Actor Choi Woo-shik shared his thoughts on reuniting with director Kim Tae-yong after 12 years.
On the 29th, a press screening for the film 'Number One' (directed by Kim Tae-yong) was held at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul. The event was attended by actors Choi Woo-shik, Jang Hye-jin, Gong Seung-yeon, and director Kim Tae-yong.
'Number One' tells the story of Ha-min (played by Choi Woo-shik), who begins to see numbers decreasing every time he eats his mother's food. He discovers that when the number reaches zero, his mother, Eun-sil (played by Jang Hye-jin), will die, prompting him to do everything he can to protect her.
Choi Woo-shik reunited with director Kim Tae-yong for the first time since the 2014 film 'Set Me Free'. When asked about his feelings on the reunion, Choi said, "I felt a lot of pressure. Many people liked 'Set Me Free', and since this is my second time working with director Kim, I was worried about how well I could perform."
He added, "I relied a lot on the director. I had many questions and felt I lacked in some areas. It was my first time doing a Busan dialect, and I had to make it fun. The film's theme can be heavy, but there were moments of wordplay and banter, so we worked a lot on our dialogue on set."
When asked about the differences from 12 years ago, he recalled, "When we met for 'Set Me Free', I was 24 and the director was 27, so we both lacked experience. Ten years have passed since our second meeting, and both the director and I have gained experience, making the process smoother on set. I didn't even need to go to the monitor to discuss things; the director already knew, and I was truly happy acting."
Choi also spoke about reuniting with Jang Hye-jin as a mother-son duo, following their collaboration in 'Parasite'. He said, "In 'Parasite', it was more of an ensemble. Many people had to act together in one scene, so there wasn't much one-on-one emotional exchange or dialogue. This time, it was really fun to have one-on-one interactions and do the banter I wanted to try. Since we weren't meeting for the first time and were already close, there was no awkwardness, making it easier."
The film 'Number One' is set to be released on the 11th.
Reported by Kim Se-ah, TenAsia haesmik@tenasia.co.kr