The Stronger You Die, the Stronger You Become: Will This Be the Peak of Koo Gyo-hwan's Year? [Comprehensive]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Koo Gyo-hwan presents another new face with "Resurrection Man: The Red." Having maintained an unceasing schedule across both screens and television this year, interest focuses on whether he will reach the peak of his "Year of Koo Gyo-hwan" with this film.

On the 26th, a production conference for the film "Resurrection Man: The Red" (Director Baek) was held at Lotte Cinema in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Director Baek, along with actors Koo Gyo-hwan, Shin Seung-ho, Kang Ki-young, and Kim Si-a, attended the event.

"Resurrection Man: The Red" (hereinafter "Resurrection Man") is a film depicting the story of Seok-hwan (played by Koo Gyo-hwan), a job seeker whose only qualification is unfounded confidence, who discovers he can resurrect 72 hours after death and becomes pursued by mysterious forces.

Director Baek explained, "We maintained the resurrection setting from the original work. In a way, it's a story about an ordinary person—a job seeker—gaining an extraordinary ability. I found this story compelling and pondered how to reconstruct and express it within the medium of film."

He continued, "Everyone worked very hard. Although it was challenging, it was an extremely enjoyable shoot. Actor Koo Gyo-hwan's ad-libs were like resumes receiving emails in every situation," expressing his gratitude.

In "Resurrection Man," Koo Gyo-hwan plays Seok-hwan, a man who grows stronger the more he dies, previewing a new side of himself. He takes on the role of Seok-hwan, a resurrection ability user who never loses his cheerfulness in any situation, adding three-dimensionality to the character with his unique charm and leading the story. To portray a character whose physical abilities gradually improve each time he resurrects, he also performs diverse action sequences never before seen from him.

Notably, Koo Gyo-hwan continues his active schedule by sequentially releasing works including this year's films "If We Were Us," "COLONY," and the drama "Everyone Is Fighting Their Own Worthlessness" ("Moja-Mu-Ssa"), now adding "Resurrection Man."

Asked about being constantly meeting audiences to such an extent that the phrase "Year of Koo Gyo-hwan" has emerged, he said, "Releasing a film is always something new and a pleasant experience."

He added, "It's like making appointments with audiences in theaters. It feels like we're on a continuous date," revealing his excitement about connecting with viewers through his works.

The reason for choosing the work was also the audience. When asked why he chose it, Koo Gyo-hwan gave a short but clear answer: "I wanted to meet audiences," conveying his desire to share the screen with viewers once again through "Resurrection Man."

He also attempted a noticeable visual transformation in this work. Completing a striking impression with red hair, Koo Gyo-hwan said, "Thank you for saying it suits me well. It is a special setting. I'm happy to wear a new color," expressing his satisfaction. He then added, "I can't surpass the legacy of Red-haired Anne's senior," drawing laughter.

Furthermore, the film's most important challenge was to convincingly implement the unrealistic setting where Seok-hwan resurrects after 72 hours and his physical abilities gradually strengthen with each death, allowing audiences to naturally accept it.

Koo Gyo-hwan stated, "It was important to execute the action concepts prepared by the director. I thought we should learn choreography well from the martial arts team. Since we weren't actually hitting each other, I believe we had to move while making eye contact, as if choreographing a dance. The stance was to create it beautifully like a dance. When abilities increased with each resurrection, we also received help from VFX."

The mysterious character "Black" who pursues Seok-hwan is played by actor Shin Seung-ho. Based on his charisma and unique physicality, Shin Seung-ho will express the overwhelming presence of Black, who manipulates the opponent's inner world.

Regarding this work, Shin Seung-ho said, "I think it's a project that showed me many things I couldn't attempt personally," and added, "I considered it an opportunity because it allowed me to show so much."

He meticulously prepared everything from voice tone to foreign language lines for the character. Shin Seung-ho shared that he has been practicing consistently to naturally deliver English and Japanese lines.

He remarked, "Although I haven't separately studied English or Japanese, I feel I've done my part as Black," while adding, "When you actually watch the work, there might be some disappointing parts."

Shin Seung-ho reunited with Koo Gyo-hwan in this project after their Netflix series "D.P." He explained, "What I want to say this time is that it's a different confrontational dynamic compared to 'D.P.' It's a relationship with a deeper backstory."

Koo Gyo-hwan also mentioned seeing Shin Seung-ho's new side upon their reunion. He smiled, saying, "I feel like I've met another version of actor Shin Seung-ho. Just as I meet him in different workplaces every time, I get to see his other charms."

He continued, "Watching him constantly strive and pay attention even to intonation greatly inspired me," highly evaluating Shin Seung-ho's preparation process.

Regarding the two actors' action chemistry, they conveyed the on-set atmosphere with a unique expression. Koo Gyo-hwan said, "There were many action scenes, so it was a fun set where we played around," adding, "I think we looked at each other while making eye contact, as if performing a romance scene."

Actor Kang Ki-young plays Yeong-ha, Seok-hwan's only friend. He stated, "I think this feels like a 'Kang Ki-young' character I haven't played in a while. He is smart, worked in a professional field, and then returned. I got to portray a friend who can be there when a friend faces danger—a person you might encounter in daily life. I wanted to express that close friendship everyone knows." He added, "Since Koo Gyo-hwan hyung set the tone well, I tried hard to follow that atmosphere."

Kim Si-a plays Yerin, Seok-hwan's reliable supporter in the film. Regarding her character, she explained, "I thought she was much more mature mentally than her older brother."

She continued, "The director and I discussed a lot about how she must be someone who doesn't get swept away by her older brother but instead holds him back. Since there were many ad-libs on set, I felt tempted to do the same. However, the director told me to restrain myself, so I tried to stay calm," she laughed.

Kim Si-a joined "Resurrection Man" through an audition. Recalling that time, she said, "There were about three scenes in the designated script. I prepared diligently and performed, but when I had done about two scenes, the director told me to stop."

She added, "I thought he really didn't like me. I called my mom while crying, saying, 'He stopped my acting mid-scene. It's ruined.' But then I was surprised when I got cast," she revealed.

However, Director Baek's reasoning for stopping the audition was completely opposite. He explained, "Actor Kim Si-a's lonely face was very impressive. During the audition, she also showed a childlike side, and I remember it blended well with the image of Yerin I had in mind."

He continued, "Actor Kim Si-a seemed more nervous than expected. That day was no different. The look of being scared and lonely that I wanted to request had already appeared. I thought, 'They did this even though I didn't ask?' So I said, 'You can stop now,'" drawing laughter.

Meanwhile, "Resurrection Man" is scheduled for release on September 30.

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*This content was translated by AI.