'Baeksang Awards' Grand Prize winner Yoo Hae-jin shed tears: "I'm moved by how much everyone is celebrating..." [Interview ①]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Yoo Hae-jin, who celebrated a double triumph this year with both a box office hit of over 10 million viewers and the Grand Prize win, is set to appear before audiences once again. Expressing gratitude to viewers who were even more excited and moved than he was, he also openly shared his concerns about his upcoming film 'Assassin(s)'.

On the 11th, we met with actor Yoo Hae-jin at a café on Samcheong-ro in Jongno-gu, Seoul, to discuss various topics related to the movie 'Assassin(s)'.

'Assassin(s)' is a story that investigates the suspicions and masterminds surrounding the assassination attempt on the First Lady of South Korea, which shocked the nation on August 15, 1974.

Yoo Hae-jin plays Detective Cheol-gu from the Jungbu Police Station, who witnesses the circumstances Hyeon Jang-ui (수상) surrounding the First Lady's assassination and uses his sharp intuition to pursue the truth, serving as the central figure of the film.

Earlier this year, Yoo Hae-jin achieved another box office success with 'The Man Who Lives with the King', drawing 16.9 million viewers and bringing his total number of 10-million-viewer films to five. With the addition of the Baeksang Arts Awards Grand Prize, he is enjoying a meaningful year as an actor.

However, even amidst continuous congratulations, he openly admitted feeling pressure about his next project. Yoo Hae-jin said, "When I won the award, I received many congratulatory messages, and when 'The Man Who Lives with the King' attracted large audiences, people kept congratulating me. There is a burden in wondering if I'll receive similar praise through 'Assassin(s)'."

In particular, he expressed unique feelings about the outpouring of congratulations during his Baeksang Arts Awards Grand Prize win.

Yoo Hae-jin recalled, "What moved me most was how much people seemed to enjoy that I won the award. I even checked YouTube comments and was amazed. It felt like they were celebrating with me as if we had walked this path together."

He continued, "There were some remarks that my acceptance speech was a bit rough, but what of it?" he laughed, then added, "Instead, many viewers told me they cried while watching me receive the award. I thought, 'Are they really this happy for me?'"

He also suggested that these reactions stemmed from the public having followed his long career. Yoo Hae-jin said, "I think people feel like they've spent time with me. Because they know my past, they probably watched me with the understanding that it wasn't easy to get here. That's why I'm even more grateful." As he spoke, his voice trembled and he appeared emotional.

Regarding how 'The Man Who Lives with the King' grew its audience through word of mouth, he said, "It felt similar to when 'The King and the Clown' gained popularity. Back then, it wasn't that we had many screens or a sudden surge in viewers from the start; instead, audiences gradually increased as word spread." He added, "With 'The Man Who Lives with the King', I felt happy because it seemed like the film was growing simply because audiences genuinely liked it."

He further shared, "I remember feeling truly delighted when we surpassed 1 million viewers. While on a promotional bus, we even took commemorative photos as if we had already crossed the 10th-million mark," he laughed.

Regarding the cast of 'The Man Who Lives with the King' attending the VIP screening, he said, "I know (Park) Ji-hoon is busy, but I thought it would be disappointing if I didn't mention it, so I told him, 'I know you're busy, but will you come? Don't feel any pressure.' He replied, 'I'll go.' So I think he will attend. (Kim) Min-i, who played the son's role, is also coming. During filming, his screen time wasn't extensive, and I felt we didn't develop much chemistry. At that time, I was fully focused on my emotional connection with Dan-jong, but now that I see him often, he seems like a really good friend, and I've grown fond of him."

<© STARNEWS. All rights reserved. No reproduction or redistribution allowed.>

*This content was translated by AI.