'Hope' Hwang Jung-min: "Na Hong-jin is doing an SF film?" [Cannes★Interview] ①

*This content was translated by AI.

• Selected for the competition section of the 79th Cannes International Film Festival... Interview with Hwang Jung-min of the film 'Hope'

Actor Hwang Jung-min revealed the process of collaborating with director Na Hong-jin on an SF film for the first time in 10 years.

On the 18th (local time), Hwang Jung-min held an interview for the film 'Hope' (directed by Na Hong-jin) at the Majestic Hotel in Cannes, France, where the 79th Cannes International Film Festival is taking place, and shared stories related to the work. 'Hope' is a story that begins when 'Beom-seok', the head of the Pohang outpost located in the Demilitarized Zone, hears news from local youths about a tiger appearing, causing the entire village to go on high alert as he encounters an unbelievable reality.

Na Hong-jin's film 'Hope', his first in 10 years since 'The Wailing', had its world premiere at the Grand Lumière Theater on the 17th, followed by approximately seven minutes of standing ovations. 'Hope' is a thriller that also features aliens, captivating audiences worldwide.

In 'Hope', Hwang Jung-min plays 'Beom-seok', the head of the Pohang outpost, marking his second collaboration with director Na Hong-jin after 'The Wailing'. Portraying 'Beom-seok', who struggles between a sense of responsibility to protect the village and fear of the unknown, Hwang Jung-min leads the film with delicate, humanizing performances.

Hwang Jung-min said, "After 'The Wailing' ended, director Na Hong-jin told me, 'I want to work with you on the next project,' and I felt the same way. A few years later, I received a thriller script, but the project didn't move forward. Then, a few more years passed, and he gave me the same script again. Working with director Na Hong-jin is so much fun that I agreed to do it without even reading the script, saying, 'I'll do it with Na Hong-jin.' But when I finally read the script, I thought, 'What? Na Hong-jin is doing an SF film?' That made me even more curious, so I decided to do it."

Hwang Jung-min explained, "This was my first time working with a creature film, and it was harder than I expected. In the past, I would act by focusing on my co-star's eyes, letting their gaze influence my performance, which became my routine. But this time, with no one to look at, I had to rely solely on my imagination and focus on the gaze, which felt like heading straight into the ground. It wasn't easy. I had to think deeply about the details and calculate every move while acting." He added, "When you read the script at the beginning, the first part is where Beom-seok (played by Hwang Jung-min) leads the audience. Since he has a clear purpose, he guides them that way. However, it was burdensome and difficult to keep the audience engaged until the alien appears and takes over the narrative. But after that, it became a bit easier."

Hwang Jung-min further added, "The SF story unfolds in the village of HoPohang, a place filled with Korean sensibilities. Seeing an alien appear was intriguing and fascinating. While we are accustomed to aliens in Marvel and Hollywood films, the setting of a Korean village near the DMZ (Demilitarized Zone) itself was exciting."

Meanwhile, the Cannes International Film Festival will announce the winners among this year's competition entries at the closing ceremony on the 23rd. Attention is focused on whether director Na Hong-jin's new SF film 'Hope' will be honored with an award at the closing ceremony of the 79th Cannes International Film Festival.

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*This content was translated by AI.