaxed mind.

He says that as time passed and experience accumulated, natural acting became possible. Though not widely known, he is a "living legend" in the theater world. He debuted as an actor in 1968 with the theater troupe Gwangjang. He worked with troupes Seongjwa, Yeoin, and Jayu, and from 1987 to 2010 was active at the National Theater of Korea. He appeared in over 200 plays including Faust, A Streetcar Named Desire, The Merchant of Venice, and Richard III. In films (Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring, Dongseung) and dramas (Queen Seondeok, Musa), he mainly portrayed monks. His understanding of the mind of a practitioner made these roles fit perfectly.

"When a traveler walking a mountain path sees a pretty flower, a young person picks it and takes it, a middle-aged person digs it up to plant in their garden, and an older person just looks at it where it is and leaves it be before returning home. After turning seventy, I developed a desire to just leave things as they are and let go of everything. Because of that, I no longer have excessive greed in acting."

This is an explanation added with age to a story from philosopher Erich Fromm’s To Have or To Be. He wants to live with a heart that gives, whether big or small. He learned this from actual experience. At thirty-four, he was arrogant and greedy, ruining the play Faust. Despite advice from others that he suited the role of Mephistopheles, he stubbornly insisted on playing Faust, resulting in a disastrous outcome. His voice failed, and he even lost consciousness briefly during a scene where he held a globe and delivered a monologue.

Faust is about an aging scholar who made a pact with the devil and returns to his youth, continuously contemplating the harmony between nature and humans until he reaches one hundred years old. Nature is depicted as an untouchable force. Faust feels his own finiteness before it and longs for nature deeply. Through nature’s healing, he escapes despair. Oh also values this more as he ages. That is why he wants to perform Faust again at least once before he dies. He believes a true actor must be able to tell the story of life.

"For an actor, the stage is the purpose and meaning of life. The stage is a space that reflects reality. Therefore, an actor is someone who unravels and tells what human values and purposes are within stories that reflect reality. To do that, one must sing about life, but nowadays plays and films only have events. Shakespeare’s works have lasted 500 years not because they only deal with events, but because they contain life, especially old age. Unlike Europe and Japan, we lack such works, so older actors have no place to stand."

That said, he has no intention of leaving the stage. He holds a belief similar to Shuichi in Life Fruits. After the Isewan Typhoon in 1959 brought 5-meter-high waves and claimed 5,000 lives, the Japan Housing Corporation planned to build a new town on high ground. Shuichi, who was in charge of the design, wanted to leave a forest in the village. Contrary to the wind, expensive buildings were constructed on a large scale, mountains were cut down, and valleys were buried. Shuichi created a forest here until the moment he died.

Oh also goes on stage and devotes himself to acting. He does not shrink back but accepts the world’s affairs with a cheerful heart. Step by step, slowly, he speaks to the audience and enriches everyday life. The spotlight that came from Squid Game is the fruit gained in this way. The power of character makes life sweeter with age. Truly, it is a beautiful life.