'Hope' Jo In-sung: "Aliens and action... I couldn't think of anything else but swearing" [Cannes★Interview] ①

*This content was translated by AI.

• Selected for the competition section of the 79th Cannes International Film Festival... Interview with Jo In-sung on the film 'Hope'

Actor Jo In-sung shared his feelings about constantly swearing while engaging in action scenes with aliens in the film.

On the 18th (local time), Jo In-sung 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. 'Hope' tells the story of 'Beom-seok', the manager of the Pohang branch office located in the Demilitarized Zone, who learns from local youths that a tiger has appeared, triggering a state of emergency across the village as he encounters an unbelievable reality.

Directed by Na Hong-jin, 'Hope' marks his first film in 10 years since 'The Wailing'. It premiered worldwide at the Grand Lumière Theater on the 17th and received approximately seven minutes of standing ovation after the screening. 'Hope' is a thriller that also features aliens, captivating audiences worldwide as a science fiction film.

Jo In-sung plays 'Seong-gi', a local youth in Pohang who takes on various jobs, including those that are not particularly glamorous but profitable. He presents a new side different from his previous image. Through the character 'Seong-gi', who possesses an extraordinary survival instinct, Jo In-sung delivers raw, wild charm and intense physical action without holding back.

In the latter part of the film, Jo In-sung engages in action scenes with an alien in the forest, continuously swearing. The constant use of strong language, including explicit curses, even caused laughter in the theater. When asked whether the swearing was written in the script or came naturally due to exhaustion, Jo In-sung smiled and replied, "It was in the script. But the number of curses was far greater..."

Jo In-sung explained, "That curse encompasses many things. There was no other way to express the situation besides that curse. I even tried to avoid using it and considered meeting a Korean language teacher to learn alternative expressions of emotion. I thought of various words like 'ah' or 'oh my', but in the end, only that word felt universally impactful. It may be called a curse, but emotionally, it cannot be considered one. I simply couldn't think of any other word."

When asked about his first collaboration with director Na Hong-jin, Jo In-sung said, "Director Na is persistent. Even though the film is set to be released in two months, post-production was already complete, yet he recently called me back to re-record some lines. I've been active for 28 years, and this was the first time I experienced something like this." He added, "It's not that I found it strange; I just want to emphasize that he is a perfectionist. For the scenes he wants, he will wait days, regardless of the weather or lighting conditions."

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 science fiction film 'Hope' will be honored at the festival's closing ceremony.

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*This content was translated by AI.