SEOUL, Nov. 10 (Yonhap) -- "I tried to return to the emotions I had when making 'Peppermint Candy' (2000), even if it meant just imitating them. It felt as though I was hypnotizing myself, telling myself, 'This is how I felt at the beginning.'"

Actor Sul Kyung-gu recalled memories of the film "Peppermint Candy," made 26 years ago, while filming "Possible Love," his latest collaboration with director Lee Chang-dong.

"Peppermint Candy," Sul's debut film, brought him both overwhelming pressure and immense satisfaction.

"I felt like I was going crazy because every day I was being pushed beyond my capabilities," he said in an interview at a cafe in central Seoul on Monday. "I felt guilty because I thought I couldn't handle it, but I don't think I ever felt that same sense of satisfaction again when going home after a day's filming."

That was why he did not want to miss the opportunity to work with Lee again. Although scheduling conflicts nearly prevented him from joining the project, he tried every possible way to take part.

"It would have been awful to imagine a casting report coming out with another actor's name," Sul said with a laugh. "I wasn't even concerned about the content of the film. All I could think about was finding a way to work with the director again."

He said reading the screenplay after deciding to join the project felt "like reading a novel that leaves a lingering impression, just as 'Peppermint Candy' did."

"Possible Love" tells the story of Ho-seok (played by Sul), a laid-off worker living with emotional scars from the past, and his wife, Mi-ok (Jeon Do-yeon), whose lives become intertwined with those of a married couple who make documentaries. The film won the Grand Jury Prize at the Venice International Film Festival in September and was released on Netflix on Nov. 6.

Ho-seok, played by Sul, carries deep wounds from a mass layoff in the past and depends on his wife both emotionally and financially. Sul sought to convey the character's pain through silence and vacant expressions.

"I think the inner wounds he suffered were too deep to put into words," the actor said. "His mind was in such turmoil that he probably didn't even know what to say. I thought he was someone who expressed himself through his body."

"I tried to remain present on screen through his hesitant behavior, awkward mannerisms and vacant, indifferent gaze," he added. "Rather than thinking I had to show something, I simply tried to be faithful to my own feelings."

Sul also filmed a scene in which Ho-seok opens up about the deep emotional scars he carries, including his sense of betrayal and disillusionment with fellow union members during his struggle against mass layoffs, without making any particular preparations.

"Rather than thinking things through or analyzing the character, I think I simply kept Ho-seok's circumstances in mind," he recalled. "I sat in front of the camera and filmed it without any special preparation, as though I were a real person being interviewed."

A scene recreating the moment when Ho-seok's sit-in protest was forcibly dispersed by police was filmed toward the end of production. Since it directly depicts the violence and trauma he experienced, the production recreated the actual rooftop protest site and used water cannons, filming the sequence over three or four days.

"I wore protective gear, but after being beaten up for three or four days, I could hardly think straight," Sul said. "The director kept saying, 'Let's do it again. You don't look hurt enough,' so we filmed it quite a few times."

Sul drew attention in September after being seen in tears following a screening of the film at the Venice festival. He recalled being overwhelmed by emotion while watching the final scene.

"When I first watched it at a technical screening in Korea, I wondered why the moon was just hanging there on the screen in such an awkward way," he said. "But in Venice, something stirred inside me the moment the moon appeared. The film ended just like that, and suddenly I couldn't stop crying."

He said the final scene, in which Mi-ok and Ho-seok sit side by side on a wooden platform, left him with a mixture of hope and bitterness.

"It's not that there is no hope, but there was also a bitter feeling that they had returned to the same place without anything having improved," he said. "Overall, I think the film felt somewhat lonely and bittersweet."

Sul also expressed his deep trust in Jeon Do-yeon, who plays Mi-ok, the wife who stays by Ho-seok's side until the end.

"Jeon is the actor I feel most comfortable with, and she is the best actress and the best partner," he said. "From beginning to end, she carries me through this film with such strength. Her performance was something I couldn't even imagine anyone else delivering."
 

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