Sometimes the ending of a television series needs to shock viewers to the point of frustration, veteran actor Choi Min-sik believes, and he made sure that was exactly what he did in his latest work "Big Bet," which recently wrapped up on Disney+. It was his first small-screen role in over twenty years.

The ending may have left viewers in shock, but Choi says he believes it "symbolizes the very essence of life."

“There was definitely an anticlimactic shock factor there, but it was an ending that our team of actors and producers discussed and revised many times,” said Choi during a roundtable interview with local reporters in central Seoul on March 24. “We wanted to stray away from those cliché endings of most noir films and dramas — we wanted something intentionally surprising and unexpected.”

Without giving away too much of a spoiler, the ending of “Big Bet” shows Choi’s character Cha Mu-sik getting backstabbed by one of his most trusted companions. Cha is a character who started from rock bottom before climbing through the ranks of underground overseas casinos and criminal masterminds.


“I think a lot of older viewers and middle-aged men will be able to identify and relate with Cha,” said Choi, reflecting on his character in “Big Bet.”

“Cha is someone who is neither good nor evil, neither light nor dark — but he definitely does a lot of bad deeds and even crimes. But you keep rooting for him even so. I think this is because Cha embodies the average man, someone who fails, who has all these multiple sides to him, someone who is not a hero but also not a villain.”


Through the character of Cha Mu-sik, Choi and the producers wanted to portray the frailty of life and the ultimate meaninglessness of pursuing monetary gains, according to Choi.

“Director Kang Yoon-sung also talked about this before, that in ‘Big Bet’ we wanted to address the uncertainty and feebleness of life,” said Choi. “That is where the ending comes in again. Someone at the top of the game in such a cutthroat world as running casinos and chasing money can also fall to an abyss at the mere stroke of destiny. People run toward shiny things, like money or whatever else, like a moth to a flame. But that flame eats them up, and all those people in ‘Big Bet’ also get engulfed in the fire after chasing after their desires. That is what we wanted to portray through the ending, and I hope that gets delivered to viewers.”


Regarding the craft of storytelling through films and dramas and whether Choi feels that popular content should follow trends and what viewers seem to want to watch, the actor put his foot down and said that content creators should focus on storytelling first and worry about impressing viewers later.

“What viewers seem to want is too fickle and prone to change,” said Choi. “We as creators need to think about the fundamental questions: Why are we making this story? What are we trying to gain from communicating through this story with viewers? It could be just for the money, or to pose a social question or criticism, or to entertain audiences. But when creators try to gauge viewers’ reactions and how people will respond before doing their jobs of creating stories first, that reverses the order. I do not think that is the right way to interact with the audience. The story needs to come first, and a well-made film or drama can resonate with viewers no matter what, even if it's on a small scale.”


When asked whether Choi feels weighed down by his own fame, reputation as an actor and viewers’ expectations of his works, the veteran responded that though of course he is conscious of those things, he has now found a sort of equilibrium.


“I think it is always the same for me,” said Choi. “Of course I am human, so I am curious about people’s reactions to my work and whether my films and dramas will do well at the box office or streaming service rankings and all that. But worrying about those things is others’ jobs. My job is to act. I do this job because I do not know how to do anything else at this point and I am blessed with being able to do what I want and to act in the works that I want.”

What will come for Choi after “Big Bet” is a mystery for the actor himself too, and now it is time for Choi to move on, according to the star.


“After every film or drama, I try to erase the character I played and start afresh,” said Choi. “People still ask me about my character from films like ‘Oldboy,’ but I do not look back. We as actors should not linger too long on past roles, however well-received or loved those roles were. I am grateful when people love and remember my past roles, but I try to keep myself in check and look for and focus on my next character.”

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]