Actor So Jisub directly addressed the much-talked-about "gold gift." It was So Jisub's sincere expression of good memories and gratitude for the work they shared.
So Jisub, in an interview marking the end of the SBS Friday-Saturday drama Manager Kim (written by Nam Dae-joong, directed by Lee Seung-young and Lee So-eun) held on the afternoon of the 30th at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, mentioned the recently controversial gold gift. The fact that he gifted each member of the production team and actors "one don of gold" when the work ended drew great interest. It was reported that he used about 100 million won of his own money to give gifts to around 300 people on the 'Manager Kim' team.
So Jisub said about the "gold gift," "After working for a long time, I realized that a drama, a movie or a project does not succeed because of me alone. Even if many people gather and do their best, success is not guaranteed. It's also a way of expressing gratitude, and I've continued to do it."
He added, "When I gave the gold gift during 'Gwangjang,' the reaction was the best. So I decided to do it again this time. I do many different projects, and I hoped this work would be one that would remain treasured in my heart."
Also, So Jisub, regarding the widely discussed remark of 'keep it and use it when you are in trouble,' said, "It might mean to sell it and use it when you are truly in trouble, but more than that, I wanted to leave good memories of being part of this work together," adding about engraving the work's name, "I joked that people would think it was all sponsored, but I thought it might be more memorable that way. They won't actually sell them, right?" and laughed.
Giving the "gold gift" even after finishing Manager Kim was for the same reason. So Jisub wrote on the gift box, "While working on this project together, I felt great emotion and happiness. I thank all of you who quietly brightened Manager Kim from your respective places." He was grateful not only to the actors who worked for the project but also to the production team and all the staff.
So Jisub said, "If even one staff member had been absent, it would not have been easy. There were many difficult shoots. We filmed many scenes in really cold conditions, and there are still scenes that remain in my head like photographs," adding, "There was a scene filmed on a day so cold that rain froze immediately, and everyone gave their all at their posts without frowning or showing displeasure. That stuck in my mind. That's not easy. It seems to represent this set, so it remains memorable," and recounted an impressive anecdote from the set.
Director Lee Seung-young also remembered exactly the same scene as So Jisub. In an interview with OSEN, Director Lee said, "He himself doesn't like to talk much about gold, and he really hopes people understand his heart. I understand that feeling a little."
The director said, "We shot a scene in episode 5 in Gwangyang where it was raining, and it was so cold that everyone sought warm places. Even in Gwangyang at the time, if you sprayed water it froze immediately. After one take everything froze, so we had to thaw it, redo makeup and shoot again. The ground froze and became slippery, so we spread calcium chloride, cleared it away and then acted again. On that cold night," and explained the situation at the time, "but no one showed a sour face. I watched that scene with actor So Jisub. I was overwhelmed to be part of such a professional team. I told So Jisub how moved I was."
So Jisub's "gold gift" received a warm reaction from fellow actors as well. Yoon Kyung-ho said he gave it to his son and then got it back, and Son Naeun said, "Because senior shared it with a warm heart, I thought I should treasure it carefully, so I put it in the drawer where I keep the most important things."
[Photo] Provided by Fifty One K.
[OSEN]