MOVIE
Director Choo Chang-min recalled that Lee Sun-kyun was a boyish actor.
On the 8th, I met director Choo Chang-min of the movie 'Land of Happiness' at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul.
'The Land of Happiness' is a film that tells the story of Park Tae-joo, who was implicated in the assassination of the president on the orders of his superior on October 26, 1979, and Jeong In-hu, a lawyer who jumps into a political trial to defend him. Jo Jung-seok, Lee Sun-kyun, and Yoo Jae-myung play the lead roles.
Lee Sun-kyun plays Park Tae-joo, the chief of staff of the Intelligence Service, who is on trial for his involvement in the assassination of the president under the orders of his superior. Jo Jung-seok plays Jeong In-hu, a lawyer who jumps into the trial to save Park Tae-joo and gives his all, regardless of the means and methods. Yoo Jae-myung plays Jeon Sang-doo, the head of the Joint Investigation Department, who leads the unfair trial and is at the center of a huge power that causes a military rebellion for dangerous ambitions.
Director Choo revealed the background behind casting Lee Sun-kyun, saying, "First of all, Lee Sun-kyun was interested. The biggest reason was that he wanted to work with Jo Jung-seok. He said he wanted to see how Jung-seok would act. In my opinion, he's a top star, but I thought he's still very curious as an actor. He showed curiosity about how Jo Jung-seok would act and what he could learn. When Jo Jung-seok acted on set, I monitored him all the time and said, 'Well done, that guy. '" He continued, "The actor Lee Sun-kyun was the reason I chose this production. If an actor like Lee Sun-kyun could do it, (it would be perfect)."
The role of Park Tae-joo, played by Lee Sun-kyun, is based on the real Colonel Park Heung-joo. Director Choo shared a behind-the-scenes story, saying, "If you look it up on the Internet, you can find a picture of Colonel Park Heung-joo. Sun-kyun liked the strong and exuding aura he had. He trimmed his beard and hairstyle a bit, saying it would be nice if he looked a little more like him."
There may be viewers who feel burdened by the fact that this is Lee Sun-kyun's last work. Director Choo said, "I think the choice is up to the individual viewer. There will be those who love the actor but won't watch the movie because they feel sorry for him. I can't tell them to 'watch it.' However, if they watch the movie, they will be able to feel how great an actor we have lost. Even if those people don't come to the theater to see it, they will see it someday and realize that Lee Sun-kyun was a good actor."
Regarding Lee Sun-kyun, Director Choo remembered, "Sun-kyun is a hot actor, a boyish actor," and "He was good at expressing himself directly. He's also good at acting angry." When asked what kind of direction he gave him this time, he said, "I wanted to bring out a different side of Sun-kyun. Park Tae-joo may seem expressionless, indifferent, and unfeeling on the outside, but he's hot on the inside. I wanted him to be refined in his speech and not show off his expressions too much," and answered, "I think he did more than 200%."
'The Land of Happiness' will be released on the 14th.
Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr
