On March 19, 2026, in Florence, amid the elegant atmosphere of the Korea Film Fest, Gong Yoo appeared almost quietly, the way the most beautiful things do when they don’t ask to be announced. An unexpected yet powerful presence, capable of igniting excitement and leaving behind a trail of sincere emotion.
And then came March 20, 2026, which truly feels like a page from a diary.
A day made of words, listening, and smiles. During the press conference, Gong Yoo spoke with the delicacy that makes him unique: answers that were never predictable, thoughts that ran deep, and a natural elegance that goes beyond the role and reaches straight to the soul. Not just an actor, but a presence capable of turning an encounter into a memory. A minimal, clean look. One might have expected an untouchable star, almost guarded, yet instead we found ourselves in front of someone simple and reassuring.
Gong Yoo spoke openly, with a calm and genuine tone. To every question, he gave clear and thoughtful answers, never superficial or distant. The feeling was that of being in front not only of an actor, but of someone capable of truly listening and giving meaning back through his words. This is exactly where his approach to acting comes from: Gong Yoo doesn’t simply perform—he enters the stories, moves through them, makes them his own. He often chooses roles tied to deep and sometimes intense themes, bringing them to life with a sensitivity that reaches the audience directly.
When asked which character he felt closest to, he mentioned Coffee Prince for his younger years and Goblin for a more mature phase of his life.
Friendly, smiling, never over the top: his charisma won over the entire room. Even the most skeptical, if there were any, were completely captivated.
When we asked him, “How much does the relationship with the director influence the development of a character, and is there an Italian director you would like to work with?”, Gong Yoo paused for a moment, as he often does when choosing his words carefully. His answer was not immediate, but deeply thoughtful.
He spoke about how essential the connection with the director is for an actor, almost the very heart of the creative process. It is not simply about receiving directions or following a vision: it is an ongoing dialogue, a two-voice collaboration in which the character gradually takes shape through exchange, listening, and shared sensitivity. He emphasized how building a role is never a solitary act, but a shared journey. Actor and director, together with the crew, become part of the same creative organism. And here he used a simple yet powerful image: that of a team “on the same boat.”
A delicate balance, where every gesture, every intuition, every choice contributes to the final direction. It is precisely from this harmony, he explained, that the most authentic performances are born,those capable not only of telling a story, but of leaving a lasting impression. Among all his words, one in particular lingered in the air, almost like a key to understanding his way of approaching acting:
“the value of life.” A simple expression, yet rich with meaning, one that seems to encapsulate the deepest essence of his work and the stories he chooses to tell. Then, as often happens in the most beautiful moments, depth gave way to lightness. To each question, an answer; to the second question, a second answer and when asked if there was an Italian director he would like to work with, Gong Yoo smiled and, with natural spontaneity, picked up his phone to search for the name. For a few seconds, the scene turned into something almost cinematic in its simplicity: the connection wasn’t working, time seemed suspended, and I was even ready to offer him my own phone to help.
A small moment of uncertainty, shared with the audience, that brought smiles and made everything incredibly human. Then, finally, the signal returned.
The name he was looking for was Luca Guadagnino.
Not just a casual reference, but a precise choice. Gong Yoo mentioned that his favorite film is Call Me by Your Name, an intense, sensitive, and deeply emotional work, capable of portraying feelings with rare delicacy, and that an important quote from the film, “Remember this moment with pain, with sadness, with joy, because in the end it is very precious”, is carefully kept on the home screen of his phone. A detail that reveals a great deal about him: his attention to intimate stories, to silences, to the subtle emotions that flow beneath the surface. In just a few minutes, that answer became something more than a simple professional statement.
It became a window into his way of understanding cinema, the craft of acting, and perhaps even life itself. A moment made of depth, authenticity, and a touch of irony, exactly like the things that truly stay with us.
A career spanning 25 years, celebrated for the first time in Italy, in Florence. A place that, as he shared with a smile, had already lived in his adolescent dreams: he imagined Italy as the place where he would fall in love. A light, spontaneous thought that brought a smile, yet also leaves room for a gentle reflection, life, sometimes, truly surprises us. His authenticity is also reflected in his human connections: he shared that, whenever possible, he maintains relationships with colleagues even outside of the set, despite busy schedules, a detail that once again confirms his deeply human nature.
You can find the full press conference on our YouTube channel.
