INTERVIEW 'Perhaps Love' offers new take on dysfunctional family comedy
Actor Ryu Seung-ryong / Courtesy of NEW
By Kwak Yeon-soo
When actor Ryu Seung-ryong made his big screen debut in 2004's “Someone Special” at the age of 34, he had no idea he, in his career, would portray such a diverse range of characters, from a Qing dynasty general wearing a long single braid in “War of the Arrows” (2011) to a Casanova for hire in “All About My Wife” (2012) and mentally challenged father in “Miracle in Cell No. 7” (2013).
“I always look for opportunities to play diverse characters, but film directors and screenwriters have always exceeded my imagination. It's just exciting to see how they come up with such original stories and characters,” he said during an interview with The Korea Times via Zoom, Friday.
In his upcoming comedy film “Perhaps Love,” Ryu plays best-selling author Hyun, who is stuck in a seven-year slump. Hyun attempts to reboot his career by co-writing his next novel with an aspiring writer who comes out as gay and confesses his love for him.
Meanwhile, his ex-wife is dating his best friend and publisher and his oversensitive teenage son is flirting with a young married woman living next door.
The film, which tells the story of a dysfunctional family, offers an incomparable combination of all-ages comedy and witty wordplay. While the movie dredges up raw emotional moments about the difficulties of dealing with a teenage child or unresolved stuff with a former spouse, it also deals with taboos, like infidelity to homophobia. Ryu said he hopes the audience will keep an open mind to other people's lifestyles.
“The film centers on how families function internally and encourages the expansion of the idea of a family. Audiences might become less judgmental about the concept of the ideal family by watching the film,” he said.
Actor Ryu Seung-ryong in a scene from the film, “Perhaps Love” / Courtesy of NEW
The film is directed by Cho Eun-ji, an actress who has starred in films such as Jung Byung-gil's “The Villainess.” Ryu praised Cho for tackling serious issues with humor.
“Even when I'm not at work, I do my best to keep my sense of humor. Cho was able to grasp that because she lives next door to me. She knows me very well and she crafted Hyun as a desirable character,” he said.
Playing a best-selling author stuck in a slump, Ryu shared his own experience of overcoming the slump.
“Actors' performances are often demonstrated by the numbers at the box office or viewership ratings. Just like Hyun overcomes his career slump by working together with Eugene, I overcame it with the help of my co-stars in the action comedy film 'Extreme Job' and Netflix's series 'Kingdom,'” he said.
Ryu also said he learned a lot about human relationships and was able to put himself in his sons' shoes. “I was able to look at old relationships with a new lens. I used to encourage my sons to speak their minds, which I later figured is not an easy thing to do. I realized that different is not wrong,” he said.
He was impressed by actor Moo Jin-seong's level of preparation and performance. “Moo's compelling portrayal of the lovesick character Eugene took me by surprise. All I had to do was to react to him,” he said.
“Perhaps Love” premieres on Nov. 17.