[INTERVIEW] Song Seung-heon satisfied his thirst for new characters with 'Black Knight'

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Entertainment & Arts

Wed, November 29, 2023 | 08:13

Shows & Dramas

INTERVIEWSong Seung-heon satisfied his thirst for new characters with 'Black Knight'

Posted : 2023-05-19 16:28

Updated : 2023-05-20 22:16

Actor Song Seung-heon plays the role of an antagonist in the Netflix new series "Black Knight." Courtesy of Netflix

By Lee Gyu-lee

Even after quite a long filmography spanning a 27-year career, actor Song Seung-heon is still on a quest to challenge himself and widen his repertoire.

Actor Song Seung-heon / Courtesy of Netflix

With his latest villainous role as Ryu Seok in the Netflix action series, "Black Knight," Song expressed satisfaction in taking on a type of character that he has never played.

"This role is an unfamiliar character to me. In terms of good and evil, he is the type of person who's closer to evil. But when I portrayed him, I wasn't worried how other people will see it," he said. "I've been wanting to play such a character … I've had a desire for new characters and still do. Thankfully, a lot of people responded positively. It was an interesting project for me as well."

The six-part sci-fi blockbuster series, which debuted on May 12, is set in a dystopian future of Korea, devastated by a comet strike and heavy air pollution. Under the de-facto ruler, Cheonmyeong Group, the society has special couriers who fight off the muggers, called the "hunters" and deliver oxygen and necessities to the residents for them to survive.

A former refugee and the legendary deliveryman, 5-8 (Kim Woo-bin) leads a group of vigilantes called black knights, to help other refugees. Along with a refugee, Sa-wol (Kang Yoo-seok), 5-8 goes against the group's ruthless heir, Ryu Seok (Song) to challenge society's brutal hierarchy and save humanity.

The actor expressed that working on this series was more meaningful as he got to reunite with its director, Cho Ui-seok, after 21 years since working together on Cho's directorial debut film, "Once Run" (2002).

"With director Cho, we go way back as friends so I wanted to work with him on whatever the work or role is," he said.

A scene from the series "Black Knight" / Courtesy of Netflix

Song plays the CEO of Cheonmyeong Group which built the residential area for people after a strike. Under the company, he conducts dark schemes and human experiments such as trying to hand-select the best genes among the residents to take to its new residential facility.

The actor said he tried to understand the character's standpoint and the reasons behind his actions.

"As my character is more subtle than 5-8 and Sa-wol but has to have a strong presence, I discussed a lot with the director on how I should portray it. From Ryu's perspective, he had to make inevitable choices. But since it requires a great deal of sacrifice, you can't say it's justifiable. In that sense, I pitied Ryu and thought he would be lonely," he said, adding that there was a backstory to the character that was missed in the final version of the series.

gyulee@koreatimes.co.kr