Yoo Yeon-seok and Cha Tae-hyun's 'Puppy' are coming.

“10 million companions gather together!”

On the morning of the 31st, a production briefing session for the movie 'Puppy' (directed by Kim Joo-hwan) was held at Seongsu Mega Applause in Seongdong-gu, Seoul, and lead actors Yoo Yeon-seok, Cha Tae-hyun, and director Kim Joo-hwan attended.

‘Puppy’ depicts what happens when cousins Minsu (played by Yoo Yeon-seok) and Jin-gook (played by Cha Tae-hyun), who are each in crisis, begin an interview to find the perfect owner for their beloved dog Rooney, and end up meeting an unexpected dog. .

On this day, director Kim Joo-hwan made this film out of sadness at not seeing the last of his dog, Rooney, who had been with him since he was a child. Director Kim Joo-hwan said, "'Puppy' is the one that reversed the story between me and Rooney. Rooney was a pet dog that I raised at home, and it was only after two weeks that my parents belatedly informed me that I had crossed the rainbow bridge during a difficult time." “No matter what happens, I should have seen my friend on his deathbed, but I felt sorry for not being able to see him, so I wanted to tell people that family must always be together,” he said, explaining the reason for planning the film.

Director Kim Joo-hwan, who completed the script and directing, tells a more relatable family story by developing the story of two men from the previous film 'Youth Police' (2017) into the story of two brothers.

Director Kim introduced 'Puppy', saying, "It depicts the process of finding out what family means." At the same time, regarding the casting of Yoo Yeon-seok and Cha Tae-hyun, he said, "The important thing in a buddy drama is chemistry, and aren't both actors Yoo Yeon-seok and Cha Tae-hyun really good people? Cha Tae-hyun leads the way, Yoo Yeon-seok fills in, and they get along well with the dog."

Yoo Yeon-seok and Cha Tae-hyun reunited 15 years after the 2008 drama 'General Hospital 2'. Yoo Yeon-seok said, "I did my first drama with (Cha) Tae-hyun. At that time, I had a lot of good memories from him, and I was really happy to hear that Jin-gook was playing the role. I think our chemistry naturally showed well in the work. We also had great memories while filming." “It was good,” he said, expressing affection, “You can say that the reason I chose ‘Dog Dog’ is ‘Cha Tae-hyun.’”

Cha Tae-hyun also expressed his faith in Yoo Yeon-seok. He said, "I also enjoyed watching director Kim Joo-hwan's previous works. The scenario for 'Puppy' was simply and neatly done." Cha Tae-hyun made people laugh by adding, "He is 99% in sync with the retriever" about Yoo Yeon-seok.

Cha Tae-hyun recalled the time of filming and said, “It was in the summer, and I was sweating profusely.” He continued, “But when the dogs got tired, they immediately brought them in and let them rest. So I thought, ‘They have a Hollywood system.’ I thought, ‘A dog is a good guy.’” He added, “For dogs, it’s a trailer with a cool air conditioner.” “There was a separate one,” he said. He added, “When the dogs went to rest, we filmed quickly. We quickly filmed the part where only people appeared, and when the dogs rested and came out, we filmed again.” He added, “I liked that part the most.”

Yoo Yeon-seok, who said, "I have raised many dogs so far," said, "I adopted and raised my children by chance. I have been living with a child named 'Rita' for about a year and a half since I adopted him. I thought about doing a photoshoot with him, and I received many offers. . I took him with me when I was filming a commercial and filmed him with him, but since he was in a shelter, he couldn't adapt well to crowds of people and bright lights. I think it's my desire to have him filmed or act with him," he said. "I don't know when I'll get over it, but right now. “I want to leave it comfortably,” he said, drawing attention.

At the same time, Yoo Yeon-seok added, "Our Rita's dog is 'I' (introverted), so she doesn't like environments with a lot of people," showing the side of a true companion.

Finally, Yoo Yeon-seok said, "I have no doubt that tens of millions of pet owners will join us," and added, "There are points that will make you smile and warm your heart when you watch it. It's a movie with a lot of points to empathize with, so please come and enjoy it with a relaxed mind." .

Cha Tae-hyun added, "I think the release of this movie is miraculous. I don't know what the outcome will be, but I'm sure it's a movie that people who watch it will be able to enjoy, heal, and watch comfortably."

Released on March 1st.

Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr