Choi Woo-shik Reunites with Director Kim Tae-yong After 12 Years for 'Number One'

Actor Choi Woo-shik shares his thoughts on reuniting with director Kim Tae-yong after 12 years.

On the 29th, a press screening for the film 'Number One' (directed by Kim Tae-yong) was held at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul. The event was attended by actors Choi Woo-shik, Jang Hye-jin, Gong Seung-yeon, and director Kim Tae-yong.

'Number One' tells the story of Ha-min (played by Choi Woo-shik), who starts seeing numbers decrease every time he eats his mother's food. He discovers that when the number reaches zero, his mother, Eun-sil (played by Jang Hye-jin), will die, prompting him to do everything he can to protect her.

Choi Woo-shik reunites with director Kim Tae-yong 12 years after their collaboration on the 2014 film 'Set Me Free'. When asked about his feelings on this reunion, Choi said, "I felt a lot of pressure. Many people liked 'Set Me Free', and since it's my second time working with director Kim, I was worried about how well I could perform."

He added, "I relied a lot on the director. I had many questions and felt lacking, especially since it was my first time doing a Busan dialect, which needed to be entertaining. The film's theme can be heavy, but there were moments of wordplay and banter, so we worked a lot on our dialogue on set."

When asked about the differences from 12 years ago, he reflected, "When we met for 'Set Me Free', I was 24 and the director was 27, so we lacked experience. Ten years have passed since our first meeting, and both the director and I have gained experience, making the process smoother on set. The director understood without me having to go to the monitor, and I was truly happy acting."

Choi also spoke about reuniting with Jang Hye-jin as a mother-son duo, following their roles in 'Parasite'. He said, "In 'Parasite', it was more of an ensemble. We had to act together in scenes with many people, so there wasn't much one-on-one emotional exchange or dialogue. This time, it was really fun to have one-on-one interactions and the banter I wanted to try. Since we weren't meeting for the first time and were already close, there was no awkwardness, making it easier."

The film 'Number One' is set to release on the 11th.

By Kim Se-ah, TenAsia Reporter haesmik@tenasia.co.kr