'Assassin(s)' Dealing with the Assassination of Late Yuk Young-soo..Yoo Hae-jin: "I Felt Burdened by 'This Incident?'" [Interview ②]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Yoo Hae-jin revealed that he had considerable reservations about appearing in the film 'Assassin(s)', which is based on a real-life incident.

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

'Assassin(s)' is a story that traces the suspicions and figures surrounding the assassination of the First Lady, an event that shocked South Korea on August 15, 1974.

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

As a work based on a real incident, he had significant doubts before deciding to appear in it. Recalling when he was first offered the role, Yoo Hae-jin said, "I felt burdened by the thought of 'This Incident?' and found myself reading it cautiously."

He continued, "After reading the script, I believe I discussed with the director and production team specifically which parts I enjoyed and which parts made me feel cautious."

He frankly admitted that if the original draft had been used as-is, he would have found it difficult to participate. Yoo Hae-jin explained, "If they had insisted on using the script exactly as it was first given to me, I probably wouldn't have been able to do it. We exchanged many opinions, and the production team accepted many of my concerns about what needed caution."

Through multiple rounds of revisions, his perspective on the work also changed. He stated, "As we went through numerous revisions, the story moved toward an open direction rather than making direct assertions about anything. Since the incident itself is a well-known story, I felt that at this level, it was something I could take on, which led me to accept the role."

Given that it deals with a real event, he must have felt a strong sense of responsibility as an actor. However, Yoo Hae-jin did not limit this weight solely to this particular work.

He remarked, "This applies to any work. Ultimately, I view it as one piece and act according to the character within that framework. However, how to express such strong emotions was a challenge for me as an actor."

Regarding the film's strengths, he expressed his affection by saying, "I think 'Assassin(s)' had excellent density in its characters. The process of approaching the incident from each character's perspective and piecing together what is true while chasing it together was wonderful. That process had depth and felt enjoyable."

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*This content was translated by AI.