An Actor Who Has Lived For 10,000 Years [EN]: Chapter 209

209. Broaden Your Perspective (6)

It had been two weeks since I started filming the sitcom.

I had a minor role in the TV sitcom.

Since the part wasn’t that significant, the role would wrap up in about two weeks of filming.

In the car, heading to the set, I asked Kim, who was behind the wheel.

“Hyung, so tomorrow is the last day of sitcom filming, right?”

“Yeah, and the day after tomorrow, we have to go straight to Jeffrey’s movie set.”

“Okay.”

I leaned back in my seat, holding the script again.

Kim looked at me through the rearview mirror with a worried expression.

“Hee-sung.”

“Yeah?”

“Aren’t you tired?”

At his words, I shrugged and replied.

“No, I’m fine.”

“When you were only filming Jeffrey’s movie, you only went to film two or three times a week and rested, but these days, you’re working all week.”

I smiled and shook my head.

“Still, Hollywood is like a company, so working hours are well kept, and I get to rest every weekend. I rest in the evenings and on weekends.”

Seeing Kim’s worried expression, I raised my arm and gestured as if my body was light.

“Don’t worry. Look how healthy I am. Haha.”

“That’s true… but you’re still practicing at night and on weekends.”

Seeing Kim still looking at me with pitiful eyes, I wrinkled my nose and replied.

“Hyung, if it were something I was forced to do, it might be tough. But this is something I begged to do. I’m not tired at all; no, I’m actually happy.”

“Really?”

“Yeah, even after filming the sitcom, I feel like I gain energy rather than lose it. The people have good energy, and there’s so much to learn from them.”

Only then did Kim’s mouth turn up slightly, and he nod.

“Okay, I’ll believe you since you say so.”

“Yeah, really.”

He took the opportunity of a red light to turn around and say.

“But if it gets hard, you absolutely have to tell me.”

“Of course!”

“And once this sitcom is over, let’s take a break. There will be interviews for a while, and you’ll be busy again.”

I tilted my chin, watching the light turn green.

Seeing Kim turn his head back to concentrate on driving, I smiled contentedly.

Kim, who is always worried about me and only thinks about me.

My gratitude towards him was growing more and more.

After driving for a while, we arrived at the set.

“Hello.”

I greeted brightly as I walked around the set.

It had only been two weeks, so only twice a week.

I had only come four times in total, but I was already very fond of these people.

“Hee-sung, you’re here?”

“Yes, Director Felix, good morning.”

He put his hand on my shoulder, patted me, and drooped his eyebrows.

“I know. But what a shame. Tomorrow is already the last day of filming.”

At his words, I pouted with a gloomy face.

“That’s right. It’s such a shame. I really liked coming to the set….”

At that moment.

“Jin!”

Brian approached me and shouted.

Director Felix and I looked at Brian at the same time.

“Oh, Brian. You’re here?”

“How do you always get here earlier than me?”

At his words, I shrugged and replied.

“I come early to watch the set.”

Brian clicked his tongue and clapped his hands.

“You’re really amazing. Watching other actors perform every time you film is not an easy task.”

Director Felix also nodded at his words.

“That’s right. I’ve never seen an actor like this in my directing career. Are all Korean actors like this?”

At Director Felix’s words, I stretched my mouth wide.

“Not all of them, but Koreans are diligent, and everyone is pretty amazing, right? Haha.”

Even at my jest, he nodded seriously.

“I think that’s true. When I think about it, the Korean I used to work with as a staff member was also incredibly good at his job.”

I wasn’t here representing all Korean actors, but I always worked with a sense of responsibility as a ‘Korean actor’ on my shoulders.

Even if they didn’t designate me as their representative, when something happened here, everyone would think that’s how Jin Hee-sung is.

They would just evaluate that’s how Korean actors are, that’s how Koreans behave.

As soon as I arrived in America, I was careful about every action and word.

Thanks to that, the staff and actors who encountered me seemed to think well of Koreans.

“It seems like you only have good people around you because you’re a good director.”

He raised the corners of his mouth at my words and answered with his hand on my shoulder.

“I want to work with you again next time, Hee-sung.”

“Oh, I’m honored.”

“Shall we go film today then?”

“Yes!”

That’s how filming started.

Since my filming was in the afternoon, I was studying by watching the performances of various actors.

Actors who laugh and chat cheerfully but show amazing acting in an instant when the director’s sign falls.

I also try to immerse myself in the role and act, but their inner strength was quite shocking.

Even after chatting and laughing together, after watching their acting with a blank look, I always had that thought.

‘Yeah, Hollywood was Hollywood after all.’

I smiled contentedly, watching Brian’s acting next to the staff.

“Cut, okay!”

With Director Felix’s okay sign, the filming of this scene was finished.

“Good job. Let’s take a short break and go straight to the next scene.”

“Yes.”

The next scene was finally my turn.

I moved to the makeup booth prepared on one side to get makeup done.

It wasn’t just a makeshift setup but a trailer where actors rest.

