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Bong and Song: The duo behind South Korea’s Cannes winner

To give you an idea of how good an actor South Korea's Song Kang-ho is, one of the first things director Bong Joon-ho did after he won the Palme d'Or last month was to drop to his knee and offer the award to his friend.

A movie star who has become something of a national treasure, Song shines at the heart of Parasite as the head of a family of penniless scammers.

The 52-year-old has made four films with Bong, including the 2006 monster flick The Host and Bong's first English-language film Snowpiercer (2013), both of which were box office and critical smashes.

"I rely on Song a lot," Bong told a recent press conference in Seoul. "Working with him has allowed me to be more brave as a filmmaker, and take on more difficult challenges."

One of Song's strongest qualities is his versatility, said Jason Bechervaise, a professor at Soongsil Cyber University in Seoul.

"In cinema, a connection between the character and audience is crucial and this is where Song, in particular, shines," he said. "Viewers are inevitably drawn to his characters to such an extent that he is an immense draw at the Korean box office." - AFP

 The duo behind South Korea’s Cannes winner
Director Bong Joon-ho drops to his knee and offers the Palme d'Or to actor Song Kang-ho.

 

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