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Jang Dong-gun Opens Up About Emotional Moment Listening to Kim Kwang-seok's Song
On the 14th, a video titled 'Jang Dong-gun, Director Heo Jin-ho. We had a drink with two people who are as sincere about movies as they are about alcohol' was released on Sung Si-kyung's YouTube show 'Sung Si-kyung's Meet'.
The video featured actor Jang Dong-gun and director Heo Jin-ho from the movie 'Ordinary Family'.
Sung Si-kyung boasted about his 20-year friendship with Jang Dong-gun. He reminisced, "The day after drinking with him, he would text me first asking, 'Did you get home safely?'" He continued, "He's a superstar but very kind and has a good personality. I thought there must be some flaw, like kicking a dog or having an ingrown toenail, but I couldn't find any," he said, drawing laughter. Jang Dong-gun replied, "You were already a singer I liked," adding warmth to the conversation.
In the movie 'Ordinary Family', Jang Dong-gun plays the role of a father with a son. Born in 1972, Jang Dong-gun is married to fellow actor Ko So-young and has a son and a daughter. He said, "Until now, I haven't played many roles grounded in reality. Most of my roles were gangsters, killers, or soldiers in war." He added, "It was my first time acting like an ordinary neighbor. Especially as a father, I could understand the character's feelings well, so it was fun," he shared.
Director Heo Jin-ho expressed curiosity, "Jang Dong-gun rarely gets angry. Why don't you get angry?" Jang Dong-gun explained, "I get angry when I feel something is unfair. During 'Dangerous Liaisons', the Chinese dialogue was changed on set. I called the director to the car, not to get angry, but to protest."
Jang Dong-gun recalled filming the movie 'Friend'. He said, "When I read the script, there were dialect lines. At that time, if the main character spoke in dialect, it had to be a comedy. It was a huge gamble." He continued, "All the actors participated thinking it was an independent film. There wasn't much budget. It was a transitional period. There was no nationwide audience network. At that time, if more than 100,000 people in Seoul watched, it was considered successful, but it exceeded 8.2 million. It became a commercial film," he explained.
Jang Dong-gun recently recalled a moment when he felt the power of music. He said, "I had a strange experience recently. I like singer Kim Kwang-jin's songs. One day, I was driving alone on Olympic Boulevard and listened to a song I didn't know by Kim Kwang-jin. The title was 'The Man Who Went to Kindergarten'. It sounded like a cartoon theme song. I cried alone listening to it," he shared. He added, "Even while acting, I never cried so genuinely, but that day, something hit me while listening to music alone in the car." When Director Heo Jin-ho asked, "Is it about a father?" Jang Dong-gun replied, "The lyrics are about a father."
Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia Reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr
