'Health rumors' about actor Choi Bul-am had surfaced, and although he ultimately did not appear on screen, his acting life was revived with deep resonance.
The MBC documentary 'Paha, this is Choi Bul-am', which aired its first episode on the 5th, broadcast the story of Choi Bul-am in its premiere.
While working part-time at the National Theater in Myeongdong, he was chosen to be an actor and grew his presence on the theater stage. Baek Il-seop recalled, "Anyone who liked theater all knew Choi Bul-am," and Park Geun-hyung also remembered, "We were together since student theater days, and he was a truly cool actor even to look at for a man."
After that, the choice that changed his life was love. Through his relationship with his wife Kim Minja, he began acting at KBS in 1967, and later moved his activities to MBC, opening his full-fledged heyday.
In particular, the drama 'Chief Inspector', which began in 1971, is considered his representative work. In this work, which aired a whopping 880 episodes, he played a veteran detective and established himself as a national actor. He reflected, "Through this work I realized the structure of society and life, and it was the opportunity for me as a person to become known."
In 1997 he once again sparked a craze with 'You and I.' This drama about middle-aged love recorded a peak rating of 66.9% and enjoyed nationwide popularity. Above all, his trademark 'broad, hearty laugh' remains an iconic scene still talked about today.
Testimonies from younger actors added even deeper resonance. Jung Kyungho said, "On set he existed as if the character really lived," and Chae Sira assessed, "The timing and presence that the teacher had were extraordinary." Park Won-sook choked up, saying, "I don't know why I'm crying," and Lim Ho paid his respects, saying, "He showed firsthand that acting is not something you do alone."
This documentary is known to be an autobiographical project in which Choi Bul-am participated from the planning stage. As a special that retraces his life and artistic world, it had attracted attention before the broadcast amid interest in his health condition. However, the broadcast that day, without Choi Bul-am's direct appearance, was filled with testimonies from colleagues and juniors and archival footage, leaving an even deeper aftertaste.
However, the production team explained, "He did not stand in front of the camera at the family's request to devote himself to rehabilitation treatment." Regarding the previously raised health rumors, they also said, "There is nothing particularly wrong, and he is focusing on rehabilitation after back disc surgery."
Although his image could not be seen on screen, his acting and life lived on in many places. Choi Bul-am, who evoked even more longing in the tears and memories of his juniors, still fills a page of Korea's acting history.
Meanwhile, the MBC documentary 'Paha, this is Choi Bul-am' is a radio-format documentary program that retraces actor Choi Bul-am's life and acting world through music, and it will meet viewers as a two-part series broadcast on the 5th and on the 12th at 9 p.m.
[photo] 'Paha, this is Choi Bul-am' broadcast screen capture
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