MOVIE
Park Seong-gwang "Dream-like casting of Park Seong-woong, Choi Min-soo"
On the morning of the 13th, a production briefing session for the movie 'Woongnam' (director Park Seong-gwang) was held at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. Director Park Seong-kwang and actors Park Seong-woong, Lee Yi-kyung, Choi Min-soo, and Baek Ji-hye attended the event.
'Woongnam' is a comical action film in which a man with a special secret called Asiatic Black Bear uses his unique beast-like abilities to cooperate in an investigation against an international criminal organization.
Comedian Park Seong-gwang 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.
On this day, director Park Seong-gwang watched the released character video and confessed, "It's a video I've seen countless times. I thought it wouldn't be particularly impressive, but watching it with the actors made it special. It felt strange."
Director Park Seong-gwang completed the lineup by casting Park Seong-woong, Lee Yi-kyung, Yeom Hye-ran, Choi Min-soo, and Baek Ji-hye for 'Woongnam'. He said, "I became acquainted with senior Park Seong-woong 14 to 5 years ago. I told him, 'My dream is to become a film director later. I really want to make a movie with you.' After that, I realized my dream. Even while writing, I looked after my senior. "I thought about it. It couldn't have been created without my senior. I wrote 'Woongnam' with my senior in mind. This is Park Sung-woong," he said. Park Seong-woong, who heard this, added strength by saying, “My real name is Park Seong-woong-nam.”
Director Park Seong-gwang said, "Actor Lee Yi-kyung tried to suggest that I do the work. He said he would do it unconditionally. If my brother did it, he would do it unconditionally. The character was not likable, but he said he would do it, so he changed the role to a likable role, and Lee Yi-kyung said he would do it." He explained, “It’s a character that became extremely popular.”
Also, regarding Choi Min-soo, he expressed his affection, saying, "Senior covered a lot of color. He covered a lot of color in a drawing that was only a sketch. If it weren't for Choi Min-soo, who played this role, it would have been a dull villain. He completed it." Regarding Baek Ji-hye, "I casted her last. I wanted to discover a new face. I had thoughts like 'Is this real?', 'Is this a dream?', 'Is this reality?' before and while filming. It felt like a dream, and I felt pressured. “I thought I had to work hard,” he said.
Meanwhile, 'Woongnam' will be released in March.
Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia reporter kkk39@tenasia.co.kr
