*This content was translated by AI.
[Editor’s Note] Reporter Kim Na-yeon's personal view of watching movies and OTT.
He was surprised by his intense eyes and acting in "Weak Hero," and proved himself that it was just the beginning. Actor Park Ji-hoon proved that it was the "image to become a king" by showing a deeper performance through "The Man Who Lives with the King."
"The Man Who Lives with the King" is a film about Cheongryeongpo in 1457, a chief who claimed to be exiled for the revival of the village, and a young predecessor who was expelled from the throne and exiled.
Director Jang Hang-joon attempted a new approach, breaking away from the fact that most mass media have focused on the process of usurping the throne by recreating before and after the Gyeyujeongnan. He wanted to pay attention to the end of King Danjong's Lee Hong-wi, who was deprived of the throne, but to look into his other side, which was only painted fragmentarily under the name of 'King of Unlucky'.
As it was the first Korean film to put Danjong at the center of the screen, casting as Danjong was important. Jang's choice was Park Ji-hoon. However, Park Ji-hoon said he turned down the casting offer several times due to the burden on the character. It must have been a good opportunity for an actor, but he said the first feeling he felt was 'scary'.
Park Ji-hoon said, "To be honest, I was scared. I was afraid of whether I could understand the heart of King Danjong, the king of misfortune, and express his empty heart in the movie."
"But I had three or four meetings with Director Hang-jun, and at the end, he said, 'The ending has to be you.' After hearing that, I thought a lot about it as I drove in the car," he said. "Maybe I can try it?" "I was confident that I might be able to express that feeling, so I trusted the director and made the decision," he said.
The question of "Maybe" that he asked himself came back to the answer of confidence after his fierce consideration and effort. I can't imagine Danjong in "The Man Who Lives With the King" unless it's Park Ji-hoon. In the process of moving toward the scheduled tragedy, the narrative of the character accumulated with Park Ji-hoon's face and eyes led to the audience's immersion.
In particular, the eyes shown in the "Weak Hero" series, which imprinted Park Ji-hoon as an actor, were by no means a coincidence. Park Ji-hoon's eyes became a stronger narrative than words, and the concentration that led the character's emotions to the end made King Danjong Lee Hong-wi live and breathe. From the empty gaze of a character who has lost everything after being usurped the throne, to the slowly condensing anger and finally exploding emotions. His eyes were enough to overwhelm the screen.
In addition, Park Ji-hoon said he lost more than 15 kilograms to capture Lee Hong-wi in lethargy while completely eating and drinking after being ousted from the throne. He said, "It's simple, but it's a hard way, but I just didn't eat it. I endured it while eating a slice of apple, but I couldn't sleep and became devastated. I just didn't eat and didn't exercise because I wanted to make it look like my skin was close to each other. I think I lost about 15kg," he said.
The directors and actors who worked with Park Ji-hoon collectively praise the "eye light." In response, he was shy, but said, "I think I felt it while doing this work that my eyes are my strengths. I'm thinking that complimenting my eyes is my own weapon," he said.
"I think my eyes come out naturally because I'm just immersed in the situation. He acts while paying attention to his eyes, and there's actually no such thing. "I don't think I'm acting thinking, 'I have to pay attention to this part' for the acting of my eyes," he said.
As such, Park Ji-hoon's acting has now entered the realm of conviction, not possibility, from "Weak Hero" to "Man Living with the King." That's why I'm looking forward to his next face on the screen.
<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>
*This content was translated by AI.
