Interview with Jung Woo-sung as Lee Tae-shin in the movie ‘12.12: THE DAY’
Released on the 22nd
12.12: THE DAY’ Jung Woo-sung, “Director Kim Seong-soo is a very annoying and beloved senior.”
What does director Kim Seong-soo (64) mean to actor Jung Woo-sung (50)?

Jung Woo-sung was interviewed by Ten Asia about the movie '12.12: THE DAY' (directed by Kim Seong-su) at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul at 11 am on the 21st.

12.12: THE DAY’ Jung Woo-sung, “Director Kim Seong-soo is a very annoying and beloved senior.”

The relationship between Jung Woo-sung and director Kim Seong-soo goes back a long time. They previously collaborated on four works together, including 'Beat' (1997), 'No Sun' (1998), 'Warrior' (2001), and 'Asura' (2016), and this is their fifth collaboration through '12.12: THE DAY'.

In a previous interview, director Kim Seong-soo said, "Jung Woo-sung is definitely not my persona," but showed extraordinary affection for him. In relation to this, when asked about the meaning of director Kim Seong-soo, Jung Woo-sung replied, "It is a love-hate relationship."

“To me, the director was recognized as a colleague, and he was someone who taught me through experience on set, ‘What filmmaking is all about.’ When an actor is interviewed and says, ‘Director Kim Seong-soo is the best,’ the other director says, ‘You’re the director Kim Seong-soo. You may be saying, ‘This is the best?’, but to me, Director Kim Seong-su is the best senior, colleague, and ‘very annoying and beloved’ director.”

Jung Woo-sung also highly praised Director Kim's directing skills and qualifications. “A lot of actors appear in the movie. But when that happens, it’s really difficult to strike a balance. It’s very difficult. From the actors’ perspective, it’s easy to hear, ‘Why did you show up?’ The director makes so many actors shine in their respective positions. I thought this was terrible. I observe until the end to capture the connection between the actors and their characters. The director is like a ‘tenacious energizer.’”

12.12: THE DAY’ Jung Woo-sung, “Director Kim Seong-soo is a very annoying and beloved senior.”
‘12.12: THE DAY’ depicts the Seoul military revolt on December 12, 1979, which changed the fate of the Republic of Korea. It depicts the 9 hours of intense conflict between Chun Doo-gwang's (Hwang Jung-min) rebel army and Lee Tae-shin's (Jung Woo-sung) suppression army. Through this work, Jung Woo-sung is being evaluated as having taken a step forward in terms of acting. Jung Woo-sung showed off his inner strength as Lee Tae-shin, a strong soldier who must fight to the end even though he knows he will lose.

It opens on the 22nd.

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