[Interview] 'Silently' Yoo Ah-in: "Be Free and Honest from All Restrictive Frameworks"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] Actor Yoo Ah-in candidly shared his convictions and philosophy about acting.

On the afternoon of the 13th, at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, he spoke about various aspects of the film ahead of the release of "Voice of Silence" (director Hong Eui-jeong) in an interview.

"Voice of Silence" is a film depicting the precarious story of two men who become kidnappers unexpectedly after their client, who entrusted them with a kidnapped child, dies. It is the first feature film debut of director Hong Eui-jeong, who gained attention at the 2018 Busan International Film Festival with the SF short film "Habitat."

On that day, Yoo Ah-in said, "I felt like I could tell a good story, like a piece of unknown hope," explaining his reason for appearing in the film.

He also expressed strong trust in director Hong Eui-jeong. He said, "As someone living in every era and moment, I felt it was a story that needed to be told," adding, "I liked the director's attitude of revealing herself through the language of film. I thought a director with the potential to continuously carry her own story in an interesting way had appeared."

Yoo Ah-in said, "There is no other work where I feel comfortable stepping back and letting the director take the lead like this. Usually, I want to hide behind the director, but this time I want to stay behind," reaffirming his trust.

Yoo Ah-in and director Hong Eui-jeong have built not only an actor-director relationship but also a human trust. Yoo Ah-in said, "I had expectations through the script, and it was really good to meet the director," adding, "She was pure and couldn't hide any feelings, which I liked. I was captivated by how she treated people without hurting anyone's feelings. I like people who spend time together honestly. Director Hong is such a person," showing his affection.

He also praised, "Hong Eui-jeong is the only director with whom I communicated the most and built the strongest bond outside of filming hours."

In the film, Yoo Ah-in plays Tae-in, who silently and diligently handles the aftermath for a crime organization and barely makes a living. He gets involved in an unplanned crime due to an unexpected request. "The fact that he doesn't particularly stand out was attractive. I expected that the unclear nature would create a lot of anticipation. I saw Tae-in as a character without a clear set of values or beliefs. His value standards were ambiguous. I saw him as someone who lives by thoroughly ignoring things and postponing all thoughts and will."

"Voice of Silence" portrays heavy and dark themes with unique mise-en-sc?ne, intense characters, and an ironic story. Its distinctive atmosphere was completed through Yoo Ah-in. "Although it seems indiscriminately loose, it achieves a strange order and balance, and ultimately, I saw it as the director's new world. The clarity of ambiguity. The clearest fact is that nothing is clear. Ultimately, good and evil do not exist by themselves but are created by society. It ambiguously discusses the errors we make by defining, judging, and finalizing things, while clearly drawing them out. The attitude of pointing out unclear points clearly is strangely attractive."

Yoo Ah-in emphasized the theme, saying, "Ambiguity makes us anxious, doesn't it? So seeking answers is human nature, but I think it makes us willingly confess the ambiguity that must be avoided."

When asked about completing his role through new challenges such as working with a rookie director, gaining weight, and acting without lines, Yoo Ah-in replied, "Isn't it not a challenge if you do it with certainty?"

"Challenges come with both expectations and concerns. When you are only anxious, you want to be in a more stable environment, but now I think I have a little more composure. Even if two or three works fail, there will be a next one. (laughs) I think it's valuable to try experimental attempts when you have some leeway rather than focusing fiercely only on success."

Yoo Ah-in showed a shaved head and gained 15kg to portray Tae-in's everyday life, who works diligently under a crime organization subcontract.

"I filmed completely bare-faced. I shot with no makeup at all, and I thought that changing my appearance could give a different visual impression. I wanted to break away from typicality, and the director welcomed and found such attempts interesting. The director said, 'This is not the Tae-in I imagined. It's better,' which gave me a small sense of relief."

Yoo Ah-in, who said maintaining the 15kg gain was difficult, said, "I lost some weight during filming, but I tried to maintain it by not sleeping, eating a lot of late-night snacks, and exercising. I wanted to approach the character clearly as a different person," adding, "I didn't expect to talk so much about weight, but I'm glad many people found it new."

"Voice of Silence" became a meaningful challenge for Yoo Ah-in in many ways. He said, "The most painful thing was shaking off obsession. When I go to work and do nothing and come back, I feel strange. Actors want to feel like they did something today, but this set was a place to transcend that. I also tried to avoid letting go through strong will. I wanted to let go purely in a state of having nothing."

Yoo Ah-in debuted in 2003 with the coming-of-age drama "Resurrection" and has been an actor for 17 years. When asked about his most important value, he surprisingly answered balancing. "I have worked since I was young, and after experiencing grateful moments, I thought more about how to use them than how to keep them. Life has become freer. When I was powerless, I wanted to gain power, but when I got it, I was afraid. Now I want to give that power to someone who needs it more than me. That might be the balance. Maybe when the power disappears and I become insignificant, I will try hard looking for famous directors. (laughs)"

Yoo Ah-in has reached the top through various works such as "The Throne" (2015), "Veteran" (2016), "Burning" (2018), and dramas like "Sungkyunkwan Scandal" and "Secret Love Affair." There is a certain composure in him who has worked diligently. When asked why he is active with various charms by taking on different faces, he said,

"Please see it as an attempt for greater freedom. It is a desire to be free and honest from all the frameworks that block me. Through this, I hope to hold hope for freedom. It is hard to define in one way, but I want to create something with people living in the same era because it is too much to do alone. Maybe it is possible because I hold such a small hope."

"Voice of Silence" opens on October 15.

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This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.