Jin Seon-gyu sheds a lot of tears with his first lead role in 'Count'

Actor Jin Seon-gyu's first leading role in the movie 'Count' impresses viewers with 'The important thing is an unbreakable heart', which became the biggest cheering phrase for the 2022 FIFA Qatar World Cup.

On the afternoon of the 13th, a press screening for the movie 'Count' (directed by Kwon Hyuk-jae) was held at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Director Kwon Hyuk-jae, actors Jin Seon-gyu, Seong Yu-bin, Oh Na-ra, Go Chang-seok, and Jang Dong-ju attended the press conference held after the preview.

'Count' is the story of Si-heon (played by Jin Seon-gyu), a former gold medalist and My Way teacher who never lets go once he bites, meets a ragtag group of hack-ass students and delivers a delightful blow to the world. It was newly depicted based on the anecdote of Park Si-heon, the gold medalist at the 1988 Seoul Olympics.

On this day, Director Kwon Hyuk-jae said, "It was based on a real person, but I recreated it. The part that made me return to boxing was the fact. That part was what attracted me. A man who had given up was dating people younger than him in order to not give up what he loved. "I wanted to see him grow. I wanted to tell this story because I thought it would give me comfort," he said.

Jin Seon-gyu played the lead role for the first time since his debut in the play 'Mirror Princess' in 2004. He played the role of My Way teacher Siheon, a former gold medalist. Jin Seon-gyu confessed, "It's my first time taking on the role of leading the entire narrative. I'm still shaking. I'd be lying if I said I don't feel pressured about how I'll look. I'm nervous and it's a burden. To be honest, I'm living like that."

He continued, "I think I will have no choice but to go through it. This morning, I told Siheon a text message saying, 'I'm nervous' and 'I'm going to do my best in the movie,' and he sent me a text message. Seeing that text message gave me strength. Korea's best actor Jin Seon-gyu is in the ring. "If I was nervous when climbing, the athlete next to me asked me if it would be more difficult. He told me to be brave. It was also touching. I feel pressured, but there are so many people who helped me. I will try to do well," she added, shedding tears.

Director Kwon Hyuk-jae explained the reason why he chose Jin Seon-gyu as the 'top lead'. Director Kwon Hyuk-jae said, "I was a fan of actor Jin Seon-gyu, but my hometown is Jinhae, I like boxing, and I dreamed of becoming a physical education teacher when I was young, so the picture was perfect." He added, "While working on the scenario, I prepared hard in my mind and carefully prepared it. "I gave him the scenario, and he happily decided to do it. I thought it was fate and was delighted. I felt like I had won a thousand battles. I thought I had to work hard," he said, expressing satisfaction.

Jin Seon-gyu said about his chemistry with Seong Yu-bin and Jang Dong-ju, "When I first met these friends, I went with the fear of what if they didn't include me or what if they didn't play with me, but I had to somehow get to eye level, quickly become friends, and work openly. “It was,” he said.

Jin Seon-gyu also said, "Regardless of anything else, we have chemistry with our young friends, but the reason I had good chemistry with everyone was because I felt like the other actors made up for what I lacked. Even while watching the movie, I feel like I'm lacking a lot, but I feel like I'm missing a lot of things." “I thought that people were working hard to fill Siheon’s needs. It seemed like a healthy and good piece of work,” he said with a laugh.

Seong Yu-bin said about Jin Seon-gyu, "I had no choice but to rely on him. There was a lot to do in the ring, so it was similar to sparring all day. He was in the corner as a coach, a teacher, a fellow actor, and a senior, and gave me a lot of warm eyes." He said, "I had a hard time physically during boxing training, but every time we ate together, he told me a lot of good things. We became dependent on each other. Not only is he a good senior, but I am also grateful and good as a good older brother, fellow actor, and human being. “I thought a lot about him,” he responded.

Jin Seon-gyu mentioned his relationship with former national team member Park Si-heon. He said, "We didn't meet often, but we were in contact often. I wasn't conscious of the need to describe it externally. As we talked, I realized that Mr. Siheon's passion and thoughts, and his unwavering and silently doing his work until now, were similar to mine." He said.

Not only that, "I had similar values, thoughts, and driving forces that were important to me. I tried to keep that feeling in each scene. People might see them as scary people, but at home, I felt that they were warm people. I felt like that person." “I decided to incorporate the feeling that came from his words and actions into this film as much as possible,” he explained.

Director Kwon Hyuk-jae said, “The message I wanted to convey through ‘Count’ is a story about finding hope and growing without giving up.”

Meanwhile, 'Count' will be released on the 22nd.

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