MOVIE
Park Ji-hoon Shares Behind-the-Scenes Stories with Yoo Hae-jin from 'The Man Who Lives with the King'
On the 27th, Park Ji-hoon, the lead actor of 'The Man Who Lives with the King,' was interviewed at a café in Samcheong-dong, Seoul.
'The Man Who Lives with the King' tells the story of a village chief who volunteers for exile to revive his village and a young dethroned king exiled to Cheongnyeongpo in 1457. Park Ji-hoon plays the role of Danjong, a tragic king who ascended the throne at a young age but was eventually dethroned.
Yoo Hae-jin, who also stars in the film, has praised Park Ji-hoon in various interviews and broadcasts. Park Ji-hoon modestly stated, "There's no special secret," and added, "Instead of trying to impress him deliberately, I approached him naturally in my own style." He continued, "I didn't use empty words and tried to approach the senior actor as naturally as possible."
On set, Park Ji-hoon was mindful of maintaining a 'distance' with Yoo Hae-jin. He explained, "I tried to approach him on days with lighter scenes rather than emotional ones." Regarding Yoo Hae-jin's on-set style, Park Ji-hoon noted, "He doesn't talk much and tends to walk around thinking during breaks or while waiting for setups. I didn't approach him during those times. He usually mumbles his lines or is deep in thought." He humorously added, "I acted while being mindful of the situation."
The two actors also shared conversations while walking approximately 2km from the makeup trailer to the filming location. Park Ji-hoon recalled, "I saw him walking alone and thought, 'Why is he walking alone?' So I asked my manager to drop me off, and I walked up with him."
What did they talk about during their long walk? Park Ji-hoon laughed as he shared, "We talked about trivial things like when I'm going to the military or how to manage money." He added, "We naturally grew closer and even rehearsed our lines for the scenes we were shooting. Time flew by as we walked."
Park Ji-hoon expressed both respect and nervousness towards Yoo Hae-jin as an actor and senior. He said, "He's someone I find difficult to approach. I constantly wondered if I could convey the energy he gives me and if he could focus on my acting while working on the project."
Reflecting on Yoo Hae-jin's acting, Park Ji-hoon was full of admiration. He remarked, "I realized that's how you act," and shared, "There was a scene where he laughed, and it was so realistic that I wondered if it was acting or his genuine laughter."
'The Man Who Lives with the King' is set to release on February 4th.
By Kim Ji-won, TenAsia Reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr
