Actor Lee Pil-mo said he built his wealth thanks to his mother, a "master of financial investment."
The 15th broadcast of Channel A's 'Close Friend Tokumentary - Table for Four' depicted Lee Pil-mo's college classmates Kim Min-kyo, Lee Jong-hyuk and Park Kyung-lim visiting his home.
That day Park Kyung-lim asked Lee Pil-mo about his difficult times, saying "You were unknown for 10 years, weren't you?" and Lee Pil-mo recalled, "I lived on part-time jobs. Advertising part-time jobs. There were famous people and I was the one who messes around behind them," adding, "There really isn't anything I haven't done. There is a famous company that makes musical sets; I worked at one place holding a hammer making sets and loading and unloading them onto trucks, doing set-up. That was when 'Myeongseong Hwanghu' had its premiere. It premiered at the Seoul Arts Center Opera House, and the run exceeded 40 performances. If someone next to you makes a mistake, you might have to back them up. I memorized the whole script. Because an opportunity might come," recalling the time.
He said, "I also appeared in 'Love and War.' The episode title was 'Sister-in-law and the young master.' I was the young master. I approached it seriously, thinking this is a work. At the time the sister-in-law loved the young master so much but her brother was a plane captain and was often away from home. One day she found out about an affair and slapped him on the ear. I thought she would act, but suddenly her eyes looked strange and she told me to go for it. I said, 'All right,' and got hit hard and really went white. I was hit so hard I went white. I strongly felt I couldn't be hit again. So I focused on breathing until I remembered the line, and then the line came to me," he recounted the episode.
After being unknown, Lee Pil-mo became a trusted actor as ratings success followed in rapid succession, with Myeoneuri Jeonseong Sidae at 35.3%, You Are My Destiny at 43.6% and Solyakgukjip Adeuldeul at 44.2%. Park Kyung-lim mentioned his popularity, saying "He even took the main spots in advertisements," and Kim Min-kyo said, "Six months before a commercial shoot, he suddenly said he was having a hard time and asked me to buy him a drink, so I thought something was wrong and worried and went to his house and bought him a drink. At that time he was earning money while taking acting lessons, so I bought him a drink and tried to give advice. I said, 'Wouldn't a time come when people like us get attention? Let's hang on a bit.' Then six months passed and suddenly he appeared in a major chain mart commercial. I called him right away," he revealed.
Park Kyung-lim asked, "When things went well, didn't your mother like it?" and Lee Pil-mo joked, "Later she prepared her own autograph," drawing laughter.
In particular, Park Kyung-lim drew attention by saying, "I heard your mother was good at financial investment," and Lee Pil-mo said, "I am not good at managing money. I originally had a house in Bangbae-dong, but my mother was good at financial investment, so she moved it several times and now those things have done well. Our mother raised the children. She saved and economized. My father had three children and lived his life like a loafer without earning money. In the past, when neighborhood women had a savings club, they left a few thousand won there and lived for a month. When I was young I could not even dream of a lavish table. We ate salted fish so often. Two mackerel the size of an arm cost 500 won; it's so salty it lasts a week with just rice. My mother lived her life saving," he said, expressing gratitude toward his mother who supported the whole family.
He said, "From the point I started earning appearance fees through acting, I kept a few hundred thousand won and gave my mother anything over 1 million won. I gave like that for about 20 years. I could quietly meet friends and have a glass of soju, so there was no reason to keep that much money. But with that money my mother managed finances in ways she never got to do in her life. No one provided her income. When I was doing theater, she would call and ask 'What are you doing for a living?' and I'd say 'I'm doing theater.' Then she'd say 'Come quickly' and when I went she'd say 'Stamp this.' When you stamp it, it becomes a building or something. Things became real," he revealed, causing astonishment.
Park Kyung-lim marveled, "Your mother left a big gift," and Lee Pil-mo said, "In my life there have been major turning points. It's the same with acting, but when you have to make big life decisions or when you think 'I still don't know this well,' or when you're trying to imagine why a character did something, I would ask my mother and she would clearly say, 'Isn't it this?' That insight has kept me in my career as an actor. At every crossroads my mother took care of things," he said.
Lee Pil-mo recalled the news of his mother, who died of a stroke in March 2023, saying, "Since my mother passed away I've had many of those thoughts. I told myself to do the best I could for her passing. So I used a whole floor alone for the funeral at a large place. No matter how much money it cost, when my mother was leaving I decided I had to do that. At that time I ordered the table settings. They asked what kind of meat I wanted, and I said give me everything they have. I also had two kinds of soup. When someone leaves, you should do that much," he said, showing filial piety.
Recalling when his mother first took a plane to Jeju Island, Lee Pil-mo, who choked up, said, "Last year in Jeju there is the Olle Trail. It's about 427 km, with more than 20 courses; I walked all 11 south-side courses near Seogwipo by myself. There was no one else on the trail. I suddenly felt overwhelmed like a madman," and added, "I still keep the clothes my mother wore to the hospital in a bag," expressing his longing.
Park Kyung-lim said, "Still, it's such a relief that her son is loved nationwide," and Lee Jong-hyuk joked, "She must have been happy because house prices went up. Bangbae-dong house prices have risen a lot," prompting laughter.
[Photo] OSEN DB, Channel A
[OSEN]