Actor Choi Bul-am's profound life story once again moved viewers' hearts. Although he spent his life playing numerous "national father" roles, it was revealed that in reality he carried the void of his father from childhood, adding to the poignancy.
On the 12th, the MBC documentary "Paha, Choi Bul-am" aired a two-part radio-format program that looks back on actor Choi Bul-am's life and acting world with music.
That day, the candid story of actor Choi Bul-am, who is a towering figure in the history of Korean drama and who has portrayed modern history alongside it, was included. In particular, recollections from junior actors drew attention. Ko Doo-shim recalled her memory of playing father-in-law and daughter-in-law with him in the drama 'Jeonwon Ilgi' for 22 years. She said, "When I think of teacher Choi Bul-am, even if he is sitting in a corner, a rustic, rough earthenware-like father comes to mind," and recalled, "He was the kind of father who seemed to listen to everything."
In fact, Choi Bul-am was loved for a long time for his "national father" roles. In a past interview he said, "My resolve was to sincerely bring out the essence of humanity," and he also confessed that he wanted to portray a father who smelled like a person, not just simple acting.
But Choi Bul-am did not actually have many memories with his father. He lost his father when he was 8 years old. His father, who had gone to Shanghai, China during the Japanese colonial period, returned to Korea after liberation but reportedly led a busy life involved in film production.
Choi Bul-am calmly recalled, "There was almost no time we spent together. People around called my father the 'tiger of Shanghai,'" and "He returned after liberation, but I don't have many memories of calling him 'father.'" In the end, the time they spent together was less than three years, and now only a single photo remains.
Perhaps because of that, he was more sincere than anyone in father roles. Choi Bul-am admitted, "I played the father roles the world talks about without fail," and "because it was the father figure I missed."
An actor who lived with the absence of his real father became, in effect, a warm father to others his whole life. That is why Choi Bul-am's acting was not simple performance but a longing for the father he ultimately wanted to meet.
MBC's documentary 'Paha, Choi Bul-am' is a radio-format documentary program that revisits actor Choi Bul-am's life and acting world through music and is presented as a two-part series that airs on the 5th and on the 12th at 9 p.m., meeting viewers.
[photo] 'Paha, Choi Bul-am' broadcast screen capture
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