(Following interview ④) Director and actor Ha Jung-woo of the film 'Lobby' showed a special attachment to the work opening during a difficult time.
On the 2nd, Ha Jung-woo conducted an interview at the SHOWBOX office located in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. He met with domestic reporters at this venue to talk about the film 'Lobby' (director Ha Jung-woo, produced by Workhouse Company and Film Momentum, provided by Michigan Venture Capital and WYSIWYG STUDIOS, distributed by SHOWBOX) which premiered that day.
'Lobby' is a film depicting the story of a startup CEO, Chang-uk (Ha Jung-woo), who is oblivious to research and begins his first lobbying golf game to win a government project worth 4 trillion won. This is Ha Jung-woo's third attempt at directing, following 'Roller Coaster' and 'Heo Sam-gwan', and he plays both the director and lead role in this work.
For 'Lobby', a work he directed and starred in, Ha Jung-woo is managing a hectic promotional schedule. Despite undergoing emergency surgery for acute appendicitis, he moved up his discharge date by two days and is currently participating in various YouTube channels and shows such as 'Na Bul Na Bul', 'Yong Ta Ro', 'Choo Seong-hoon', 'Meog-eul Teonde', as well as radio programs like 'Cultwo Show' and the Coupang Play variety show 'SNL Korea'.
"I filmed outdoors for 'SNL' yesterday. We shot for 13 hours," Ha Jung-woo noted. "People around me are asking, 'Are you nervous?', 'What if the film releases during a time of unrest?' However, I believe it's the flow of nature and the will of the heavens," he laughed. He added, "I didn't decide this alone; it just turned out this way. Fortunately, I received investment, and the release date was set by SHOWBOX, and even before the premiere, I was offered to direct 'The People Upstairs,' so I'm also working on that post-production."
He continued, "In the past, I thought I achieved everything based on my skills. Some projects succeeded even when they probably shouldn't have, while others I thought would do well did not succeed. Reflecting from a distance on my experience, I realized that the process is not always under my control, despite working hard day by day on each project."
"There has never been a movie I've promoted this hard," Ha Jung-woo laughed. "I try to do my best and see the results. If the comedy in the film is rated as too much or not enough, I'll learn from that for next time. One comforting thing is that as I grow older, I've become a bit cooler about it."
On a different note, Ha Jung-woo, who jokingly mentioned that there is "not even a whiff" of romance in 'Yong Ta Ro', laughed as he said, "My personal life is a secret." However, he also commented, "Everyone around me is getting married and having kids. Seeing people have children makes me think about it more. LeBron James is out there playing basketball with his son, and I feel I should also hurry and have children. It may sound strange, but I am progressively changing my mind about marriage. I don't plan to live indefinitely as a single person without considering marriage."
'Lobby' opened nationwide today (the 2nd).
[Photo] Provided by SHOWBOX.
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