hankyoreh

Actor Oh Young-soo speaks with the Hankyoreh during an interview at a cafe in Seongnam, Gyeonggi Province, on the afternoon of Dec. 12. (Kim Hye-yun/The Hankyoreh)

Before “Squid Game” made him a global star, 78-year-old Oh Young-soo had dedicated his life to the theater. On the cusp of 80, this veteran of the stage became the first Korean actor to take home a trophy at the Golden Globes. At the awards ceremony for the 79th Golden Globes on Sunday, Oh was named the best supporting actor in a TV series, in the drama category.

In “Squid Game,” Oh is Player 001, a character named Oh Il-nam. At first, Oh seems to tackle the games with childlike glee and the kindhearted smile that serves as his trademark. But Oh sounds the alarm when the brutality of the other players begins to come out. Oh doesn’t take center stage in the first half of the series. But in a final twist, it’s revealed that he’s been hiding an important fact about himself, all while suffering from a brain tumor.

Viewers around the world were captivated by Oh’s acting range, which spanned the dementia that afflicts the elderly, a childlike persona, and the intuition and wisdom of age. It was Oh who delivered the memorable line: “We’re gganbu, aren’t we?” during the marble game with protagonist Gi-hun (played by Lee Jung-jae).

“When we were shooting that scene, I found myself crying, too. Seeing Gi-hun, who has lived such an honest life, tricking [my character] in order to survive made me feel our limits as humans. Seeing that human side of him made the tears gush out,” Oh said during an interview with the Hankyoreh.

That was the moment when Oh’s acting chops — which this veteran has honed over more than 50 years in the theater — really shone.

Oh began his acting career when he joined the theater troupe Gwangjang (meaning “public square”) in 1967 at the age of 24. His debut came a year later, in 1968, with the play “A Daytime Walk in the Park.” Next, he played a supporting role in “Romulus the Great,” with theater troupe Seongjwa (meaning “constellation”) before joining theater troupe Yeoin (meaning “woman”) in 1971.

It was with Yeoin that Oh got his first leading role, as Stanley Kowalski in “A Streetcar Named Desire,” a role made iconic by Marlon Brando in the US film adaptation. The role came just three years after Oh started acting.

Oh starred in the play “Blooming and Falling, Blooming and Falling” in 1993 and was named best theater actor at the Baeksang Arts Awards the next year. The play follows three men who are about to turn 70 as they get roped into a grave robbery. The play explores how stubbornly humans hold on to their desires through their long wait to uncover the treasure.

How did Oh feel about being named best actor for the role? “I see an award as the outcome of a person’s acting on the stage. But I didn’t get to go to the awards ceremony. I had a play to act in when the ceremony was held,” he told the Hankyoreh.

Oh has appeared in more than 200 plays in his career, including “King Lear” and “Faust.” When asked about the acting ability of a man who has spent his life on the stage, theater critic Kim So-yeon described Oh as a “veteran actor who can identify and effectively highlight the distinctive qualities of the character he’s representing, no matter how minor the role.”

“As an actor, he has an outstanding ability to play his roles naturally, without exaggerating or holding back,” Kim said.

A still from the film “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring.” (provided by Korea Pictures)

Kim starred as the old monk in the 2003 film “Spring, Summer, Fall, Winter... and Spring,” directed by the late Kim Ki-duk. Oh figured that would be the last big production he would appear in.

“After we finished shooting that film, I thought I wouldn’t have any regrets if that film was my final work. I’d gotten my name out there, and the film itself was decent. I thought the film had made a big impact on my life.”

But that wasn’t the end for Oh. Director Hwang Dong-hyuk had paid close attention to Oh in “Spring” and approached him about a role in something he was making. But Oh wasn’t able to accept the offer because of scheduling conflicts.

But just as the seasons come around again, Hwang got back in touch with Oh eventually. In Nov. 2020, Hwang came to Daehangno, Seoul’s theater district, to see a play that Oh was in. After the play, Hwang had another offer for him — a role in the Netflix original series “Squid Game.” This time, he took the offer.

There was a flurry of media coverage after Oh flatly rejected offers from several companies to appear in their advertisements after “Squid Game” became a worldwide sensation.

“I said I wasn’t interested in advertisements that didn’t fit the series I’d appeared in. Making money from an advertisement like that wouldn’t match the ‘gganbu sprit,’ either,” Oh told the Hankyoreh.

A still of Oh in the series “Squid Game,” where he says, “We’re gganbu, aren’t we?” (provided by Netflix)

Kim Kwang-bo, artistic director and general director of the National Theater Company of Korea, was delighted to hear about Oh’s award. “He’s a born actor, and he feels great pride and esteem in the theater and the stage. I also think it’s fortunate that his acting career, to which he has dedicated his life, has finally been recognized and appreciated,” Kim said.

This year, Oh is back on stage. From Jan. 7 to Mar. 6, he’s playing Sigmund Freud in “Freud’s Last Session,” a play that’s being performed at TOM theater in Daehangno.

The theater is the path that Oh has chosen in life. That’s what Frank Sinatra was singing about in “My Way,” one of Oh’s favorite songs.

By Jung Hyuk-june, staff reporter

Please direct questions or comments to [english@hani.co.kr]