Shin Gu (right) speaks at a press conference held in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, on Thursday. (Yonhap)
When asked to recite a line from his latest play, Shin Gu adjusted his posture and transformed himself into Freud.
“When I was a child, the two of us were walking down the street. When a man knocked his hat off, the man shouted at him, ‘Jew! Get off the sidewalk!’”
Starting his lines quietly, the 86-year-old's voice crescendoed into a bellow, stunning the audience.
Returning for the third season, following previous runs in 2020 and 2022, Shin is set to play Freud in “Freud’s Last Session,” which will run at TOM Theater in Daehangno, July 8 - Sept. 10.
The two-person play by American playwright Mark St. Germain premiered in New York in 2009. The story envisions a fictional meeting between atheist Sigmund Freud and Christian C. S. Lewis, exploring witty, intellectual discussions on religion, politics, love and life.
(From left) Nam Myeong-ryeol, Shin Gu, Lee Sang-yun and Kai pose for a group photo after a press conference in Jongno-gu, central Seoul, on Thursday. (Yonhap)
During the March 2022 season, the actor was hospitalized but has since recovered after heart surgery. He has been been in plays such as “The Pope,” My Heart Leaps Up When I Behold a Rainbow in the Sky” and “Salut D'Amour.”
“As a human being, my time is nearing,” he said during a press conference held in Jongno-gu on Thursday.
“No one can predict, but this could be my last play. I am grateful that young actors are taking this work seriously,” added Shin, as he looked on at cast members Lee Sang-yun and Kai sitting next to him.
Shin had said earlier in a press release earlier that he "wishes to properly leave behind a legacy of his favorite work.”
Even though this is the play's third season, Shin said there are still parts that the cast don't fully understand and that they are doing their best to interpret the lines to the best of their ability.
“I wonder how the audience can grasp the play if we let the lines slip by. It’s important to clearly convey the story,” Shin said.
Poster for "Freud’s Last Session" (Park Company)
Veteran actor Nam Myeong-ryeol also returned as Freud after the premiere.
“I was concerned about the work's commercial success at the time of the premiere,” said Nam.
“But I was pleasantly surprised that the audience enjoyed the intense intellectual discussions on stage.”
Lee, who has also been with the production since the beginning, said he joined the team after much consideration. Although there was some hesitation in the beginning, Lee said a dinner with Shin changed his mind.
"At first I hesitated. I hadn't done much theater so I wanted to try something new,” said Lee. “He spoke as if it were only natural for me to join. I couldn’t say I was still thinking about it, but by the end of the dinner, I was persuaded to be in the play,” Lee said with a laugh. “During rehearsals, I felt I had made the right decision.”
Musical performer Kai is double-cast as Lewis alongside Lee.
“As a person who has lived as a believer all my life, I was drawn to this work,” he said.
“Approaching this work with strong sympathy as a theist was advantageous. The lines were challenging to memorize but not difficult to understand.”
Kai, who is also returning to stage play for the first time in seven years, said while the power of language is often overshadowed by music in musicals, he wanted to use this opportunity to question what kind of actor he was when on stage without music.
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