Song Kang-ho makes his TV debut in ‘Uncle Samsik’
The "Parasite" star on transitioning from film to TV, South Korea in the '50s and '60s, and more
Song Kang-ho stars in "Uncle Samsik" as Park Doo-chil, who goes by the moniker Uncle Samsik.
Still frame from "Uncle Samsik"
Words by Philiana Ng
Veteran South Korean actor Song Kang-ho, who gained prominence on the international stage as the patriarch in the Oscar-winning movie Parasite, makes the leap from film to television for the first time in his three decade-long career. In Hulu’s recently released 1960s historical period drama, Uncle Samsik, which marks his television series debut, Song plays Park Doo-chil, who goes by the moniker Uncle Samsik, a fixer and social chameleon who adapts to any situation and works tirelessly to make sure his allies enjoy three meals a day—even during wartime, unrest, and a heated political election—with the hopes of turning his country’s fortunes around. (The term, “samsik,” means “three meals” in Korean.)
When Uncle Samsik crosses paths with Kim San (Byun Yo-han), an idealist looking to bring American affluence to the Korean people, Samsik begins projecting his plans in an effort to see his ideas through. Of course, it’s not that simple, as Uncle Samsik is saddled with the emotional remnants of his corrupt former partner (played by Lee Kyu-hyung). For Song, whose storied career includes acclaimed films such as A Taxi Driver, Snowpiercer, The Host, and Memories of Murder, the slower-paced Uncle Samsik represented the antithesis to the fast-moving, provocative dramas currently out there—a main draw for his move to the small screen. “It goes deeper and denser into the narrative,” the 57-year-old actor says.
Song spoke with JoySauce, through a translator, about what drew him to do TV for the first time in his career, what he connected with in Uncle Samsik, and what surprised him the most about making a television series.
This interview has been edited for clarity and length.
Philiana Ng: You've had an incredibly successful movie career that spanned over 30 years. How do you feel about what you've accomplished so far?
Song Kang-ho: I don't think there is that much achievement that I have made. You're flattering me. I was very lucky as an actor. I crossed paths with a lot of great artists in Korea, and I was able to cooperate with them on many projects. So I just want to say that I'm a very lucky person.
PN: Uncle Samsik marks your television series debut. What did you like about the story and your character that made you say yes?
SK: Currently, we live in an influx of content that is available to us through different channels, and we have such easy access to a variety of shows right now. I think a lot of the shows that we see now have very provocative subject materials, very eye-catching kinds of style, and they're all very fast-paced. But there are certain things that the story misses out [on] because of the fast pace, and I think Uncle Samsik does just the opposite of that. It might not come off as very trendy in the beginning, but it goes really deep. And if it can go so dense and deep, unlike other trendy shows, I think that's another form of entertainment that we could give to the audience, and that makes it even more creative.
PN: How would you describe Uncle Samsik? Are there any personality traits or characteristics of his that you personally identify with?
SK: I think he is similar to any one of us. He has all the traits that we harbor inside of ourselves. He struggled a lot, and he really clawed his way up to the position that he is in right now. He has this ideal society that he dreams of, and that's why he reaches out to Kim San (played by Byun Yo-han) and tries to win him over because he is that ideal person with pure passion that could make his ideal society come true. So in that process, there are a lot of things that happen, and through those events, Samsik shows us all these different kinds of facets as a person. It could be passion. It could be idealism. It could be empathy. It could be trust, betrayal, selfishness—all these different emotions that we feel as people—all incorporated in this character of Uncle Samsik. If you watch the whole show, you will get to learn that he harbors all these different facets of people inside him. So he's like any one of us.
From left, Byun Yo-han and Song Kang-ho in "Uncle Samsik."
Still frame from "Uncle Samsik"
PN: Since the show is set in the '50s and '60s, what kind of research did you do for this role?
SK: I was born in 1967. Because the show is set against the early '60s, I wasn't born yet. I haven't lived the era myself. But I was educated at school about this turbulent era because it's such a crucial era in modern Korean history—the politics, economics, the society, and the culture. They were all very turbulent and trying very hard to take root. There were also some tragic events that happened as well, so in this very compact period of time, a lot of things happened. And I just want to say that instead of focusing too much on the backdrop, which is the '60s, I think what's really important in this show is talking about the people who lived in that era. We focus on the people. That's why we can relate to the characters and really immerse ourselves into the show.
PN: Since Uncle Samsik is your first TV project, how much of a learning curve was there? What was the most challenging or surprising part about doing TV?
SK: There are definite benefits to doing a drama over doing a movie, because for a movie, the runtime is about two hours, which means that you have to very compactly convey the narrative. But when I'm doing a TV show, there's a longer runtime, so we can really go deep and dive into the narrative and the characters. Instead of saying it was a challenge, I would say what was important for me as an actor doing a TV show was keeping that cadence of the narrative going and that needed a lot of planning in advance. I was surprised I had so much screen time!
From left, Byun Yo-han and Song Kang-ho play Kim San and Park Doo-chil in "Uncle Samsik."
Still frame from "Uncle Samsik"
Published on July 1, 2024
Words by Philiana Ng
Philiana Ng is a Los Angeles-based entertainment writer and editor specializing in TV. She is a Daytime Emmy winner and a National Arts & Entertainment Journalism Award honoree.Her work has appeared in The Hollywood Reporter, Billboard, Entertainment Tonight, TV Guide, Yahoo Entertainment, Netflix, The Daily Beast, The Wrap, Primetimer, Backstage, and more.