In the movie 'Soulmate' (directed by Min Yong-geun), a special scene was revealed for the film's best scene-stealer cat, along with the introduction of the child actors who played the childhood roles of actors Da-mi Kim and So-ni Jeon.
'Soulmate' is the story of two friends, Miso (played by Kim Da-mi), Ha-eun (played by Jeon So-ni), and Jin-woo (played by Byeon Woo-seok), who recognized each other from their first meeting and shared everything together, including joy, sadness, excitement, and longing.
Not only the child actors who played young Miso and Ha-eun, but also the cat that makes hearts flutter with its cute appearance is attracting attention. Despite being child actors, Kim Soo-hyung and Ryu Ji-an, who played the younger versions of Kim Da-mi and Jeon So-ni, captivate the hearts of viewers from the beginning of the film by expressing in detail the relationship between the two, who had no choice but to become 'soulmates' from their first meeting.
One lazy summer day, a smile that rarely smiles appears in front of Ha-eun, who was secretly drawing the teacher's face as usual in the classroom. Miso, who has transferred to a new school, runs out of the classroom without even making eye contact with her classmates. This is something Ha-eun can’t even imagine. Ha-eun begins to see a new world after finding the bag that Mi-so had left behind.
In this way, the audience naturally gets into the flow of delicate emotional acting that child actors Kim Soo-hyung and Ryu Ji-an build up from the beginning, meeting the grown-up smiles of Kim Da-mi and Ha-eun Jeon So-ni. Additionally, director Min Yong-geun and the production team created special rules for the two child actors.
‘Child actors should never be alone, and please pay close attention to their filming movements.’ ‘Child actors must be protected by adults, and at the same time, they are colleagues who make movies together as professional actors. Please always respect them and listen to what they say. Also, help create an environment where they can focus on acting!' We worked on filming with the safety and respect for the rights of child actors as our top priority.
In their special friendship, there is a scene-stealer that cannot be missed, one that stays with you for a lifetime. The cat Maru appeared as the mother. Every time Maru appears in the movie, the audience is expected to be disarmed and thrilled by its fatal cuteness. In the movie, Maru has been with Miso and Ha-eun since they were young. When they find a cat abandoned on the street, they pledge to raise it at home and give it a name they will never forget once they hear it: Mom.
This name contains the heart of a smile. The reason is that the kitten wants to grow up warm and cozy and “I can call it affectionately.” It is said that he monopolized the cuteness of all the staff even on the actual filming set. Maru, who became the mascot of the filming set upon his appearance, worked with the actors and staff under the rules suggested by director Min Yong-geun, an actual cat owner.
The rules created by director Min Yong-geun are ‘Don’t approach suddenly, but approach slowly even if it takes time!’, ‘First impressions are the most important to me! Safety is a top priority with delicate rules as if Maru is talking, such as 'Don't put your hand out all the time, but look near my ears or nose', 'Now that you have met me face to face a few times, please talk to me at my eye level'. did.
Meanwhile, 'Soulmate' will be released on the 15th.
Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr