[Sportschosun Reporter Lee Ge-eun] Actor Kang Hyung-seok made his presence felt with a multifaceted emotional performance in Father's Home Cooking, director Lee Joon-ik's first short drama.
Kang Hyung-seok delivered a passionate performance as young Go Ha-eung in Father's Home Cooking, which premiered in theaters on Wednesday the 9th as the first vertical-format short drama to be released on the big screen. The story follows Go Ha-eung (Jung Jin-young), a father who has insisted on home-cooked meals three times a day for 40 years. He enters the kitchen for the first time in his life to take the place of his wife, An Sun-ae (Lee Jung-eun), after she develops what is described as "cooking blankness." Directed by Lee Joon-ik, one of South Korea's leading filmmakers whose works include The King and the Clown, The Throne, and Dongju: The Portrait of a Poet, the project drew considerable attention as his first foray into short-form content.
Kang Hyung-seok portrayed young Go Ha-eung during his 20s and 30s. After moving to Seoul from Gyeongsang Province, Go Ha-eung builds a life repairing shoes. He does not have much, but makes a living with his skills, falls in love with Sun-ae, and works tirelessly to support his family. As the central storyline showing how the present-day Go Ha-eung came to be through the life he led, the role allowed Kang Hyung-seok to carefully build the character's passage of time and emotional changes, adding credibility to his performance.
In particular, Kang Hyung-seok brought out young Go Ha-eung's rough yet sincere charm through natural Gyeongsang dialect and a distinctly lived-in performance. He heightened the drama's immersion by portraying a wide range of emotions, from the fresh romance of a young man in love with young An Sun-ae (Park Jung-yoon) to his role as the breadwinner responsible for his family after marriage. Later, in scenes where Go Ha-eung goes down on his knees to protect his family and earn a living, Kang Hyung-seok conveyed the weight of being a head of household and the feelings he had been unable to express, swiftly transforming the mood of the drama. Though Go Ha-eung speaks curtly and is awkward at expressing himself, Kang Hyung-seok captured the pain of a man who had quietly endured his own hardships for his family through restrained emotions and a profound gaze, leaving a deep sense of poignancy.
Having portrayed the same character at two different points in his life alongside Jung Jin-young in Father's Home Cooking, Kang Hyung-seok said, "Since different actors portray one character's past and present, I thought a lot about how I could connect with the present-day Go Ha-eung and create continuity." He added, "I watched many videos and films showing my senior actor's younger days, and it helped greatly that he invited me to his studio, where we ate together, went for walks, and had coffee while talking." He continued, "He told me, 'Rather than thinking that you are portraying my past or my younger days, faithfully portray Go Ha-eung as he was at that time, and naturally we will look like one character.' Those words were a great comfort and gave me strength."
Kang Hyung-seok also focused on Go Ha-eung's growing sense of responsibility after marriage and the birth of his child. Explaining the character, he said, "I think that after getting married and having a child, his responsibility to care for and provide for his family grew even more. He probably neither wanted to show nor talk about how hard he worked outside the home."
Regarding the production's vertical format, he cited the way it brings an actor's emotions closer to viewers as one of its strengths. Kang Hyung-seok added, "There was not a major difference in the acting on set, but when I monitored the footage, the characters filled the vertical screen, so the actors' eyes were shown more clearly. As a result, the emotions and expressions felt more powerful and richer."
Finally, speaking about the message he hoped to convey through the project, Kang Hyung-seok said, "Through the home-cooked meals prepared by mothers, something we have taken for granted, I realized how the ordinary routines of our lives are not ordinary at all, but a succession of special moments, and how grateful we should be for them." He continued, "It was a great honor, happiness, and privilege to film with director Lee Joon-ik, whom I have long admired as a fan, and with the senior actors. After watching it, my heart felt deeply moved. I hope many people will watch it with their families, reflect once again on the value of the everyday moments they may have overlooked, and come away filled with warmth."
Since the project's release, public praise for Kang Hyung-seok's performance has continued, with comments including "Kang Hyung-seok is great at natural acting," "He suits the role of young Go Ha-eung perfectly," "He definitely makes his presence felt in the role," and "He handles both serious and comedic scenes well." Expectations are growing for Kang Hyung-seok's future endeavors after he demonstrated a broad acting spectrum.
Father's Home Cooking, featuring Kang Hyung-seok's performance, is currently available exclusively on Lezhin Snack.
joyjoy90@sportschosun.com
This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.
