'COLONY' Director Yeon Sang-ho: "Is Jeon Ji-hyun the only reflector? No special treatment.. It's just how she was born" [Interview ②]

*This content was translated by AI.

Director Yeon Sang-ho of 'COLONY' shared his impressions of working with actress Jeon Ji-hyun.

On the 26th, I had a wide-ranging conversation with director Yeon Sang-ho, who handled both direction and screenwriting for the film 'COLONY', at a café on Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

'COLONY' is a film about survivors trapped inside a building sealed off by an unidentified infectious outbreak, fighting against infected individuals who evolve in unpredictable ways.

Director Yeon Sang-ho worked with Jeon Ji-hyun for the first time, portraying Kwon Se-jeong, the leader of the survivors. He said, "I felt that actress Jeon Ji-hyun is a professional actor and is fundamentally a very open person. Scenes where she exchanges acting with actor Kwon Koo-hyun have a unique style and could be difficult to accept, but she performed with a completely open attitude."

He added, "Surprisingly, she has a very plain personality. Even though action acting can be very demanding, she tried to do everything herself whenever possible. I found that part very good."

He also spoke about the casting process. Director Yeon said, "When I gave her the script, I think she saw the role as a character who guides the audience through this story. She liked the story itself, and after receiving the script, we had a meeting very quickly and decided right there on the spot."

He further stated that Kang Dong-won, who worked with her on 'Peninsula', helped with Jeon Ji-hyun's casting. He said, "At that time, I had never met actress Jeon Ji-hyun directly. Coincidentally, actor Kang Dong-won was working on a project called 'North Star', so I asked him to inquire. I remember that when I contacted him, he replied, 'She's right next to me.'" He explained, "Director Heo Myeong-haeng, who co-directed 'North Star', also served as our film's martial arts director, and the same is true for the CG supervisor. I think you must have heard many things from the staff around you while filming 'North Star'."

In particular, Director Yeon Sang-ho emphasized, "When thinking of female characters in genre films, I cannot help but think of actress Jeon Ji-hyun. I truly felt she was a tailor-made actress who fits perfectly. I also have a desire to make an action film with Jeon Ji-hyun."

He then said, "I heard many people say that only actress Jeon Ji-hyun seemed to shine more brightly. Some people around me even asked, 'Did you just put a reflector on actress Jeon Ji-hyun?' But that is completely untrue. How can you change the way someone was born to look?"

He also added, "In the ending scene, the protagonist Kwon Se-jeong appears wearing only a white T-shirt and jeans. At first, I was worried, but once we started filming, the clothing was not a problem. (Jeon Ji-hyun) is an actress who can wear anything."

Kang Dong-won, who helped with Jeon Ji-hyun's casting, is set to release the film 'Wild Thing' on June 3. Regarding facing off in theaters around the same time as Kang Dong-won, Yeon Sang-ho laughed and said, "We haven't contacted each other, but I think we should." He added, "'Wild Thing' is a film of a completely different genre from 'COLONY', so I think audiences will have a wider range of choices. I hope theaters become more active within these various choice points. Personally, I'm happy to be able to see actor Kang Dong-won's comedy for the first time in a while."

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*This content was translated by AI.