Song Joong-ki (39) does not rest on his laurels. He is not satisfied with the position he has reached so far and always dreams of something new. To put it positively, he has a strong sense of challenge, and to put it bluntly, he is full of desire.

The movie ‘Bogota: Land of Last Chance’ (directed by Kim Sung-je, Bogota), which will be released on the 31st, is a work that stimulated Song Joong-ki‘s usual temperament and nature. People around him say it was an “unexpected choice”, but he said, “I’m not the type to regret not doing something, rather than trying everything and regretting it later”.

‘Bogota’ is about a family that lost everything right after the IMF crisis and moves to Bogota, Colombia in search of hope. In the movie, Song Joong-ki plays the role of Gook-hee, who works his way up from the bottom of the Korean community to the position of chairman in order to support his family.

Song Joong-ki, whom we recently met at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, said, “I‘ve heard a lot that I make unexpected choices,” and that he’s not a case of “changing on purpose. Unlike others, I debuted late at the age of 28, and I didn‘t major in acting, so rather than being stuck in a well, I try to challenge things I’ve never tried before and enjoy it.”

His curiosity about filming in Colombia for the first time led to unique changes, such as studying Spanish and getting his ears pierced for the first time in his life.

“I went there a month before the first filming to play a character who has settled down in Colombia and is living well. All the local men were wearing earrings and colorful clothes. I don‘t usually wear accessories like watches, but I went to a tattoo shop and got my ears pierced. I also learned Spanish. Spanish has rhythm and is really fun. I don’t think acting in a foreign language was a burden. If that were the case, how would you have met your wife? Hahaha!”

In the film, he portrayed a character who changes from a fresh-faced teenager to a 20-year-old, and then a 30-year-old.

“It was embarrassing. The longest part of my screen time was when I was 21 or 22. I was 35 at the time. When I read the script, I said, ‘I think someone younger should do it.’. But I thought I should do it when people told me I looked a little younger because they wouldn‘t give me this kind of role when I got older.”

‘Bogota’ began filming in 2020, but filming was suspended and resumed repeatedly due to the COVID-19 outbreak. During that time, Song Joong-ki married his British girlfriend Katie Louise Saunders in January 2023, and had a son and a daughter.

“My wife and I both love babies. So we should have a second child right away, right? My wife and I have different nationalities, so both of our children have names in Korean and Spanish. My son, who is now two years old, is starting to speak, and he calls me ‘Daddy’ and ‘Daddy’. The reason I am continuing to learn Spanish is because I want to be able to talk to my children. My daughter, who was born last month, has a different charm from my son. (Showing a picture on her phone) Isn’t she really pretty? It may seem like she’s being too sly, but I can’t help it.”


Reporter Lee Jeong-yeon annjoy@donga.com