A glimpse into the past of Choi Bool-am, who took on elderly roles starting in his 30s, has been revealed.
The MBC Family Month special documentary, “Paha, I am Choi Bool-am,” aired on May 5, showcasing the legendary actor’s journey.
One of his most iconic works, “Chief Detective,” featured a humanist detective character that captured viewers’ hearts, born from Choi Bool-am’s own reflections and his mother’s advice.
While the character of Chief Park in “Chief Detective” was in his 50s, Choi Bool-am was actually only 31 at the time, playing a character more than 20 years his senior.
In the 1976 film “Wangsimni,” he appeared as the uncle of the late Shin Seong-il, who was only three years older than him. Baek Il-seob commented, “He grew old while he was still young. There weren’t many roles where he acted as his own age. It was all old man acting.”
Director Kim Han-young of “Country Diaries” shared, “He started playing elderly roles in his mid-to-late twenties. For decades, he played old characters instead of roles that matched his own age.”
At 34, he played an old monk on the verge of death in “Pagye.” At 38, in “Arirang A,” he played the father-in-law of the late Song Jae-ho and the father of the late Lee Soon-jae, who was only five years older than him. Then, in 1981 at age 41, he portrayed the 79-year-old President Syngman Rhee.
When asked about the secret to mastering these roles, Choi Bool-am explained, “I stayed with my maternal grandfather for a while. I think I unconsciously absorbed the emotions of the elderly, such as their loneliness and their pitiful behaviors, expressions, and mannerisms. Those emotions were planted in me without me even realizing it.”
