The final moments of filming for the late Ahn Sung-ki's last work, undertaken even while he was battling blood cancer, have been revealed.
On the 9th, SBS specially scheduled the documentary feature Always the man who was there, actor Ahn Sung-ki.
Ahn Sung-ki passed away on the 5th at the age of 74. Debuting as a child actor at just 5 years old and appearing in more than 170 films over 69 years, he was the history of Korean cinema. In life he said, "I want to be with audiences through fun films as long as my strength allows," showing his exceptional attachment to film, and he consistently worked hard to maintain his physical condition.
Actor Jung Jae-young recalled, "During Silmido it seems he was even just about in his 50s. We had a lot of physically demanding scenes. We were in our 30s, but he ran better than we did. We were panting and too exhausted to run, but he ran at the very front. He was so fit and set an example for us."
Junior actor Han Ye-ri also said, "When we were doing 'Hunting' with me, he had the stamina to carry me on his back and run. He attended the same action school. Even when doing things like jump rope, he was never late and never missed sessions and was always diligent. Watching that, I thought, 'If a great actor works that hard, of course I should work hard too.'"
Especially Han Ye-ri sobbed, "When I asked, 'Ye-ri, when it's this hard and cold and hungry, why do we do this work?' he asked back, 'I wonder too, senior, why do you do it?' Then the senior said, 'Because I love it.' He loved film so much and loved acting so much."
When news broke that Ahn Sung-ki was battling blood cancer, the film industry was shocked. In September 2022, his swollen face, wig and slurred speech while undergoing chemotherapy at a public appearance evoked sorrow about his condition. Actress Kim Bo-yeon at the time said, "We filmed together when I was full of youthful bravado, so it was very upsetting," and showed tears.
But even while fighting illness, Ahn Sung-ki did not let go of film. The film Birthday, which he took part in during his battle with blood cancer, is his last work based on filming dates. Director Park Heung-sik said, "When we went into the first take, the lines were very long. He delivered the first sentence beautifully. But the second sentence wouldn't come out," and added, "I watched the monitor and cried my eyes out. I was suddenly overwhelmed by the fear that this might be Ahn Sung-ki's last work. Even if he had said, 'I'm a little tired today,' we would have stopped shooting. But he sat there steadfastly without any movement. He insisted on doing it himself."
[Photo] Courtesy of SBS.
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