Actor Kwon Hae-hyo recalled his late father-in-law when he saw a character with visual impairment.
On the morning of the 22nd, a production briefing for the film "Face" (Director Yeon Sang-ho) was held at the Lotte Cinema in Konkuk University, Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. The briefing featured director Yeon Sang-ho and actors Park Jung-min, Kwon Hae-hyo, Shin Hyun-bin, Lim Sung-jae, and Han Ji-hyun who shared their thoughts.
The film "Face" depicts the story of Lim Dong-hwan, the son of Lim Young-kyu, a visual artist known as a living miracle, who uncovers the truth behind the death of his mother, whose skeletal remains were discovered after being missing for 40 years.
In the film, Kwon Hae-hyo plays Lim Young-kyu, a visual artist who transforms into a craftsman while working alongside Park Jung-min, who plays Lim Dong-hwan. He shared, "Not being able to see is something I actually had to wear lenses for during filming, and in that process, I really couldn't see well. It felt oddly comfortable. After all, much of the information comes through our eyes, and in that space, even movements and breaths of other actors are stimuli that we respond to together on the same screen. There's a sense of stability and comfort that comes from not seeing very well. There was a part of me that didn't consciously think about how I would appear."
He added, "I felt comfortable performing, and my late father-in-law was actually visually impaired. I think it came to me naturally, having witnessed that beside him."
Director Yeon Sang-ho noted, "The first character that came to mind while making this work was Lim Young-kyu. Lim Young-kyu is an ironic figure who does visual art while not being able to see, and he is someone who has overcome tremendous challenges. I thought of him as a symbol of Korea that has achieved rapid growth. I started envisioning a story through Jeong Young-hee, who is behind Lim Young-kyu."
In particular, Park Jung-min plays the younger version of Lim Young-kyu, whom Kwon Hae-hyo portrays, showing a dual role. When asked about their chemistry, Park Jung-min said, "It's a grateful situation. I filmed the Lim Young-kyu role two parts earlier. The senior watched that and took some aspects of my acting for his performance. Therefore, I don't think we look too much alike. However, once those elements were woven into the screen, I talked about it with the director and said that there were moments where my face looked like Kwon Hae-hyo's, thanks to his consideration."
He continued, "I often admire and respect the senior so while acting together, I find myself just mesmerized watching him. I learned to carve seals because of this movie. The director joked with me, 'No matter how hard you carve seals, will you ever have that artisan's face?' It's a humorous comment, but when that face passed by on the monitor, I had my moment of kneeling in awe."
Kwon Hae-hyo then humorously remarked, "Thinking back, I wondered why the director accepted Jung-min's proposal for a dual role. No matter how much I looked for someone to play my younger role, I might not have found anyone suitable."
Meanwhile, the film is set to be released in theaters on Sept. 11.
[Photo] OSEN Reporter Choi Gyu-han
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