Im Hyun Sik on the hardships of 'Hope': 'If I am still alive, I will film a sequel'

“If I am still alive by then, I will film it.”

Actor Im Hyun Sik answered a question regarding a potential sequel to director Na Hong Jin's film 'Hope' with his characteristic wit. While it may sound like a joke intended to provoke laughter, the statement carries a strange resonance; it is the remark of an actor who has spent decades on film sets, facing his own age and the passage of time head-on. Coupled with his honest confession that filming a movie was no light task, it appears 'Hope' remains an experience for Im that goes far beyond a simple acting credit.

On the 23rd, Im reunited with his long-time acting colleague Park Won Sook in a video released through the YouTube channel 'Park Won Sook Channel'. The two were once beloved by viewers as a married couple in the classic drama 'Three Families Under One Roof'. Their conversation, meeting across the years, naturally flowed into discussions about recent works and film sets.

In the film 'Hope' directed by Na Hong Jin, which was released last July, Im played Park Hae Sul, an elderly ginseng hunter living in Hopo Port. The fact that veteran actor Im joined a work by Na, who is known in the film industry for his unique genre sensibilities and intense narratives, became a topic of interest. In particular, Im left a significant presence in the film by portraying a character imbued with the isolation of old age with his signature sly charm.

However, his memories of life behind the camera were unexpectedly closer to a "hardship story." Im joked, “Once I appeared in a movie, there was nothing as troublesome as that.” He explained that he experienced a film promotion system unfamiliar to an actor primarily used to television, such as being called away for promotional schedules and attending various events with the director.

He drew laughter by saying, “I was called around a lot for promotion,” adding, “I even went to our director's business place and just stood by him, offering useless comments.”

He used his characteristic self-deprecation to describe how unfamiliar and cumbersome the film promotion process was for an actor who has primarily worked in television dramas for a long time.

The most grueling memory he cited was the location filming in Romania. Although the overseas shoot lasted ten days, he said he traveled with his son-in-law, who speaks English, because he did not have a manager. He confessed, “I don't know how much I struggled because I couldn't understand a single word at the airport.”

An actor's overseas location shoot expands the scale of a production while simultaneously demanding significant physical labor. Unfamiliar languages, environments, transportation, waiting, and overlapping filming schedules all add to the strain. Especially for an older actor, overseas filming is a physical labor that is difficult to romanticize as mere "travel." Im's anecdote highlights the invisible labor actors must endure for a film to reach the screen.

A dialogue mishap with director Na Hong Jin added another layer of humor to his story. Im recalled that his lines spanned as many as three pages, saying, “It was truly daunting. I couldn't have anyone read them to me, and I couldn't even cheat.”

He noted that the production team offered to prepare a teleprompter, but he initially refused, which ultimately led to him repeatedly getting the lines wrong.

Im shared that at the time, Na said, “You're the one who said it was fine, so why do you keep getting it wrong?”

It was a moment where the persistent directing of a master clashed with the human errors of a veteran actor. It also reveals through humor that even in a perfectionist film production, an actor is ultimately a human being, and even for a veteran with decades of experience, memorizing three pages of lines is no easy task.

What was interesting was the reaction following the film's release. Im expressed surprise at the unexpected interest, saying, “I didn't know my story would appear in the media so much.”

As an actor who had been a familiar face in living rooms for a long time, his attention was refocused in a new way through the work of director Na Hong Jin.

It was then that the topic of 'Hope 2' was brought up. His answer was calm yet powerful.

“If I am still alive by then, I will film it.”

Though it is a joke, there is a strange honesty within it that makes one think about what time means to an actor. For a young actor, a sequel is likely a matter of contracts and schedules, but for an older actor, the next work is intertwined with his own biological time. While the industrial term "Season 2" implies a future that follows immediately for some, for others, it includes the existential condition of simply being alive to see it.

Im debuted as a Munhwa Broadcasting Corporation talent in 1969 and has remained a fixture in Korean television and film for over half a century. Through numerous works, including 'Three Families Under One Roof', he has portrayed relatable, everyday characters, spanning an era of Korean popular culture. His acting has always excelled at capturing the flaws, humor, and occasional pathos of ordinary people rather than grand heroes.

Therefore, his appearance in 'Hope' can be read as a meeting that crosses generations and genres. On one side is director Na Hong Jin, who has built a new grammar for genre films, and on the other is Im, who lived through the golden age of Korean TV dramas. Though they come from different generations and production styles, the intersection produced the face of a veteran actor.

This is why Im's remark, “If I am still alive, I will film it,” is so poignant. It is not because he is speaking of death, but because he makes the "next time"—something taken for granted by many—feel uncertain. To an audience waiting for a sequel, it is a light joke; to an actor, a work is a labor that must always be completed through the passage of current time and the physical body.

Whether a sequel to 'Hope' will actually be produced or if Im will return as Park Hae Sul remains to be seen. However, one thing is clear: for an actor who has stood before the camera for over fifty years, the most sincere promise of participation may not be a contract, but a simple phrase: "If I am still alive by then.”