Eo Young-dam and Ahn Seong-gi appear in ‘Noryang’ while fighting blood cancer… The movie that overcame illness, love, shone.

Actor Ahn Seong-gi (71), who is working hard to recover after fighting blood cancer, showed his passion for acting in the movie 'Noryang: Deadly Sea'.

You can see Ahn Seong-gi's happy face in the movie 'Noryang: Deadly Sea' (directed by Kim Han-min, hereinafter referred to as 'Noryang'), which is scheduled to be released on the 20th. Ahn Seong-gi plays the role of Eo Yeong-dam, a military general from the Joseon Dynasty, and appears briefly but powerfully at the end of the play.

'Noryang' was filmed from January to June 2021, which was after Ahn Seong-ki developed blood cancer. Even though Ahn Seong-ki, who was suffering from illness, was not in good condition, he appeared in 'Noryang' out of his love for the character Eo Young-dam, which he carried over from 'Hansan: Appearance of the Dragon' (director Kim Han-min, hereinafter referred to as 'Hansan'), and his sense of responsibility towards the movie. Although he didn't do any action or dialogue, it must have been not easy for Ahn Seong-ki at the time to spend a lot of time wearing makeup and wearing armor weighing close to 30 kg. This is a part where Ahn Seong-gi’s love for movies stands out.

In relation to this, a film official told Ten Asia, "Although Ahn Seong-ki was not in the best condition at the time of filming, he was still able to film, and above all, he had a strong will to participate in the film." He added, "We filmed without causing too much trouble. “Thanks to this, we were able to create an impressive flashback scene.”

Ahn Seong-gi previously met the audience in 'Hansan' (2022) by playing the character Eo Yeong-dam, who is well aware of the situation of the sea waterway and has a great plan. He showed off his presence as a stable and heavy god by working with Park Hae-il, Yi Sun-sin of 'Hansan'.

According to history, Eo Yeong-dam, the character played by Ahn Seong-gi, contributed greatly to the Joseon navy's victory in the naval battles of Okpo, Happo, Danghangpo, and Ulpo, but died of an infectious disease in April 1594. During his lifetime, he received great trust from Yi Sun-sin and was highly regarded.

According to the agency, Ahn Seong-gi was diagnosed with blood cancer in 2019, began treatment, and was declared cured in 2020. However, it relapsed during follow-up and he had to fight the disease again for over two years.

However, he appears to have recovered his health significantly recently. Ahn Sung-ki recently appeared at director Lee Jun-ik's retrospective and the 43rd Golden Cinematography Awards, and regained his healthy smile by providing fan service with hand hearts.

Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr