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| A poster for the film "Good Morning" / Courtesy of D Station |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
An array of veteran actors are taking on lead roles in TV shows as well as cinema. While actors like Ko Doo-shim and Kim Hye-ja take on title roles on the small screen, stars like Ahn Sung-ki, Lee Soon-jae and Na Moon-hee are seen playing central characters on the silver screen, proving that "old is gold."
Veteran actor Lee, 87, stars in director Cha Bong-joo's debut feature "Good Morning," which premiered on May 25.
The film follows an orphan named Soo-mi (Kim Hwan-hee), who attempts suicide but is saved by Seo-jin (Yoo Sun), a hospice volunteer who lost her daughter five years ago. Seo-jin suggests that Soo-mi join her. At the hospice house, Soo-mi learns life lessons by teaching an old man nearing death named In-soo (Lee) how to read and write.
"When you reach my age as an actor, you usually get small or limited roles. I don't take those roles. When I read the script for 'Good Morning,' however, I thought that my role is central to the storyline, so I gladly joined the film," he said during a recent press conference for the film.
Actor Ahn, 70, deftly portrayed a caring father in director Shin Youn-shick's family drama film "Cassiopeia," starring alongside Seo Hyun-jin, who plays the role of a lawyer in her 30s suffering from Alzheimer's disease.
"Ahn has built a distinguished career that spans over 60 years. While working on this film together, I could feel that he is enjoying acting and is comfortable starring in the film, free from the pressure of having to show something," director Shin said of Ahn.
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| A poster for the film "Room Sharing" / Courtesy of Npickple |
Na Moon-hee, who is remembered as the "naughty" grandmother in "Miss Granny" (2014), will star in "Room Sharing" alongside rookie actor Choi Woo-sung.
The film, which will hit local theaters in June, revolves around a picky and eccentric elderly woman who comes to share a room with a college student juggling several part-time jobs.
Na's recent works also include "I Can Speak" (2017) and "Oh! My Gran" (2020).
Last month, Kim Young-ok, 85, from "Squid Game" and "Hometown Cha-cha-cha," took up her first lead role in 65 years in the moving drama film "Take Care of My Mom." "I feel fortunate to play a lead role at this age," she said when promoting the film.
