Editor's Note: 

A "scene-stealer" is a term used in various media to describe a character or actor who, regardless of their screen time, naturally captures the audience's attention with their strong personality and charm, often overshadowing the main roles. The term literally means to steal the scene. In this context, K-Vibe presents a relay interview series featuring actors who started with theater and expanded their acting range into drama and film, becoming scene-stealers. The series will be updated biweekly and will serve as an archive of scene-stealer actors with a background in Korean theater, providing valuable resources for casting directors worldwide.

 

▲ Actor Nam Myeong-ryeol delivers a greeting during a press conference for the play "Hamlet," held in Seoul on May 7, 2024. (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, Nov. 22 (Yonhap) -- “That young man became a star in his medium because he understands what it means to act while staying true to his emotions. What I said wasn’t wrong,” veteran actor Nam Myeong-ryeol, 64, remarked in a recent interview with Yonhap News. 

 

Reflecting on his public criticism of actor Son Suk-ku’s controversial remarks about stage acting, Nam said, “Film and theater require different approaches to acting, and neither is inherently superior.”

 

Son, 41, had previously commented on his experience with theater, saying, “They ask you to whisper words of love, but if that’s the case, why not give us microphones? Why do they make us do fake acting? I quit theater for film because of that. Now I want to see if my acting style works on stage too.” His statements sparked debate among actors and audiences alike.

 

Nam responded at the time by sharing an article about Son’s remarks on his Facebook page, accompanied by a line from the play Freud’s Last Session, in which he was performing: “Ha ha ha, I just laugh. Such arrogance.”

 

Although Son apologized with a handwritten letter, which Nam graciously accepted, Nam remains unapologetic about speaking out. “I have no regrets,” he said, explaining that his candidness stems from both his desire to embrace younger directors and the awareness that he can leave the stage at any time.

 

Nam acknowledges that acting, by nature, involves “pretending to be someone else.” However, he emphasizes the importance of refining delivery techniques to make whispered lines audible and impactful, which he considers a cornerstone of acting craft.

 

He recalled his first foray into on-screen acting in the 2007 drama Coffee Prince, where he learned a valuable lesson from his younger co-star Gong Yoo. “He spoke so softly that I could barely hear him on set, and I found it strange. But on TV, his lines were crystal clear, and his acting was incredible,” Nam said. “That experience taught me that in front of a camera, you shouldn’t project your lines outward but deliver them intimately, as if directed at your scene partner.”

 

For Nam, the ultimate essence of acting remains the same across all platforms: telling a compelling story. He continues to hold theater close to his heart, describing its biggest allure as its reliance on the actor’s raw performance and the audience’s perspective to “edit” the story in real-time.

 

Nam’s journey into acting came later than most. After graduating from college, where he participated in a theater club, he spent his 20s working as a salaried employee at a pharmaceutical company. It wasn’t until his mid-30s that he fully committed to becoming a professional actor. Even during his early, financially unstable years, he maintained a strong sense of pride in his craft. “I might not have owned a refrigerator, but I made sure to have an iron and a washing machine to stay presentable when performing on Daehangno,” he said.

 

Labeling himself as an “outsider” in the acting world, Nam champions the value of diversity. “People like me are essential for a more varied society,” he said. He also expressed pride in Korean drama and film’s global success, crediting the excellence of supporting actors who, like him, honed their skills on the stage.

 

In 2022, Nam received the prestigious Yi Hae-rang Theater Award and starred in acclaimed productions like The Two Popes, marking a high point in his career. Yet, he remains as active as ever, juggling multiple projects such as Hamlet and So What If It’s Popular Fiction?!, while preparing for upcoming works like Trap and The Last Squad Leader.

 

After three decades of continuous work in theater, film, and television, Nam remains modest about his legacy. Asked what kind of actor he hopes to be remembered as, he simply replied, “Someone who gave their all to live their roles as sincerely as possible.”

[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]