Actor Lee Pil-mo said that although two years have passed since his mother died, he still cannot bring himself to tell his father about the obituary, drawing sympathy.
On the 15th episode of Channel A's 'Close Friend Tokumentary - Table for Four,' Park Kyung-lim and college classmates Lee Jong-hyuk and Kim Min-kyo visited the home of Lee Pil-mo and Seo Soo-yeon.
That day, Lee Pil-mo recalled memories from college while dining with Park Kyung-lim, Lee Jong-hyuk and Kim Min-kyo. Park Kyung-lim asked, "Did you start acting around the same time?" and Lee Jong-hyuk replied, "Almost exactly the same." Lee Pil-mo said, "We did it with passion because we couldn't make money," and Kim Min-kyo reminisced, "The troupe's name was 'Jase Repertoire.' The play's title was 'The Threepenny Opera,'" recalling the days they performed together in Daehangno.
Lee Jong-hyuk said, "There weren't banners. We didn't have money to hang them. So for a 7 p.m. show they'd tell people to come by 5 p.m., and we'd wear our stage costumes and perform on the street." As a result, audiences lined up to see the shows and it gained great popularity, becoming the most successful play in Daehangno after 'Liar.'
Kim Min-kyo said, "We did that for about three years, then we said, 'Instead of staying like this, let's leave separately to get our names out there and regroup later,'" explaining why they went their separate ways. The first to start earning commercially was none other than Lee Jong-hyuk. Lee Pil-mo said, "I expected it. Jong-hyuk was already doing pretty well in Daehangno," adding, "Back then we were so innocent," saying he felt no jealousy at all.
By contrast, Lee Pil-mo spent 10 years in obscurity. He said, "I lived doing part-time jobs. Advertising part-time. If there was someone famous, I would hang around behind them," and "There was nothing I hadn't tried. There's a famous company that builds musical sets; I joined one place and held a hammer, built sets, loaded them onto trucks and did the setup. That was when the premiere of 'Empress Myeongseong' happened. During the run of more than 40 performances, anyone could have made a mistake, so I memorized the whole script. A chance might come," conveying his eagerness not to miss even small opportunities.
He also appeared in 'Love and War,' and after 10 years, hits followed in succession with ratings such as Myeoneuri Jeonseong Sidae at 35.3%, You Are My Destiny at 43.6%, and Sons of Solyakgukjip at 44.2%, making him a reliable actor. Park Kyung-lim asked, "When you became successful, didn't your mother like it?" and Lee Pil-mo joked, "Later she even prepared her own autograph."
When asked, "Your mother was good at financial investment?" he recalled, "I can't manage money. I originally had a house in Bangbae-dong, but my mother managed it well and moved it several times, and now those things did well. The children were all raised by my mother. She saved and economized. My father had three children and lived his life like a freeloader without making money. In the past, when neighborhood women held savings meetings, they'd set aside a few ten-thousand won and live for a month. My mother lived her life saving and economizing," recalling a poor childhood and his mother's hardship of supporting the family alone.
Lee Pil-mo said, "From the point I earned acting fees, I kept a few hundred thousand won, and if it exceeded 1 million won I gave it to my mother. I gave that for about 20 years. I could meet friends quietly and drink soju; there's no reason to have that much money. But my mother used that to do what she never could in her life—manage money. No one else gave her income. When I was doing theater, she'd call, 'Come quickly.' I'd go, and if she said, 'Stamp it,' I'd stamp it. Then this became buildings and so on," describing his mother's unusual financial skill, which surprised listeners. He added, "In my life there are big crossroads. It's the same in acting—there are major decisions you have to make. When I thought, 'I still don't know this well,' or when I couldn't imagine why a character did something, I'd ask my mother and she'd clearly say, 'Isn't it like this?' That insight has kept me as an actor. At every crossroads my mother helped me," he said.
But Lee Pil-mo's mother passed away in March 2023 from a stroke. Lee Pil-mo said, "On my mother's passing, I wanted to do my best. So we used an entire floor by ourselves for the funeral, a large place. No matter how much it cost, I thought I had to do this for my mother, so I did it. When you place the table orders, they ask what meat you want; I asked for everything they had. We had two kinds of soup. You should do that much when someone passes," showing filial piety.
He said, "I remember the first time she took a plane to Jeju Island; when the plane took off she kept saying, 'It's taking off, it's taking off,' like a girl." He added, "Last year on Jeju there's the Olle Trail. It's about 427 km, with over 20 courses, and I walked all 11 southern courses in Seogwipo by myself. I was the only one on the path. Suddenly I burst into tears like a madman. I still keep the clothes my mother wore when she last went to the hospital in a bag," expressing his longing for his mother and moving listeners.
He said, "After my mother was hospitalized, my father was admitted after four days, so they began battling illness in different places. Three months later my mother passed away and my father was elsewhere; his hearing isn't good and his memory isn't intact, so while handling my mother's funeral I worried a lot about how to tell my father. It didn't seem right not to tell him, but if I did, it didn't seem good either. I wrestled with that a lot," revealing his complicated feelings.
Park Kyung-lim asked, "Even now..?" and Lee Pil-mo nodded, saying, "I think he senses it. He doesn't ask about my mother. He didn't ask one year later, and he still hasn't asked two years later. He doesn't ask where mom is. I sometimes think my father might have forgotten the woman he lived with his whole life. I have those thoughts," saying he is still troubled.
Hearing this, Lee Jong-hyuk cautiously suggested, "Maybe staying quiet could be good." Kim Min-kyo also expressed concern, saying, "Losing a partner is said to be the most damaging loss. I've seen that. When one passes, the other often follows soon after," and Lee Pil-mo agreed, "I think so." He worried that if he mentioned it, his father might break down because he keeps crying even when just looked at, and Park Kyung-lim gently guessed, "I think it's not that he forgot, but he may dislike getting confirmation when asked. Because when you don't ask or hear, there remains hope," speculating about the father's feelings.
Meanwhile, Lee Jong-hyuk said about his two sons who dream of becoming actors, "My eldest is in the theater and film department, and my second is preparing to enter the theater and film department too. We sent our kids to arts high school and they enjoy it so much." He added, "When I was in high school I kept wondering what to do, but now they're choosing this path themselves, and I'm grateful. But I also think they might give up quickly. If they succeed, that's wonderful. Back then people opposed theater and film departments and called them entertainers; but wanting to do it builds the persistence and strength to endure. I wanted to say, 'It's hard, don't do it,' but it wasn't easy. Since I'm an actor, pushing my son might be better than opposing him—our times are different. He really enjoys it and likes it."
Hearing that, Lee Pil-mo said, "I'm in the same position with two sons. If my children want to act, I'd be uneasy. It's not easy. There are countless ways to make you happy, but I want to tell them, 'Be in a place where you have value,'" sharing candid thoughts about the profession based on his experience.
[Photo] Channel A
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