Ahn Jae-hong "I feel a good sense of responsibility thanks to director Jang Hang-jun"

Actor Ahn Jae-hong said that he is happy thanks to director Jang Hang-jun, who is called 'a man selling honey from God', 'a Maltese without tear stains that Yoon Jong-shin fostered and Kim Eun-hee adopted', and 'a man blessed by God'. He said he felt a good sense of responsibility.

For Ahn Jae-hong, ‘Rebound’ is a work that made him feel a good sense of responsibility. He was present on set as the eldest brother among the cast. I met director Jang Hang-jun for the first time and our relationship became close enough to go on a trip. Jaehong Ahn chose the work he had hoped for and had a hunch about, without hesitation.

'Rebound' (Director Jang Hang-jun) is a miraculous story of the 8 days of the 2012 National High School Basketball Tournament in which the new coach and 6 players of the weakest basketball team that no one paid attention to ran tirelessly. It is based on the true story of Busan Jungang High School's success in the 2012 Korea Basketball Association Long National Middle and High School Basketball Tournament.

Jaehong Ahn said, "Director Jang Hang-jun appeared on 'You Quiz on the Block' and told the whole story of the movie. I watch 'You Quiz on the Block' every time, and I was also watching the broadcast in which the director appeared. At that time, "I didn't know the director, but when I saw them talking, he said he really wanted to do that project. And I had a feeling that I would do it. I was hoping to be given the opportunity," he said.

He continued, "Just three days after watching the live broadcast, the 'Rebound' scenario came to me. I vaguely said, 'I hope I get a chance to do that project,' and 'I can do it really vividly and well.' I didn't even tell anyone around me. . The CEO of the company said that a scenario came in and it was director Jang Hang-Jun's work. So I told him it was a basketball movie and he asked how he knew. I said I had seen 'You Quiz on the Block' and the CEO said it was that work," he added.

Ahn Jae-hong had only one choice. He said, "I received the script and read it right away. Usually, other actors have different tendencies, but I think about it for a few days. I think a lot about who will work with me, but I called the script that day and said, 'I will do this quickly before I change my mind.' “I said, ‘I’ll contact you.’ A few days later, I met the director and we worked together. It was a precious and grateful opportunity to work on this project,” he said, laughing.

Ahn Jae-hong expressed his affection for director Jang Hang-jun, with whom he worked for the first time. He said, "It was my first time meeting director Jang Hang-jun. Before that, we had never had a relationship before. We met and got to know each other while working together for the first time. We had a great time. We even went on a trip together after filming." Not only that, "It was a time when I deepened as a person and as a person. It was my first time seeing the director on TV, and he was a person who brought a lot of cheerful energy to the scene just as he did. I thought he was the youngest adult I've ever met." “While watching, I was also receiving a lot of positive influences outside of the movie and the work. We had a lot of conversations with the director about his perspective on life.”

Ahn Jae-hong said, "What I felt was that director Jang Hang-jun was a beloved conductor. Not only the actors but also all the staff loved the director. The director also relieved a lot of tension and encouraged them so that they could fully demonstrate their influence. Filming team, production team, directing team, art “He made each part, including the team, excited. He made it a place where we could enjoy more than what we had planned. He adjusted the speed and speed as the height went up. Watching him coordinate, I felt like a conductor,” he said with a smile.

The biggest reason why Ahn Jae-hong chose 'Rebound' was not because of coach Jang Hang-jun, but because of the subject matter of 'basketball'. He confessed, "When I first received the script, the word basketball struck me more than the word sports. Even when I received the script, I personally came to the realization that basketball was not as popular a sport as it used to be."

He said, "I used to be passionate about basketball, a sport that made me drenched in sweat on the playground, but it has become something of a memory. I am of the generation that grew up watching the 'Slam Dunk' comic book. I experienced the 'Basketball Festival' craze. At that time, 'The First Slam Dunk' was released. "It was a situation where I didn't know if it would come out. I liked it because it was a scenario about finding the heat. Rather than showing it as a sports movie, I really loved it at the time, and the subject of basketball, which I was crazy about and loved to death, touched me more," he explained.

In the play, Ahn Jae-hong plays the role of coach Kang Yang-hyeon. Coach Kang Yang-hyun is a former national tournament MVP and a public service worker who will coach Busan Jungang High School. Ahn Jae-hong gained attention by gaining 10 kg in a week for the character of Coach Yang-hyeon Kang.

He said, "There are some people like that. I can make a menu for people who want to gain weight but are worried about not gaining weight. It was really easy. And I feel good when someone asks me about increasing my weight." He added, "I can make a pizza garlic dipping sauce in a short time. "I did it. The weight gain accelerated. It's difficult to stop. It doesn't stop at that point. I gained 10kg in a week. If you ask me to add more, I can do more."

What was coach Jang Hang-jun's reaction when he saw Ahn Jae-hong increase his weight? Ahn Jae-hong said, "The director smiled brightly and said, 'Oh?'. The corners of his mouth went up. I felt good because the director said, 'Oh, that's good?' in his unique way of speaking. I met director Kang Yang-hyeon before the weight increase. I had a body like the director's. “I met him again after he was pregnant, and he was surprised,” he said. He also said that he looked at all the data on the 30GB USB stick that the 'Rebound' production team handed him.

While preparing for 'Rebound', Ahn Jae-hong visited Jamsil Student Gymnasium to watch the SK Knights home game in person. He said, "I thought I had to quickly get a feel for the basics. It was basketball season when I received the script. Since I'm based in Seoul, the stadium I could get to quickly was the SK Knights' home stadium. And every time I went, the SK Knights won. It was more fun because they won. “SK Knights was famous for having more fun games,” he said.

Finally, Ahn Jae-hong said, "I think the feeling of responsibility is greater than the burden. Of course, I am working with the same mindset in other works, but I still feel a little bit of responsibility as an older brother to the friends I worked with in 'Rebound'." I felt like it was a good stimulus for me while acting. I think what I'm trying to say in this work is a story that says, 'Let's enjoy the present properly,' and 'This only happens once.' Life goes on and we like it. “I thought a lot about having the courage to like what I do,” he said.

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