[Interview] Song Seung-heon "I Want to Meet and Marry My Loved One Like Destiny"

Movie 'Hidden Face' Cheating Conductor Role
Nut Diet Before Exposure Scene
30th Debut Anniversary "Aiming to Age Gracefully"

Actor Song Seung-heon. Provided by Studio&New, Solair Partners Co., Ltd., NEW

“(Song) Hye-kyo was a high school senior during ‘Autumn in My Heart.’ Unbelievable. Time really flies.”

Actor Song Seung-heon (48) is approaching his 30th anniversary since debut next year. Meeting him at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, he said this and fell into thought. He debuted in 1995 as a model for a clothing brand and began acting with the sitcom ‘Three Men, Three Women’ (1996). Known for his thick eyebrows symbolizing a handsome man, he earned the nickname ‘Ssut Geomdaengi’ (meaning ‘thick soot’). He rose to fame as a ‘Hallyu star’ with the drama ‘Autumn in My Heart’ (2000) and appeared in various works such as ‘East of Eden’ (2008) and ‘Player’ (2019?2024). He has lived as an actor for 29 years without major incidents. In the film ‘Hidden Face,’ he shed his righteous and upright image to portray a calculating ‘adulterer’ who compromises with reality for success, confidently handling intense love scenes.

‘Hidden Face,’ released on the 20th of this month, is a locked-room thriller where Sung-jin (played by Song Seung-heon), who is searching for his missing fianc?e Su-yeon (played by Jo Yeo-jeong), encounters Su-yeon’s junior Mi-joo (played by Park Ji-hyun). They discover that Su-yeon, thought to be gone, is trapped in a secret space close to them, revealing her bare face. The film is directed by Kim Dae-woo, who also directed ‘The Servant’ (2010) and ‘Obsessed’ (2014).

Song Seung-heon, who plays the ‘dirt spoon’ Sung-jin in the film, explained, “He is a person with strong ambition who meets the ‘gold spoon’ Su-yeon and rises to the position of a famous orchestra conductor. He is full of complexes and has a snobbish nature that compromises with reality.” He also handled somewhat provocative exposure and love scenes. He said, “It’s a role that the old Song Seung-heon could never have imagined.” He added, “After the preview, I was happy to hear audience reactions like ‘This role suits Song Seung-heon well.’”

Still from the movie 'Hidden Face'. Provided by Studio&New, Solaire Partners (Ltd.), NEW

Still from the movie 'Hidden Face'. Provided by Studio&New, Solaire Partners Co., Ltd., NEW

Even a veteran felt burdened by the exposure scenes. Director Kim asked Song Seung-heon to create a ‘sharp and cool body’ suitable for the orchestra conductor role. Song Seung-heon laughed, saying, “That was more difficult.” He continued, “If it were just about building a muscular body, I could eat well and exercise a lot, but since it’s a conductor, that wasn’t possible. I dieted for about a month. To avoid carbohydrates, I didn’t eat regular meals and survived on nuts for 2?3 weeks. Eating only a handful of packaged nuts a day, I was always hungry.”

‘Hidden Face’ recalls the film ‘Obsessed’ that he worked on with Director Kim 10 years ago. At that time, Song Seung-heon challenged intense love scenes for the first time since his debut. He said, “I was satisfied with the choice. After that, the range of roles widened. I always played upright and righteous roles, so it was a kind of turning point.” He added, “There is a certain image or prejudice that easily comes to mind when people see me. I want to break that. I enjoy acting in roles and genres I haven’t tried before. In the future, I want to try stronger villains or deliberately funny comedies.”

He will celebrate his 30th anniversary since debut next year. Song Seung-heon laughed, saying, “I was surprised. Time really flies.” He continued, “I was in my twenties when I debuted, and seniors told me ‘this is the good time.’ I didn’t understand that then, but now I say that to juniors. As I get older, I feel comfort and leisure, which is nice.” When asked what he would say to the 2000 version of Song Seung-heon, who was thriving as a ‘Hallyu star,’ he said, “Live roundly and gently.” He explained, “I couldn’t enjoy it back then. I wondered why there was excessive applause. Acting was just a job like others going to work. It wasn’t fun. Then I read a fan letter saying ‘be thankful for a job that moves someone,’ and I became grateful.”

His goal is to live like senior actors who have walked the path of acting for over 40 to 50 years. Song Seung-heon said, “There were times I wondered ‘how long can I do romance?’ but when I get old, I think I can do mature melodramas suitable for that age. I want to age gracefully like American actor Richard Gere.”

Actor Song Seung-heon. Provided by Studio&New, Solair Partners Co., Ltd., NEW

The human Song Seung-heon’s dream is to ‘marry’ the person he loves. When asked if he was sincere, Song Seung-heon nodded and said, “It’s not easy.” He continued, “I want to marry the person I love, but that’s the problem?it’s not easy. I’m waiting for someone to appear like fate. People around me say ‘you’re hopeless.’ But I really want to marry someone I truly love. Maybe because the memory of my first love is strong. Back then, it was pure and young, but I still dream of a love like first love. Some might say I’m like a child, but I still believe in love.”

Song Seung-heon recently reflected on life after a close friend suddenly passed away. He said, “He had a lot of wealth and nothing to envy, but he died young... After hearing the obituary, life felt meaningless and struggling seemed pointless.” He added, “I try to be happy today. I want to spend each day well with people I like and find happiness. It’s important to let go of greed and release burdens.”