Seol Kyung-gu, the parent of ‘School Abuse Perpetrator’. Provided by Mind Mark It is a big success for actor Seol Kyung-gu (55), who is in his ‘second heyday’. Following ‘Kingmaker’ (Director Byun Seong-hyun) and ‘Yacha’ (Director Na-hyun), ‘I Miss Your Parents’ Faces’ is already the third movie this year alone. In addition, ‘Ghost’ (Director Hae-Young Lee) and ‘Gil Bok-Soon’ (Director Byeon Seong-Hyun) are regarding to be released.
In a video interview ahead of the release of ‘I Miss Your Parents’, Seol Kyung-gu said, “I am happy and grateful to be able to consistently present my work amid the corona pandemic.
Now, ‘Boys’ (director Jung Ji-young), ‘The Moon’ (director Kim Yong-hwa), ‘Ghost’, and ‘Gil Bok-sun’ remain, but I hope that the theater and the filming site will return to their original positions as soon as possible.”
‘I Miss Your Parents’ (Director Kim Ji-hoon) depicts the ugly bare faces of parents who hide the case for their children who have been pointed out as the perpetrators and the names of four people left in a letter from a student who threw themselves. Seol Kyung-gu plays Kang Ho-chang, the father of Kang Kang-gyeol (Sung Yu-bin), a well-known interviewing lawyer and a perpetrator of school violence in a prestigious Haneum international middle school.
‘I miss your parents’ faces’ Seol Kyung-gu. Provided by Fox International Production Korea ▶ Click here for a larger view
Seol Kyung-gu, who had a relationship with director Kim Ji-hoon through the previous film ‘Tower’ (2012), said, “At the time of filming ‘Tower’, director Kim was preparing this work. First of all, the title was very strong and stimulated curiosity. The director didn’t have me in mind from the start, but following receiving an offer to appear, I fell in love with the script and chose it without any hesitation.”
He continued, “I was playing the role of the father of a student who was a victim of school violence, but I didn’t particularly think of ‘what if it was me?’ I tried to stick to the scenario and the situation as much as possible without substituting myself. It was too difficult a problem, so I focused only on Kang Ho-chang to lessen the complexity.”
“Of course, it’s not that I didn’t do anything, but I didn’t try to reveal it through acting by emphasizing that I was an assailant and a victim. Rather than acting to show something, I wanted the audience to see it with their own eyes, paying attention to the inner part. I pressed and played.”
Regarding Sung Yu-bin, who worked with the rich man, he said, “It was heavy for his age. She was mature enough to be trusted and followed, and she was helped a lot in acting. She also did a movie called ‘Birthday’ following this movie, and she does a good job with a tough role. She (she is Sung Yu-bin) is an actress who is curious regarding how she will grow because of her strong spirit of challenge.”
Regarding Chun Woo-hee, who made the appearance by himself, he said, “The original teacher, Song Jeong-wook, was originally a male actor, but when I heard the idea of changing to a woman, Chun Woo-hee’s feelings came right away. The solid feeling of the character was like Chun Woo-hee. At first (Chun Woo-hee) said that he had given up, so I contacted him with the feeling of wanting to hang on one more time. Thankfully, he changed his mind and it was amazing. I mightn’t take my eyes off the work the whole time.”
“It took five years to open, but I didn’t feel any sense of alienation at all. It’s something that’s been going on for a while now. No, I’ve gotten smarter and stronger, I don’t think there’s been any improvement. I was very frustrated, upset, and in pain. (College) It seems to be individual versus group rather than individual versus individual. So it seems like a topic that needs to be constantly touched.”
In particular, he fell into deep anguish as he played the role of a parent who destroys even the opportunity to be forgiven. Seol Kyung-gu said, “I thought once more that the role of parents is very important above all while acting in a cruel story. (If there is anything new to look at) As the film was made from the perspective of the perpetrator, the copy phrase ‘When children become monsters, parents become demons’ came to mind.”
Seol Kyung-gu pointed out the seriousness of school violence and emphasized the role of parents. Provided | Mindmark “I always have the same view on school violence. Rather than asking, ‘What kind of choice do you think you would make?’ I think our film portrays parents who are becoming monsters and demons. They are constantly saying that the role of parents is important. I hope that the audience will see this movie and think regarding and discuss the role of parents. Some people are wondering whether to show the movie to children or not, but if it were me, I would show it to them.”
Regarding the level of bullying expressed in the film, “I didn’t see it while filming, but when I saw the finished version, there were quite a few terrible scenes. Still, I thought it might be more terrifying and vicious in reality. In fact, I thought I would have gone as far as I might. So (the perpetrator’s father and lawyer) Kang Ho-chang seemed very incompetent as an adult. He seemed powerless because he didn’t know what to do.”
“Director Kim was very depressed while filming. It must have been because of the pressure the story gives, the pain that the perpetrator creates, and the strong sense of responsibility. Contrary to his worries, I think a very good finished version came out. Everyone worked with one heart and sincerity, and I wonder how the audience will see them. I sincerely hope that it will be an opportunity to think and talk together.”
‘I Miss Your Parents’ was cranked up in August 2017, starring Seol Kyung-gu, Oh Dal-su, Chun Woo-hee, Moon So-ri, etc., but the release was delayed due to various issues including the corona pandemic, so it was able to meet the audience following 5 years. It opens on the 27th.
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