Actors Yoo Hae-jin and Ryu Seung-ryong have both become the winners of the Grand Prize at the Baeksang Arts Awards. The moment was even more meaningful as the two, who have been best friends for a long time, were named on stage together.
At the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards held on the 8th, Yoo Hae-jin won the Grand Prize in the Movie category for the film The Man Living with the King, while Ryu Seung-ryong won the Grand Prize in the TV category for the JTBC drama The Story of Manager Kim, Who Works at a Large Corporation and Owns a Home in Seoul.
Yoo Hae-jin, who was called first as the Movie category Grand Prize winner, took the stage with a beaming smile. Director Jang Hang-jun, who directed The Man Living with the King, also caught attention for looking happier than anyone else in the audience.
Yoo Hae-jin joked, “Actually, I was expecting the Best Actor award, and when I didn’t get it, I thought, ‘I still have a long way to go.’ When the camera pointed at me, I thought it was for Best Picture, but it turned out to be the Grand Prize.” He continued, “There was a time when I thought I’d only want to act until I was 45, but that time has already passed. I thought receiving a Supporting Actor award would be enough, so I’m truly grateful to receive the Grand Prize like this.”
He also added, “I want to thank the 17 million viewers who watched The Man Living with the King. While doing stage greetings, I felt that theaters were becoming lively again. I was happy that the audience hadn’t forgotten the magic of the cinema.”
He also expressed his affection for co-star Park Ji-hoon, saying, “I’m especially grateful to our Ji-hoon. I received great strength from his wonderful chemistry and the way he looked at me.” Park Ji-hoon was seen shedding tears in the audience while listening to the speech.
Following him, Ryu Seung-ryong, who won the Grand Prize in the TV category, added to the emotion by mentioning his best friend Yoo Hae-jin. He said, “I remember struggling together 30 years ago, putting up posters in a theater in New York. I also recall the days when we worked part-time at a factory for a month. It is truly overwhelming for the two of us to win Grand Prizes side by side.”
Mentioning his character Kim Nak-su, he said, “After losing all the titles of owning a home in Seoul and being a corporate manager, eventually only Kim Nak-su himself remains. Like the name Nak-su, it feels as though water flows to become a stream, then a river, and eventually the ocean.”
Finally, Ryu Seung-ryong shared a heartfelt message: “Saving someone isn’t something grand. I think it’s a warm word like ‘I’m sorry,’ ‘I love you,’ ‘That could happen,’ or ‘Thank you.’ If we can forgive each other and find courage even in our ordinary daily lives, we can become a gift to one another.”
