"I'm honored to receive this precious award. Even at 60, if you do well, you get an award. This is not a lifetime achievement award. Acting should be judged as acting; it should not be judged by popularity or other conditions. This award is not for an individual."
The late actor Lee Sun-jae left this as his last acceptance speech on stage while alive. It captured his belief that acting should be judged on its own. Until he stepped away from the stage in Oct. last year due to health issues, he stayed active across drama, film, and theater, and was listed as the oldest-ever grand prize winner at the KBS Drama Awards.
Lee Sun-jae lived on stage until he died at 91 on the 25th. After starting on the theater stage, he appeared in era-defining works such as "What Is Love?" and "Hur Jun," leaving a bold mark in the history of Korean drama. In his 70s, he successfully reinvented his image with the sitcom "High Kick Through the Roof" series, and to the end he appeared in the play "Waiting for Godot" and the KBS 2TV drama "Dog Sound."
Lee Sun-jae consistently spoke about the acting philosophy he had built over a long time. When the film "The Way Home" opened in 2018, he said, "I've appeared in all sorts of films. I've done leads, bit parts, villains, and melodramas," and added, "The standard by which an actor chooses a project is the project itself, without exception." It was a principle that prioritized content and the acting itself over the project's size.
At an invited lecture held at Seoul National University in 2008, he said, "Even now I think I chose acting well," and added, "Because I bare myself and am evaluated to earn revenue, at least I don't cause harm to others. Also, there is no retirement age."
His attitude toward audiences never changed. In many settings during his life, he emphasized respect for the audience. On You Quiz on the Block in 2024, he said, "Our existence is because there is an audience that watches us. Each one of them is someone to be thankful for." He continued, "Yet some stars don't value audiences. They run away saying they dislike handshakes or taking photos, and I don't think that's acceptable. We should be grateful to each and every person who asks to shake hands."
Lee Sun-jae was stricter with himself than anyone. Even right after his mother passed away in 2008, he went on stage for the play "Life in the Theatre" and said, "Because it's a promise with the audience, we must perform no matter what happens." In 2011, when controversy arose over an actor dropping out of a drama mid-run, he said, "For whatever reason, we cannot leave the set—that is our condition. An actor must hold the set even if it means dying."
The last acceptance speech he left at an official event in his lifetime shows his acting philosophy as it is. "To the viewers who stayed with us until late hours, I have owed you so much and received so much help all my life. Thank you."