Veteran actor Choi Min Sik shared his views on professionalism on a film set, saying that being deeply focused on a role should not become an excuse for treating colleagues poorly.
Choi Min Sik recently appeared on the YouTube program B tv Lee Dong Jin’s Piakia to discuss his new film Intern, in which he stars alongside Han So Hee.
During the conversation, film critic Lee Dong Jin mentioned that director Kim Do Young had incorporated some of Choi Min Sik’s naturally playful personality into his character Kim Ki Ho.
Choi Min Sik agreed that he tends to be lighthearted when he is not working.
“I’m pretty goofy in private,” he said, explaining that some of this behavior was intentional while working with the cast and crew.
According to the actor, he wanted everyone to become comfortable with each other as quickly as possible so they could openly discuss the project without worrying about age or seniority.
He explained, “We needed to become close quickly, lose that sense of formality, and reach a point where we could say what needed to be said about the work.”
Choi Min Sik said he therefore made an effort to relax the atmosphere around him rather than allow his long career or senior status to make younger colleagues uncomfortable.
The conversation then turned to how actors often become sensitive and emotionally intense while preparing for difficult scenes.
Choi Min Sik acknowledged that this pressure is understandable, but said he believes there is an important line between privately feeling sensitive and openly directing that tension toward other people.
“Everyone on set becomes very sensitive and sharp because they are desperately trying to reach their character and express it properly,” he explained.
However, he added, “Being sensitive is one thing, but showing that sensitivity to colleagues and creating conflict with them is something I personally don’t consider professional.”
Choi Min Sik said this is something he has consciously tried to avoid throughout his career.
His approach is to remain focused enough to carefully think about the character and the project while keeping another part of himself relaxed.
“If half of my mind is sensitive and focused on the character and the work, the other half is basically saying, ‘Let’s have fun,’” he said.
The 62-year-old actor’s comments offered a glimpse into the working philosophy he has developed over his decades-long career: taking the performance seriously without allowing the pressure of acting to negatively affect the people around him.
Choi Min Sik and Han So Hee’s film Intern opened in theaters on September 16.
