Sol Kyung-gu and Lee Ha-nui's fight scenes were cast while kneeling.

“I think I played a functional role in ‘Ghost’ because the female narrative should be central and stand out more.”

Actor Sol Kyung-gu said the above in an interview with the movie ‘Ghost’ (director Lee Hae-young). Among the main actors in 'Ghost', the most famous one is Seol Kyeong-gu, and attention was drawn to the fact that he described his role as 'a functional role to highlight the female narrative'.

The role played by Sol Kyung-gu in ‘Ghost’ is played by Junji Murayama. Because his father was Japanese and his mother was Korean, he was not only fluent in both languages, but was also an elite soldier who received attention for his fluency in Joseon situations. However, ironically, he was demoted to the communications department of the Japanese Government General due to his ancestry as his mother was Korean. He is a person who wants to hunt down 'ghosts' faster than anyone else in order to return to his original position at the Police Bureau.

In fact, if you look at the entire movie, 'Ghost' is a movie centered on female narrative. However, it cannot be denied that Seol Kyeong-gu's role in this is difficult to replace. In the movie, Junji stands on the other side of Joseon from beginning to end, keeping the tension tense. In the play, Junji says, "I am a ghost," and due to his special nature of birth and his somewhat mysterious behavior, I wonder, 'Is Junji a ghost?' It makes you unable to let go of your thoughts until the very end.

There are two scenes of Junji in the movie where you can see the true value of Seol Kyeong-gu: the bare-chested fight scene with Park Cha-kyung (played by Lee Ha-nui) and the public hall speech scene.

Junji fights with Park Cha-kyung bare-chested, and even as he digests the turbulent action scenes, you can read his emotional line of constantly testing and doubting, wondering if Park Cha-kyung is a ghost. It is a fight between male and female characters, and there is a significant difference in weight class. Junji seemed to be assessing the possibility that Park Cha-kyung was a ghost while dealing with the formidable Cha-kyung Park. It was also a scene that clearly revealed Junji's psychology of wanting to catch ghosts more than anyone else.

In this scene, which focuses on hand-to-hand combat, Sol Kyung-gu created a richer scene by expressing Challa's facial expressions in a strange way and acting with a high level of psychological acting.

The public hall speech scene was led by Seol Kyeong-gu from the front. At this time, the camera angle captures Junji's face from bottom to top, and in this scene, Junji's face is the very image of Japan's imperialism that seeks to rule over Joseon. Junji continues his speech in a vicious tone to the Korean people, asking, ‘How are you trying to protect Joseon, which doesn’t exist?’ Junji's cold and cool face was enough to provoke the audience's anger.

Sol Kyung-gu played Junji in a creepy way, expressing his hatred for the Joseon blood flowing inside his body and his contempt for himself through Junji's face.

Director Lee Hae-young of ‘Ghost’ said that he put the most effort into Sol Kyeong-gu when recruiting actors. At the same time, he refuted Sol Kyung-gu's description of his role as 'functional'. Director Lee said, "I don't think Sol Kyeong-gu's role is functional at all. He is in charge of the theme and axis of the movie. Even if you look at it as a character, it is a core role," he said. "I think you said that in a cute and charming way."

He said, "If Honey Lee is the starting line, then Sol Kyung-gu is the finish line. I thought it would only be resolved if Sol Kyung-gu was resolved. In fact, Honey Lee gave the draft and was accepted for casting, but Sol Kyung-gu revised, revised, and revised the draft, completely shining and polishing it." “I raised my hands, got down on my knees and prayed and was cast,” he said. Director Lee raised his voice and said, “Sol Kyeong-gu is at the core of ‘Ghost.’ I can tell you that.”

As director Lee Hae-young revealed, Sol Kyung-gu in 'Ghost' showed key acting and presence as a 'core' rather than a functional role.

‘Ghost’ was released on the 18th.

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