A movie centered on the concept of family was released in September 2004. Its poster was quite impressive. The design looked neither glaring nor unique, but it drew attention with its subdued appearance among all the other ostentatious movie posters. It simply showed a picture of a man in his 50s and a woman in her 20s, both smiling. The poster, which looked just like a family picture, was created to advertise the movie entitled "A Family".
The movie itself is a story of extraordinary love between a father and his daughter. It quickly became a hit, driving many moviegoers to tears that fall. "A Family" once again became a hot topic among people in October 2005 due to unexpected news from Malaysia. The father who is smiling benignly in the poster won the best actor award at the 50th Asia Pacific Film Festival. The actor played the touching role of a modern-day father who deeply loves his daughter--who has just been released from prison--but does not know how to express his love toward her. The father in the poster is actor Joo Hyeon.
Career actor for 36 years
It has been already 36 years since Joo began acting. He feels as if it were only yesterday that he began his career by being selected through a special recruiting program by KBS in 1969 after graduating from Konkuk University, majoring in political science and diplomacy. Since then, Joo has become a veteran actor nicknamed "the father of working class people".
Joo is now 63 years old. For such a long period of time, he has devoted his life to acting. The father characters he plays in TV dramas and movies are typically eccentric and funny, although his roles in TV dramas tend to be a bit funnier. He first played a comical character in a television drama in 1990. He initially portrayed an eccentric character and spoke humorous lines in the drama "Seoul Ttukbaeki", which was a highly popular daily soap opera broadcast on KBS. He always talked in a funny way in every episode of the highly popular drama. His character comically bragged about things with a funny nasal voice, making him an extremely popular actor among the drama's viewers.
Both adult and children fans would try to mimic Joo's lines, many of which became common phrases in popular culture. Because many people still remember Joo from that period of time, they feel very comfortable watching him playing the character of a funny father.
But Joo's acting hasn't always been comical. In movies, he has demonstrated powerful acting that is his unique trademark, leaving a deep impression in the memory of viewers. He appears briefly as a bookstore owner in "Happy End", a movie that was directed by director Jeong Ji-woo. But viewers remember his appearance in the movie as vividly as they do the main protagonist.
Joo's acting displays a sense of genuineness. He acts naturally, without overacting, playing his characters in a natural fashion based on an accurate interpretation of the role. The same holds true in the movie "Family". Seeing him constantly in conflict with his daughter, who goes astray in defiance of his will, viewers become reminded of an image of a father who is reticent but caring. Seeing him dying of cancer, viewers burst into tears, recalling their own fathers. This is the power of Joo, which has allowed him to continue to pursue his career solely in acting over the past 36 years.
Acting naturally, and behaving humbly
Joo tries to teach his younger colleagues humility. He teaches them it is the principle of life that one cannot shine and be popular all the time, and is destined to fall after reaching a peak. Joo, who likes to take walks at a riverside park in front of his home, believes an actor must become used to acting in a natural fashion, just as when taking a stroll. He advises people to live life in compliance with reason and rationality, applying the rule to everything. Joo is just a typical father of two children, anxious to see his adult son get married, and missing his married daughter, just like any other father.
Joo's daughter inherited his acting talent. When she unexpectedly disclosed her plan to major in acting, he initially had his doubts. But his daughter was accepted in the acting department at her school, and is now building up her own career as a theater actress. Joo feels proud of her. An old Korean saying says that 'Only a dull fellow praises his wife or children in public", but he cannot help but praise her publicly. To Joo, being a father who publicly expresses his pride in his daughter is more important than his own title as an actor.
While he says his daughter is better at acting than himself, he expresses worry that acne scars on her face will possibly pose an obstacle in her acting career. This is Joo, the actor. In part because his daughter chose to become a career actress, he is being cast more often in movies. His daughter's former classmates at acting school come and ask him to appear in movies, calling him "father". He cheerfully complains "I am not your father, am I?" But he often ends up accepting requests to appear in movies, just like a father who can hardly reject an offer from his children. For this reason, he is often called "father" on movie filming sets, and he has now become comfortable with the moniker.
"I want to be remembered as a hardworking actor"
Joo says he feels regret that older actors and actresses have increasingly fewer chances to act. He wishes to have more opportunities to show his own unique skills in acting, which he has developed over his 36-year career. But he is not overly ambitious. Just as he has been doing, he will continue to faithfully continue his career as an actor for the rest of his life.
Name: Joo Hyeon (Real name: Joo Il-choon)
Date of birth: March 1, 1941
Physical measurements: 178 centimeters in height, 100 kg in weight
Education: Department of Political Science and Diplomacy, Konkuk University
Hobbies: golf, swimming
Career Start: Recruited as an actor through a special recruiting program in 1969
Debut: KBS' "Wolnam Jeonseon (Vietnam War Battlefield)" in 1970
Appearances: KBS dramas "Saxophone and Chamssaltteok (sticky rice cake)", "Let's Marry", and "Loneness"
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