Park Seong-gwang "I'll be proud of being a comedian until I die"

“There is no scene without comedy. I think it is essential. Trends have changed these days, but I think laughter is an essential element. You pay money to buy laughter to be entertained, right? Comedy will never disappear. When I die, too, "I want to be a comedian forever. Since I started out as a comedian, I want to be a comedian I'm proud of until I die."

Comedian Park Seong-kwang revealed the dream hidden in his heart through the movie 'Woongnam'. Park Seong-gwang is also there because there were seniors named Lee Gyeong-gyu and Shim Hyeong-rae who took the challenge of becoming a film director one step ahead of him. Park Seong-gwang, who said that laughter will last forever, said that he wants to be a comedian until he dies.

Park Seong-kwang directed the short film ‘Swear’ in early 2011. He then directed the short film 'Sad Because It's Not Sad' in 2017 and the film project 'Strong', which was part of 'Don Rix 2' in 2020. For him, ‘Woongnam’ is his first commercial film. 'Woongnam' is a comical action movie in which a man with a special secret called Asiatic Black Bear uses his unique beast-like abilities to cooperate with an international criminal organization to investigate.

Park Seong-gwang said, "Actually, I wanted to become an actor when I was in high school. So I went to an acting academy. I took the theater and film department exam, but I failed in acting. I thought I couldn't do it, so I thought about taking the exam again. So I changed my mind. “If you like theater, I thought it wouldn’t be a bad idea to make others shine. When I got into it, I couldn’t hide my talent. I stood out and had fun in it, so I created my own comedy club,” he said.

He continued, "I ended up going up on stage. It was fun to do the acting I had dreamed of. I became a comedian because I enjoyed comedy. I worked hard in school during the first semester and mostly only participated in club activities. I barely earned enough credits to graduate. Even while doing comedy activities, my heart grew stronger. “On the other hand, I thought, ‘Maybe I should make my own movie, even if it’s small,’” he added.

Although it was a very short film, Park Seong-gwang directed 'Yuk' in 2011 at his recommendation. He said, "There was a short film festival and they said it wouldn't be difficult to try. I was hooked and decided to make it right away. That's how I started my first work. I wasn't good enough, but the film was screened and people laughed while watching it. It was fun to see my acting. "He laughed when he saw what I had directed. After seeing that, I told him to study hard and make it right."

Park Seong-kwang, who went on to direct short films, independent films, and short films, developed a desire for commercial films. Park Seong-kwang said, "I made a work and visited all the production companies. But there were cases where investors said, 'Was he a comedian? I won't do it.' There was one place where it was OK. One production company found out that a former comedian was visiting the production company. “After hearing the script, I came to see him. We made it together, revised it, and exchanged scripts for a month, but I couldn’t contact him,” he confessed.

Park Seong-gwang said, "Then one day, we met at a film festival. He casually said, 'Please take a picture of me with his daughter.' I was embarrassed. It was very difficult for a while. The moment I let go of my presumptuous greed, I got a call from the production company. 'Woong-nam said.' 'He asked me if I could come and see it. I went and the script was good. I said, 'If you give me a suggestion, I want to make it an action comedy.' He entrusted me with the adaptation, and I changed it to an action comedy while thinking of senior Park Sung-woong." He explained.

Prior to Park Seong-gwang, Lee Gyeong-gyu, Shim Hyung-rae, Ahn Sang-tae, and Kim Young-hee also attempted to become comedians and film directors. Park Seong-gwang revealed that he was greatly influenced by Lee Kyung-gyu and Shim Hyung-rae. He said, "It's a comedian's way of communicating, but at the beginning, he says, 'Oh, I tried to do it first,' and 'It was taken away.' The last part is encouragement. Senior Kyung-gyu Lee also said, 'Don't do it, I'll do it first.' Also, the distributor is CJ. “Because it was CGV, they said, ‘Wow, my stomach hurts,’ but in the end, they supported me a lot and said, ‘I hope the comedian does well.’”

Also, "In a way, I think I am who I am because of my seniors. If I have a chance to say this in a good position, I want to say, 'I was able to come to this place because of the path that my seniors paved. I am grateful.' Because my seniors started it all. “I am here. I can’t imagine how difficult it must have been, but I feel it,” he said. “I am always grateful to my seniors in many ways. I was also influenced by the failure of senior Lee Gyeong-gyu. That you should not do it this way, that you should not do it with your own money, and that it is important to receive investment.” “I heard it was a goal and I learned a lot,” he said.

Park Seong-kwang said, "We have to fight against two prejudices. 'It must be fun because it was made by a comedian, right?' and 'Because it's a comedian, it must have been made in Korean as ssammai.' I keep running into this prejudice. Isn't the modifier that is always added to it 'comedian'? So, I reduced a lot of the laughter in 'Woongnam'. I tried to focus on the flow. When I tried to be funny, the flow was interrupted. There were a lot of funny scenes, but it's a shame. I cut out the comedy first out of the amount of footage filmed. It's understandable even without the comedy part. “It’s possible. It’s disappointing to cut out the comedy,” he said.

Since it is my first time directing a Sang-yeop movie, there are many things I regret. Park Seong-kwang said, "As I am a novice director, I feel that my directing skills were lacking. I should have drawn the mise-en-scène and emotional parts well in my head, whether it be moving or cutting, and then went to the scene, but I was lacking in conveying the emotions. The costumes and other aspects were noticeable. I felt like there was a lot. It's always a series of regrets. My heart hurts so much. I think I could make it well if I have the next chance. If God gives me the ability, I know it will be edited, so I'll only film what I can without making it in 2 hours and 50 minutes. “I will do it,” he said.

Park Seong-kwang, who said he became humble and small, said, "There is no scene without comedy in the noir genre. I think comedy is essential. I learned from my professor that laughter, comedy, and new wave are essential elements. These days, the trend has changed. Even if it is not new wave, laughter is I think it is an essential element. Comedy must exist because the movie itself is a medium and content that tries to gain enjoyment. Since we pay money to buy laughter to be entertained, I think comedy will never disappear. The platform will only change, but it will disappear for life. “It won’t happen. Otherwise, I think life will be dry,” he said.

Lastly, Park Seong-kwang said, "My goal was until the release of 'Woongnam'. My goal after the release is still there. In the past, I had set long goals, but now that I am over 40, I plan to take things step by step, little by little, without looking too far. Be generous. Let's look at it, I would like to be evaluated by many people as 'still a good director for a comedian'. My goal is to make the movie of my life, so much so that when I asked what the movie of my life was, I was told that my movie was the movie of my life."

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