Ryu Seung-ryong: "Introducing the 'Baeksang Arts Awards Grand Prize' triggered a wave of events for my juniors... I am so grateful." [Interview ③]

*This content was translated by AI.

• Roundtable interview with Ryu Seung-ryong, star of the film "Bigeum".

Ryu Seung-ryong shared an anecdote about being celebrated with a wave of support at the "Bigeum" stage greeting event by his junior colleagues from the teams of "Story of Manager Kim Working at a Large Company in Seoul," "Fine," and "Fried Chicken."

On the 25th, we met Ryu Seung-ryong, an actor in the film "Bigeum" (directed by Lee Ji-won), at a café on Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

"Bigeum" is a deep family saga directed by Lee Ji-won, known for her work "Miss Back." The story follows top-star couple Jung-gu (played by Ryu Seung-ryong) and Nam-mi (played by Ha Ji-won), whose lives are upended by the sudden appearance of Jung-gu's daughter Dong-joo (played by Kim Si-a). Eight years later, they risk everything to save Dong-joo from a shocking incident while uncovering the truth.

Ryu Seung-ryong portrays "Jung-gu," a father who was once a top baseball player but fell into ruin after Dong-joo's arrival, and who stops at nothing to protect his daughter.

Ryu Seung-ryong said, "At the 'Bigeum' stage greeting held the day before, I greeted everyone by saying, 'I am a recipient of the Baeksang Arts Awards Grand Prize.' Immediately after, the teams from 'Story of Manager Kim Working at a Large Company in Seoul,' 'Fine,' and 'Fried Chicken' lined up and performed an event for me. As I greeted them, they responded with a wave of support. Even though these are different works, they went so far as to organize such events, and I was truly grateful," he laughed.

Ryu Seung-ryong also shared his special feelings about "Story of Manager Kim Working at a Large Company in Seoul" (hereinafter referred to as "Manager Kim"), which earned him the Grand Prize for TV at the Baeksang Arts Awards.

He stated, "It is not common for stories centered on middle-aged men to be featured on television. I participated with the hope that this would provide an opportunity to shine a light on them, look into their lives, and dispel misunderstandings."

Continuing, he explained, "In this era of hatred, it seems people are sometimes targeted for their deficiencies simply because they have grown older. I wanted to take a closer look at such individuals and broaden the scope of understanding toward them."

He also cheerfully recalled the circumstances surrounding his unexpected Grand Prize win. Ryu Seung-ryong said, "Just being nominated was an immense honor. However, when I did not receive Choi U (수상), I honestly thought, 'It's over now.'"

He added, "The Baeksang Awards ceremony is quite long, isn't it? It lasts nearly six hours, so to stay comfortable, I even unhooked my pants," eliciting laughter.

Eventually, his name was called as the Grand Prize recipient. Ryu Seung-ryong took the stage and mentioned Yoo Hae-jin, who had received the Grand Prize for film, recalling memories of their time together during their early, unknown days. At that time, in his acceptance speech, he said, "I am reminded of the days I spent with actor Yoo Hae-jin 30 years ago," bringing a touching moment to the audience.

Ryu Seung-ryong also revealed an anecdote about his interaction with Yoo Hae-jin during the group photo session for Lee Hu (수상). He said, "It seems actor Yoo Hae-jin didn't realize I had won an award. When I stood beside him, he looked at me with a puzzled expression, as if asking, 'Why is this person here?'" he laughed.

He continued, "I think he assumed I had just come up to take the photo. So I said, 'I received one too.' Only then did we all laugh and shake hands," he recalled.

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*This content was translated by AI.