(Following Interview 1) Actor Ahn Jae-hong of 'Hi-Five' responded to the attention received after 'Mask Girl' and leading up to 'SNL Korea.'
Ahn Jae-hong conducted an interview at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 29th. He shared insights with domestic reporters regarding the upcoming film 'Hi-Five' (directed by Kang Hyung-cheol, provided/distributed by NEW, produced by Annapurna Films) set to be released on the 30th.
'Hi-Five' is a comic action film that depicts a story about five individuals who accidentally gain different superpowers through organ transplants, as they confront those who seek to exploit their abilities. Among them, Ahn Jae-hong plays the aspiring writer Ji-sung, who gains exceptional lung capacity after undergoing a lung transplant.
Ahn Jae-hong, who delivered a remarkable performance in the Netflix original series 'Mask Girl' leading to comments like "Is this another retirement work?" noted, "This time, it's a comeback work," displaying confidence in 'Hi-Five.'
He said, "I'm grateful, excited, and overwhelmed to return with an entertaining film and greet everyone. I also heard that our work topped the overall pre-sales chart yesterday, which makes me incredibly happy. I called the director immediately after reading that article because I was so pleased. The director was very happy too. Since this is just the beginning, I wanted to start on a positive note. I didn't talk about it much. I read an article yesterday that the phrase 'green light' made me feel really good. It made me realize again what that phrase means. I learned that it signifies a sign of good things to come, which made me feel good."
In particular, Ahn Jae-hong expressed his own unique portrayal of the characters from Ju-o-nam to Ji-sung, saying, "While they are completely isolated characters who do not participate socially, Ji-sung is a completely different character from a different genre. I wanted to portray him differently. I wanted to depict that aspect lovingly. For 'Hi-Five' to be an entertaining work, it had to present itself in a public entertainment movie way. My hope was that while watching this film, audiences would find it interesting and humorous. Therefore, my thought while performing was that although it is realistic, it should have an appropriate tone-up for viewers to enjoy it."
He also added, "Everyone has various facets. Within that, there might be aspects of lacking confidence or feelings of solitude in society that anyone possesses. I think the processes that dramatize and amplify those aspects could give birth to a highly realistic and dark character, and if amplified just a little, I recalled the saying that up close it looks tragic, but from afar it looks comedic. It struck me that it could be both realistic and funny. Among the various emotional threads, I particularly wanted to capture realistic yet funny moments when amplifying Ji-sung's traits."
As a result, Ahn Jae-hong has gained attention to the extent of appearing in the recent Coupang Play variety series 'SNL Korea.' Ahn Jae-hong remarked, "After 'SNL,' I've received a lot of compliments saying I'm 'pretty.' There was reaction that 'I didn't know you were pretty,'" eliciting laughter over the attention garnered from his idol acting. He said, "In 'Hi-Five,' I have a bob hairstyle, so the response that I'm pretty was new and delightful. I found that those reactions were fun while playing the idol role," adding, "It's not quite a pledge for a stage greeting, but if 'Hi-Five' receives a lot of love, I think it would be nice to greet everyone again as the idol leader Angelo."
'Hi-Five' is set to be released in theaters nationwide on the 30th.
(Continued in Interview 3.)
[Photo] Provided by NEW, Annapurna Films.
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