Following Kim Taek and Jang Hang-jun's cards, Ahn Jae-hong's chance

Continuing from interview ①

Actor Kim Taek mentioned Ahn Jae-hong, who worked with him as a coach and player in the movie 'Rebound'.

We recently met with Kim Taek, who played the role of Hong Soon-gyu in the movie 'Rebound' (directed by Jang Hang-jun), at Ten Asia's headquarters in Jungnim-dong, Jung-gu, Seoul.

'Rebound' is a miraculous story of 8 days during the 2012 National High School Basketball Tournament, when a new coach and 6 players of the weakest basketball team that no one paid attention to ran tirelessly. It was created based on the true story of Busan Jungang High School's success in the 2012 Korea Basketball Association National Middle and High School Basketball Tournament.

Hong Soon-gyu, played by Kim Taek, is a former soccer player with a strong jumping ability. He wanted to become a soccer player like Zlatan, but thanks to his physique that is perfectly suited to basketball, he catches the eye of coach Kang Yang-hyeon (played by Ahn Jae-hong) and unexpectedly joins the basketball team.

Previously, Jeong Jin-woon said that he had a dinner with the 'Rebound' team using coach Jang Hang-jun's card. Kim Taek said, "Because we were running around all the time, we ate like athletes. The director said, 'I'll buy you meat,' and we said, 'Please buy it for us.' We also asked the director, 'When are you going to buy it for us?' Jinwoon suddenly started eating meat. My older brother received a card from the director. After receiving the card, I asked, 'How much should I use?' “While I was worrying, I ate meat until my stomach exploded. The director said, ‘You guys really ate a lot,’” he said.

He continued, “The staff at the meat restaurant also asked, ‘Why did you eat so much?’ because we ate so much. Senior (Ahn) Jaehong also bought us a lot. For the sake of filming, he bought us meat at the end of each game. That’s why the game in the play is like that. I waited until it was over. He bought it for me from a famous restaurant in the neighborhood where we were filming. He also bought it with his own money. Also, didn't we put on makeup before filming? When we entered the dressing room, there were energy pills, nutritional supplements, and Gongjindan in front of us. When I asked about the source, they said it was from a senior. “Senior Jaehong took care of our health,” he added.

Kim Taek said, "What senior Jaehong said was, 'Never get hurt.' He emphasized that it's good to work hard and become one, but let's never get hurt. In fact, the coach says the same thing. Senior Jaehong is also always by our side and watching over us. "He watched over us. Even though it wasn't his senior filming, he looked after us. I wanted to ask a lot of questions to senior Jaehong. I asked a lot of questions when I was filming my first scene."

Also, “Senior Jaehong also came to me and said, ‘I wanted to talk to you about it.’ I had a lot of concerns because it was my first appearance, but after meeting and talking to senior Jaehong, I was bright. I thought, ‘What can we do to make this fun?’ and came up with an idea. “In fact, the director liked the idea I came up with with my senior,” he said with a laugh.

Previously, Ahn Jae-hong revealed that he carried the last volume of the comic book 'Slam Dunk' with him like a talisman while filming 'Rebound'. Even though it was before the release of the theatrical version of 'The First Slam Dunk', he said he re-watched the comic book to remind himself of how hot it was. Kim Taek, who saw this, said, "He was carrying a book, but he didn't look at it. He just carried it around like a talisman. When I was filming, I ran into him on the street and he was lost in thought. So I thought he was reading a book, but he wasn't. He was holding it next to him." It made me laugh.

Kim Taek said that he watched the animated version of ‘Slam Dunk’ when he was in high school. After watching the movie version of ‘The First Slam Dunk’, he said it was something new. He said, "I (like the coach) searched for 'The First Slam Dunk'. I thought that basketball was, in some ways, a less popular sport than soccer or baseball. I felt it even when I played as a player. Although I did not become a professional basketball player, “I was heartbroken when I saw that the popularity of professional basketball had decreased. I thought it would be great if basketball became more widely known,” he said.

Kim Taek said, "I asked my friends around me that they like soccer or baseball, but I didn't have any friends who played or went to watch basketball. I was happy about the success of 'The First Slam Dunk'. As 'The First Slam Dunk' became a hit, a 'non-play craze' started. I hope our ‘rebound’ goes well too.”

Kim Taek, along with the 'Rebound' cast, participated in a throw and mini game in the last S derby game of the season between Seoul Samsung and Seoul SK Knights. As an actor, he has stepped onto courts with many spectators. Kim Taek said, "My heart was pounding and my body was shaking. Although I didn't play a mini-game as a basketball player, it was strange to see some familiar faces (on the bench). I don't know how to express it since my close friends were playing. Rather than feeling disappointed, I felt like I had a new feeling." “It was strange to have a dream and stand in the dream space of the past. I can’t explain it,” he said.

Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr