Actor Kim Yoon-seok portrays Admiral Yi Sun-sin with aplomb in “Noryang: Deadly Sea”

Actor Kim Yun-seok portrays Yi Sun-sin in \'Noryang: Deadly Sea\' Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment

The period action film “Noryang: Deadly Sea,” the final installment of the Admiral Yi Sun-sin Trilogy is a movie that runs toward the death of Yi. How will the hero portray the last moments and will that all Koreans know? It is not an exaggeration to say that the success or failure of this movie is at stake. It is not an exaggeration to say that the success or failure of the film depends on how to portray the last moment and the will of a hero that all Koreans know.

The choice of the new film was more of “subtraction” than “addition.” "The fight is in an urgent situation. Do not announce my death." Actor Kim Yoon-seok, 56, used his body to recreate the last moment of Yi's final moment with aplomb, rather than being serious. In an interview in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, Kim said he saw Yi's death as that of a lonely man, not a great hero.

"It's a death on the chaotic battlefield. I thought the death of the great hero shouldn't be portrayed as great. It should be the death of an unfortunate man in his 50s who lived his life as a soldier in the seven-year war on this land 400 years ago. As the director put it, it should be ‘portrayed truthfully.’"

Kim was given the script for “Noryang: Deadly Sea” when he was shooting “Escape from Mogadish” in Morocco four years ago. It was a scenario with density. He thought the international politics in the first half of the film, which took place with the Ming Dynasty’s intervention, was the most interesting part. However, even for him, who won the title of "national actor" a long time ago, the national hero Yi Sun-sin was a huge presence that gave him great pressure. Nevertheless, he thought that if he had to take a role of him, it should be the series of "Noryang,” which depicts his last moment.

"Noryang" has to contain lots of things. There is a cheerful victory, but you have to think about what the end of the seven-year war should be. If I were to take on a challenge, I wanted to do work that required a lot of drama,” Kim said.

Kim Yoon-seok is the third and final actor to play Yi Sun-sin, following Choi Min-sik and Park Hae-il. He had to be different from Choi’s Yi Sun-sin, who was as hot as fire, and Park's Yi Sun-sin, who was like as calm as sea. Director Kim Han-min referred to the two characters of Yi in "The Admiral: Roaring Currents" and "Hansan: Rising Dragon" as "Yongjang" and "Jijang," respectively. Yi of the first installment is all about the “battlefield.” Yi's insistence on ending the war with a complete surrender shows his wisdom, the director said.

He added, "Yi read the island nation's desire for land. The admiral’s conclusion that the enemy should be completely defeated so that they could not come back to our country shows the battlefield well. And, in fact, Japan hasn't invaded our country for at least 300 years."

At the end of the film, Yi’s drumming encouraging soldiers shows his wisdom effectively, which is also the highlight of the film. The drumming sound deeply resonates with the audience. Kim Yoon-seok practiced drumming again and again for this scene. "At that time, the sound of drums was the sound of advancement. It's the most effective way to tell the message to our soldiers in the midst of the war. It's a logically accurate choice before impressing the audience. This is a very important scene, but I couldn't get the right posture for playing the drum, because my body was being dragged around. I've also had cramps in my shoulders and ribs,” Kim said.

Kim Yun-seok was well-informed in history. During the interview, Kim memorized historical facts about the Qing invasion of Joseon as well as the Japanese invasions of Korea, which is commonly called as the Imjin War. He also talked about the dilemmas faced by the Japanese army during the Imjin War, as well as the army raised in the cause of justice, including soldiers like Kwak Jae-woo."I read lots of the materials that the director gave me. But the important thing was not just to memorize them. It was important to combine things like social situations and the value of life with acting." It was a caste system, so there were noble soldiers, and it's said that the admiral Yi even collected the bodies of noble soldiers and sent them back to their home, which shows that he was a man of strict manners and morals."

Kim also paid tribute to director Kim Han-min, who just completed the 10-year-long project on Yi Sun-sin. "It took 10 years to make the first and second installments, but it would have taken at least 20 years to look for related materials and make plans for filming. I'm sure no one in Korea knows as much about Yi Sun-sin as the director. I can't help but pay respect to him, though he often makes me tired, haha.”

Kim Yoon-seok is also a director making a successful debut. He showed his talent as a director with his debut film “Anther Child” released in 2019. Kim, who has the eyes of the director, said he learned a lot on the set of " Noryang: Deadly Sea." "I like to make movies with characters and dramas. However, while watching visual special effects this time, I thought that if I don't work with those professionals, the range of my expression will be narrowed. We’re now living in an era where partnership is very important. Gone are the days when a director alone can make a good movie because he or she has amazing talents."

For Kim, a good film is one that "shows people. “I think a good movie is one where you can see people's lives. Even if it's a sci-fi film, viewers should be able to see people's lives while watching it. ‘Noryang: Deadly Sea’ is a heartbreaking story that happened 400 years ago, but I think it's a movie that we can look back on our lives."

※This article has undergone review by a professional translator after being translated by an AI translation tool.