Oscar Winner Youn Yuh-jung Reflects on Korean Cinema’s Early Days in Academy Retrospective
Korean Oscar-winning actor Youn Yuh-jung has been the focus of attention for the past week as the subject of a retrospective series at The Academy Museum in Los Angeles.
Youn came to the attention of many late in her career playing the grandmother role in Lee Isaac Chung’s “Minari.” But her entertainment history dates back to one of Korean cinema’s golden eras and a screen-scorching 1971 debut in legendary director Kim Ki-young’s “Woman of Fire.”
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“Youn refused to compromise her practice to serve the patriarchal systems which dominate the majority of mainstream cinema in Korea. As an iconic figure and role model to many actors in Korea, Youn continues to push boundaries in her incredible scope of storytelling, routed through her bold and forthright perception of each character she portrays,” says the Academy’s notes to the seven-film series.
What that fails to convey is Youn’s down-to-earth pragmatism, resilience and enduringly cheeky sense of humor. In a recent conversation, Variety got a taste of Youn’s wry side.
One time that we met, I reminded you about your character in ‘The Bacchus Lady’ [a film about geriatric prostitution], and you burst into giggles like a schoolgirl. What was so funny?
Because doing that film was a terrible experience.
It seemed to me that it was a naughty role that was typical of you.
Yes, it’s true that I am a cheeky old lady.
You weren’t always an old lady. What was it like making films in Korea under a military government?
I’ve experienced both sides, the new generation and the Kim Ki-young generation. But, to be honest, at that time I only made movies with him. Two movies. Back then, I didn’t realize he was a genius. Afterwards, as I got older, I appreciated his efforts and his ideas. At the time, I was just 23 or 24, I found him very weird. He wanted me to meet him every day for one or two hours for a month before the film shoot began.
He was much older than me and I wondered what this man was trying to do with me. I was very suspicious and doubted his sincerity. But, at the time I was just a new face, so I followed his direction.
When we did get together, we talked about movies. I remember we spoke about “The Bridge on the River Kwai.” And he asked me afterwards who among the cast I thought was a good actor. Kim told me that if I want to be a good actor I should be like Alec Guinness in that film.
While we were shooting, Kim told me one day that he wanted a particular kind of smile from me, one that he’d seen me do before. Not a particularly sunny smile. That’s when I understood why he’d had so many meetings with me. And he’d refer to the gestures I’d made. When I understood, I felt I owed him an apology for doubting his motives.
What else did you learn from those early years?
At the time we were using film stock, which was scarce and could not be wasted. It was good for me because it meant we would rehearse a lot. I was constantly amazed by Kim. Even though I’d read the script, he’d always ask me to play it this way or that, differently. I learned to be an actress because of him.
At the time, the atmosphere, on-set conditions, the environment were really terrible. But I became very famous from that first movie and a lot of producers asked me to do their commercial movies. The directors were maybe as famous, but they were also different. So, I gave it up. I went to television instead, which was on the rise.
I realized that I was always learning things from Kim Ki-young and, in comparison, the other directors were just so-so.
In the modern era, are there filmmakers you admire?
My first movie after a nearly 20 year gap was with Im Sang-soo. I had no knowledge of the new generation, but I’m a very practical person. I asked a friend who told me I should do it. The pay was not very good, but at the time, I was remodelling my house and needed the money.
It turned out to be a good experience. Things had moved forward a lot. All the crew was very intellectual. They’d been trained abroad and loved working on movies. In my day, the staff was uneducated, had no particular interest in the movies and was basically hired labor.
You married, retired and moved to the U.S. That seems very unfair and a loss to the entertainment industry.
In my era, women were supposed to get married, be with just one guy and live happily ever after. That was how it was all across Asia. So, I didn’t even question it. I got married around 27. You didn’t want to leave it much later than that or else you’d be called an “old maid.” I just followed the trend.
There was no particular pressure on me to do that. In Korea, female actors, actresses, were supposed to be like flowers, showing their beauty for the audience. But once they got married, that beauty was for that guy. And the audience lost its appetite for her.
How has that changed in Korea today?
It has changed a lot. I’ve experienced highs and lows. For a start, I got divorced. That was like a scarlet letter. After getting divorced, I had a really hard time getting jobs. I’d take any small part. Having been in the limelight, people supposed I would not do small roles. But, actually, I was brave enough and practical enough to take small or supporting roles. I learned a lot. At the time it was a very bitter experience, but looking back it was a very precious time.
In today’s Korean entertainment hothouse, it seems that Korean artists are still not supposed to date or have love lives.
Maybe, yes, in that way they’re still supposed to be flowers.
Do you recall any of your early childhood in what is today North Korea?
I don’t have any memory of Kaesong, which is today near the DMZ. I do remember we went down to Seoul, and during the war, we became refugees from the North. We lost everything. I also remember traveling on a goods train, stuffed full of people just like a Holocaust movie.
When did life become normal for you and your family?
In Seoul, after the war, when I was 9, my father passed away from tuberculosis. My mother had a hard time, looking for jobs, only 34 and with three kids.
I was supposed to go to Seoul National University, but I failed, which was a shame for the family. So, instead I started looking for part time jobs. TV was just starting up, so I tried that.
Somebody said to me “you look very cute” – and I was at the time – “why don’t you be an assistant to the MC and hand out gifts to the audience [on camera]?” I did and the money was surprisingly good. So, I did it some more. After that, a producer suggested I do a screen test to be a “talent” or TV actress.
Did you have an acceptance speech ready for your now famous Oscars appearance at the Academy?
No, I didn’t. I had a translator. And was she was supposed to be with me, but got lost. So, I was there by myself. My friends who know my English language abilities couldn’t understand what I thought I was doing.
What about that time at the BAFTAs when you won over the audience. Was that any more prepared?
That was at five in the morning Korean time. I was sleepy and I didn’t want to do it. And I didn’t expect the prize at all. But suddenly my name was called.
Earlier that day, I’d seen the news that Duke of Edinburgh had passed away. So, I thought it appropriate that I give him my deep condolences. Then, my experience of British people is that they can be posh or snobbish. But I think my remarks came out like I was drunk.
My translator told me afterward that I should not have said it. But instead, we got into a discussion about Hugh Grant — whether he’s a snob. Maybe he’s just British.
What future acting projects do you have?
I haven’t signed the contract, but I need to keep my promise. Korean-American director Andrew Ahn is doing a remake of Ang Lee’s “Wedding Banquet.” And you know my son is Korean-American, so I understand and sympathize with his position. That’s my next project.
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