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Two World Stars Speak About Life, Acting

Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter

Award-winning actresses Kang Soo-yeon, 41, and Jeon Do-yeon, 34, participated in an open chat show by the seaside, talking about their acting careers and passion for life face-to-face with fans, Saturday evening.

The outdoor theater in PIFF Village by Haeundae Beach was already packed more than an hour before the show started. Crowds went wild when Korea's favorite leading lady Kang arrived. The actress rewrote Korean cinema history when she won the award for Best Actress at the 1987 Venice International Film Festival for her role in "Sibaji" ("The Surrogate Woman").

"It was a time when people didn't even know Korea had a film industry. People even asked me if I was from North or South Korea", she said. Kang has regularly attended the Busan festival since its foundation, and said "Korean cinema's international standing exists due to such a history. Nothing comes from nothing".

A buzz went through the crowd _ "Jeon Do-yeon must have arrived", said Kang _ and multifaceted actress Jeon came onstage a little late. The star had graced the Cannes Film Festival in May as Best Actress for her role in Lee Chang-dong's "Secret Sunshine". Glamorous in her silver gown, Jeon retained her composure when accepting her award at one of the world's most prominent film fests.

The two actresses displayed mutual respect and friendship, Kang saying she was envious of Jeon who has her own acting style, and Jeon explained how, as a young woman she was a fan of Kang's and had tried _ unsuccessfully _ to get her autograph.

Kang also said she cried when Jeon won her award and was proud she was so confidant onstage. "I was actually very nervous. But being this unknown actress in the international scene, I was determined to be even more confident", said Jeon.

The open talk was a chance for fans to meet their heroines up close, and many young, energetic aspiring actors and actresses asked questions.

One young man, a student studying theater in college, asked what their dream was, although they have already achieved so much.

The elder actress said that having one good film under your belt doesn't mean much _ "you have to start from a blank slate, from the very beginning each time. It is my dream to do great acting. If I can count four to five great works, I think I could consider that as success".

"But the film industry is brutally competitive and heartless, and it has no end, nor beginning", she warned.

Jeon also agreed that receiving a big prize doesn't end anything _ and her lifelong journey continues.

When asked by host of the night, film critic Oh Dong-jin what cinema means for them, the actresses were a bit baffled by the "difficult question".

"I can't say for sure what cinema is. But it's a big part of my life for sure. It's something through which I feel my existence, I feel alive", Jeon said.

"For me, cinema is a dream. Whether it's fantasy or a nightmare, it's like a dream", said Kang. The actress advised the young audience to "have big dreams. You should have an inconceivably big dream, and there really is no secret but to work hard to work toward realizing it".

Jeon added, "It's like a dream for me to sit here on the stage before you with the actress I most admired when I was younger". An air of awe and inspiration filled the warm sea air that night as the two actresses opened up their souls onstage.

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