Actor Yoo Seung-mok, who received his first acting award 36 years after his debut, opened up about his deep gratitude toward the family that stood by him during his long years of obscurity.
On the May 20th episode of tvN’s ‘You Quiz on the Block’, Yoo Seung-mok appeared as a guest after winning the Best Supporting Actor (TV) award at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards for the JTBC drama ‘The Story of Kim Bu-jang Who Works at a Large Company and Owns a House in Seoul’.
Yoo Seung-mok shared his feelings about being nominated for an award for the first time in his 36-year acting career. He recalled, “When I heard I was nominated, my wife and daughters were chatting in the family group chat. My daughter said, ‘This is insane!’ When my wife said, ‘Mom is crying right now,’ my daughter replied, ‘I’m crying too,’ and they celebrated together. They told me that just being nominated was as good as winning the award.”
Recalling the moment the winner was announced, Yoo Seung-mok made Yoo Jae-suk laugh by reenacting the scene: “I didn’t hear my name, but as soon as the title ‘Seoul…’ started, I thought, ‘Really? Did I win?'”
His acceptance speech became a hot topic when he said, “I won’t get cocky just because I received this award, so please keep casting me,” and “Eun-hee (his wife), I love you.”
Yoo Seung-mok admitted, “I actually prepared (the speech).” He confessed, “I wondered if I should say those things, worrying that I might seem arrogant or change after saying it.” He added, “But I felt that saying it would help me stay true to myself. It was my honest heart. Please keep calling me for roles.”
He also added a laugh by mentioning that his daughters expressed some disappointment that he only mentioned his wife in the speech, using the show to deliver a belated thank you to them.
The episode became even more touching as a letter written by his wife and messages from his daughters were revealed.
His daughters, now 28 and 24, expressed their gratitude: “When we were little, Dad didn’t have money for toys, so he did his best to play with us using his body. In winter, he always pulled us on sleds up the hill, and on nice days, we’d ride bikes and catch dragonflies. These are the happiest memories of my life that money can’t buy.”
Reflecting on his years of obscurity, Yoo Seung-mok shared, “My wife didn’t send the children to daycare. I later found out it was because we couldn’t afford the fees. From then on, I took any job I could get.” Along with theater, he endured financial hardships by working various side jobs, including home-based manual labor and telemarketing.
He recalled, “A friend of my child once asked, ‘Mister, why don’t you go to an office?’ My wife also worked many part-time jobs. Despite that, neither of them ever let on that things were difficult.”
Yoo Seung-mok also shared a story about his eldest daughter when she was in 8th grade while he was working as an extra. His daughter, then in her second year of middle school, had left 20,000 won and a handwritten letter on the dining table.
The letter read, “Dad, it must be hard waking up early and filming all night these days, right? Cheer up and take this money to spend. I love you. Have a safe trip.”
In a touching reveal, Yoo Seung-mok shared that he couldn’t bring himself to spend the money and has kept it preserved in a frame.
Born in 1969, Yoo Seung-mok debuted as a theater actor in 1990. He gained recognition through supporting roles in films like ‘Peppermint Candy’ (1999), ‘Memories of Murder’, ‘Welcome to Dongmakgol’, and ‘The Host’. His recent works include the films ‘High Five’ and ‘I Kill You’, and dramas such as ‘Moving’, ‘Family Plan’, ‘The Story of Kim Bu-jang Who Works at a Large Company and Owns a House in Seoul’, and ‘Scarecrow’.
