Baek Sung Hyun reveals he Stayed in Mokpo, Jeollanam-do, to immerse himself in “1980”

Baek Sung Hyun reveals he Stayed in Mokpo, Jeollanam-do, to immerse himself in “1980”.

Released on the 27th, “1980” depicts the story of a family facing the aftermath of the spring that never came to Seoul. It revolves around the story of Cheolsu’s family, who opened a Chinese restaurant on May 17, 1980, and their neighbors, portraying the rage that would not have existed if they had prevented the December 12th military uprising. Baek Sung Hyun played the role of Cheolsu’s uncle with great enthusiasm.

“1980” was released three years after the wrap-up in 2021. Baek Sung Hyun expressed his affection towards director Kang Seung-yong, saying, “The director worked really hard. I supported him while following along. I have a connection with the director from when we worked together on the movie “Finding Mr. Destiny” (2010). When I was shooting the drama “Voice 4,” the director called me to his office and said, ‘I wrote the role of the uncle thinking of you.’ I was deeply moved. Regardless of the amount of screen time, I promised to do my best if my participation could be helpful. Actually, it was tough to wait for the release. Until last November or December, I thought, ‘Isn’t it going to be tough now?’ I’m just thankful for the release itself.”

Why did director Kang Seung-yong cast Baek Sung Hyun for the role of the uncle?

Baek Sung Hyun explained, “The role of the uncle has a symbolic meaning in the movie. He thought that I should play the role of the uncle because of the feelings and relationships we had when we worked together back then. I’m the lead actor now, but it was a special appearance at first.” He added, “It was a peculiar experience for me. There were changes in the story while shooting in the extremely difficult environment of COVID-19. It became an important role because I had to represent the victims and show their pain. It was strange but good.”

During the location shooting in Mokpo, Baek Sung Hyun stayed in Mokpo for the entire shooting period.

He revealed, “As I have experience in low-budget films, I realized that the movie’s completeness would be higher if the actor devoted all his time and effort. So, after finishing the filming for ‘Voice 4,’ I immediately went down to Mokpo. I said to my agency that I would go down alone. If we went together, wouldn’t the workload increase? I stayed alone in the accommodation and commuted to the set for shooting. I just hoped that the movie would turn out well.”

Asked about the physical difficulties of emotional scenes, Baek Sung Hyun said, “After resting for a long time and then entering a project, regardless of experience, your body naturally stiffens. Although it was physically demanding, fortunately, I entered the shooting with a completely relaxed body after ‘Voice 4,’ so my concentration as an actor did not diminish. In the movie, the cheerful and fun uncle and the emotionally challenging uncle are clearly divided in half. There was a gap for artistic purposes, and the residents of Mokpo helped a lot.”

Since it deals with a true story, Baek Sung Hyun prepared a lot. He said, “I watched many documentaries and video materials that I could find. My goal was ‘no falsehoods.’ Since I have a lot of emotions, the shooting almost ended in one take. If I shot multiple times, I tended to calculate. I always tried to immerse myself in the character because I wanted to show my genuine feelings. (Kim) Gyu-ri noona said, ‘I would be happy if there is someone who can cry for me instead of my wounded self,’ and I feel the same way. I hope that the sincere feeling of ‘There is someone who cries with me for myself’ reaches the victims and sufferers when they see it.”

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