During an interview held at a bar in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on December 23, Song Joong-ki discussed the challenges of portraying the life story of a single character in the film “Bogota: City of the Lost” (directed by Kim Seong-je).
“Bogota: City of the Lost” tells the story of Guk-hee (Song Joong-ki), who travels to Bogotá, Colombia, on the opposite side of the globe with new hopes after the IMF crisis. The film follows his entanglements with Soo-yeong (Lee Hee-joon), a powerful figure in Bogota’s Korean community, and Sergeant Park (Kwon Hae-hyo).
In portraying Guk-hee from her teens to her thirties, Song Joong-ki shared: “It wasn’t pressure so much as embarrassment. Being 35 and being asked to play a 19 year old made me feel so embarrassed that I even refused at first.”
He explained: “I thought it was something younger actors should do. It was more embarrassing than burdensome. But then I thought, ‘Why not do it while I can?’ Once I adjusted, I focused on believing that I could solve the problem by properly representing Guk-hee.”
When asked if he should use special makeup to look younger, Song Joong-ki joked, “I naturally have a baby face…“, eliciting laughter. He added: “Since the sun is so strong there [in Colombia]many children had freckles. We had the idea of adding freckles as part of the makeup.”
Meanwhile, “Bogota: City of the Lost” will premiere on December 31.
