[Life and culture] Korean actors keep mum on int`l stage

The 200-seat hall in the Berlinale Palast, the main theater for the Berlin Film Festival, is the primary venue for press conferences and directors, actors and actresses gather there to meet reporters after screenings.

Audiences and journalists jam-pack the seats and even the stairways when well-known stars and directors turn up and very few seats were left vacant when a press conference was held for Korea`s "Joint Security Area, JSA."

The Korean cast -- Song Kang-Ho, Lee Young-Ae, Kim Tae-Woo and Shin Ha-Gyun -- went on stage accompanied by Myung Film executive Lee Eun, director Park Chan-Wuk and an interpreter. It was the largest group seen on the stage for a single film.

However, the executive Lee and director Park turned out to be the only ones who could stumble through the interview. The rest kept almost completely silent throughout. The master of ceremonies tried to generate some dialogue but he failed. Only Song said much of anything. Though she was the primary focus of attention, Lee said almost nothing.

It was a far cry from the behavior of their peers from other countries, who tend to talk freely to the press. Monica Belluci of "Malena" speaks only a few words in the film but was very vocal when she met with the press corps. Lena Olin of "Chocolat" was showered with applause when she gave an insightful interpretation of the cinematic world of her husband, director Lasse Hallstrom.

Anthony Hopkins of "Hannibal" stood out in defending the graphic violence in the film, drawing on his extensive knowledge of everything from Shakespearean drama to the musical "The Phantom of the Opera."

The press conferences provided opportunities for the actors and actresses to emerge from behind their actorly personae and display their capacity for analyzing their own work. In many cases, members of the media and spectators sat at rapt attention while these stars spoke.

The "Joint Security Area" cast wrapped up their press conference with silent bows, a fitting end to an event in which they said next to nothing. The deportment of Korean actors and actresses may be partly explained by the Oriental custom that says silence is a sort of personal virtue. It is clear, however, that the assumed virtue of reticence should be done away with now that our film industry has begun to make its mark on the world stage.

Kwon Chae-Hyun confetti@donga.com