By Honorary Reporter Marianna Baroli from Italy
Photos = Marianna Baroli

On March 15, cast members of "Pachinko," an acclaimed historical series on Apple TV+, held an international news conference via Zoom from Los Angeles. As a reporter covering Asian culture for the Italian magazine Panorama, I got to interview several of them. For almost three hours, the reporters from different media switched between group and one-on-one interviews with the actors.

Marianna Baroli, a writer for the Italian magazine Panorama, interviews Oscar-winning actor Youn Yuh-jung online.

The first interviewee was Youn Yuh-jung, who plays the protagonist Sunja as an elderly woman.

How and why did you choose this project?

"Pachinko" is a project I embarked on long before winning the Oscar for "Minari." This story is from such a profound and felt novel that I can't describe it with another word other than "Pachinko" itself. I think this is the only way to describe this drama and what it means to me, us and all viewers.

Did you feel a connection with the character?

It was a heartfelt production. My mother was born in 1924, and her family lost their land during the Japanese occupation. So while I was playing Sunja when she chose to go back to Korea, I suddenly thought, "Whether I like it or not, it already happened to us, and we don't have to be ashamed or proud. We only need to let the world acknowledge this part of history."

Actor Lee Min-ho said his role in "Pachinko" could set his career for the next 10 years.

When I asked Lee Min-ho to describe "Pachinko" in one word, he laughed and said the question was the "most difficult" he had received in a while. Then with a straight face, he gave his answer: "generational."

What does Pachinko mean to you?

The series is a starting point for the next 10 years of my career. My last casting was more than 13 years ago, and I didn't remember how to do it. I felt a lot of pressure at first, but knew I had to play this role.

How did you approach the role of Hansu?

While preparing for the shoot, I looked up pictures of random people from those eras, and the first thing I noticed was that nobody, in hundreds of pictures, was smiling. That was the turning point for my Hansu. He must've been a man who lost all his dreams and hopes and surrendered to that kind of life.

Actor Kim Min-ha is set to see her career take off with her role in "Pachinko."

The next person to interview was Kim Min-ha, who portrays Sunja as a young woman.

How would you describe 'Pachinko' in one word? Who is Sunja to you?

Epic. At some point, I felt pressure, but on another level, it wasn't only about the characters. I cared about the stories.

How did it feel to portray Sunja?

My grandmother grew up in Korea when it was under Japanese colonial rule. She was so proud of my portrayal and also felt sorry for the emotions I had to feel. It was in that moment that I fully understood who Sunja was and held a huge responsibility as a storyteller to try to send that message to the audience.

"Pachinko" supporting actor Jin Ha is a Korean American who grew up in Connecticut. Anna Sawai is a former J-pop group member who lived in New Zealand, Hong Kong and the Philippines before moving to Japan at age 10.

Jin Ha plays Sunja's nephew Solomon and Anna Sawai the young Japanese lawyer Naomi, a role created for the drama. Ha chose "humanity" as his one-word description of "Pachinko" and Sawai "resilience."

Soji Arai, a Korean Japanese actor who played Mozasu in the series and whose Korean name is Park So-hee, did not take part in the online event. I reached out to him via Instagram and asked him the same question. Coming from a Zainichi family, he simply answered "Me." 

kalhong617@korea.kr

*This article is written by a Korea.net Honorary Reporter. Our group of Honorary Reporters are from all around the world, and they share with Korea.net their love and passion for all things Korean.