It was a form of remodeling a trailer bigger than that to create a dressing room.

It felt like moving a shop as it is.

Many actors were taking turns getting makeup and hair done to suit the situation from morning.

I also moved to the dressing room to film the next scene.

Since it was a short break, the actors who were getting makeup done earlier and the actors who would film the next scene with me were gathered and preparing side by side.

“Hee-sung, you’re here?”

They waved their hands and greeted me.

“Yes, are we all filming the next scene together?”

I asked the actors who were getting makeup done.

They answered me with smiles and nods.

A group scene in which most of the people in this sitcom appear.

In that scene, I had to comically express a scene where my body was not well and my face was yellow.

Since it’s a sitcom, there was a point of laughter in every scene.

“Hee-sung, please sit here.”

I took a seat with the staff’s guidance. He looked at my next filming script and opened his mouth.

“The hair for the next scene will be the same as the last scene.”

“Yes.”

“And the makeup is… uh?”

He tilted his head and looked at the script. I opened my mouth right away at his expression.

“I think you should paint my face to make it look a little yellow.”

Then the staff stared at my face and recited.

“Yellow skin….”

At that time, the staff, including the actor next to me, all looked at him at once.

The moment he was surprised by his own words, he shouted, covering his mouth.

“Oh… I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean it that way…!”

The words he spat out looking at me.

‘Yellow skin.’

Simply translated, it was just yellow skin, but to put it badly, it was disparaging that the skin color of Asians was different from theirs.

In other words, it was a word of Asian contempt.

But the skin I had to put on this time was coincidentally yellow skin.

There was not a speck of derogatory part in the script and in the production.

It was just to express a jaundice-like appearance with a yellow face.

The makeup staff also said that to say that.

However, he hurriedly covered his mouth at the fact that he had unknowingly uttered a derogatory word while looking at me.

I started apologizing to me.

“I’m so sorry. I didn’t mean to do that at all….”

Rather, the actors and staff around me were focusing on him and me.

I felt this gaze was worse because there is that derogatory word ‘Yellow’ and because this situation was created.

If it was just used as a yellow color, this staff would not have been surprised or apologized even after saying it.

But I didn’t want to get angry with him here.

Liam, who appears in Jeffrey’s film together, actually used Asian derogatory words to me and ignored me.

But unlike him, this staff didn’t seem to have any intention of doing that at all.

I smiled and opened my mouth instead.

“It’s okay.”

“I’m really sorry….”

He waved his hand in the air and kept apologizing to me.

I raised the corners of my mouth and answered him.

“It’s okay because I know you didn’t mean any harm. You didn’t mean to say that to me either. Besides, it’s funny that this word itself is used as Asian contempt, right?”

He nodded at my words.

“Rather, I hope that a world will come where it doesn’t matter if I say the word yellow to me. It’s just the word yellow… It doesn’t make sense to divide the same person by skin color.”

Brian, who was getting makeup done at the end of my words, got up from his seat.

He looked at me and quietly raised his thumb.

Clap clap-.

And the sound of applause coming from somewhere.

I widened my eyes at the sound and peeked out to look next to me.

Then an actor sitting in another seat was clapping at me.

“Wow, I only said the right things, so applause came out naturally.”

Following him, the surrounding staff and actors nodded and began to buzz.

“Well, that’s right.”

“Yeah, I really don’t know why there is racism. It’s really barbaric.”

“That actor’s awareness is no joke?”

So I smiled awkwardly at their words and finished my makeup.

***

The next day, I continued filming the last sitcom.

“Cut, okay!”

Filming ended before the sun went down.

Actors approaching with the okay sign.

Brian had a small bouquet of flowers in his hand.

“Jin, good job!”

As soon as I saw the bouquet, I opened my eyes wide and opened my mouth wide.

A bouquet of flowers for me, who only appeared for two weeks.

I was touched by his sincerity and affection for me.

Other actors also clapped their hands and said to me.

“Hee-sung, you worked so hard.”

“It was really fun to act with Hee-sung.”

I smiled and answered them, shaking hands with them.

“Thank you for taking care of me all this time.”

“Taking care of you? You’re such a good actor.”

I bowed deeply to them and said.

“I learned and felt a lot by watching your performances here. I will work harder in the future and hope that there will be another opportunity to act together. Thank you so much!”

As soon as I finished speaking, the set was filled with applause again.

“Is Hee-sung going straight to Korea now?”

Brian spat out the answer instead of me at the words of the actor next to me.

“No, Jin is filming Director Jeffrey’s film now, so he’s still far from going to Korea.”

“Oh, then let’s see each other again.”

I nodded and answered.

“Of course. If you contact me anytime, we can meet.”

“Let’s keep in touch often.”

Brian held up his cell phone and shook it at them.

“These days, the message function on SNS [Social Networking Service] is so good that I often contact Jin. Haha.”

“Really?”

“Then I want to be SNS friends with Hee-sung too. What’s your ID?”