'The Glory' character 'Syaknam' has turned into a psycho. Actor Jeong Seong-il, who challenges the main role on screen with the movie 'Killer Report'.
On the 28th, a press screening of the movie 'Killer Report' (director Jo Young-jun, provided by A2Z Entertainment and Sony Pictures International Production, produced by With A Studio, MIK Studio, and Pluto Story Group, distributed by Sony Pictures Entertainment Korea and A2Z Entertainment) was held at the CGV Yongsan I-Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul. During the press conference that followed the screening, director Jo Young-jun, along with lead actors Cho Yeo-jeong, Jeong Seong-il, and Kim Tae-han, participated to share their thoughts.
'Killer Report' is a film about a veteran journalist, Seon-ju (Cho Yeo-jeong), who is thirsty for exclusives and receives a request for an interview from psychiatrist Yeong-hoon (Jeong Seong-il), who confesses to a series of murders. It is set to be released in theaters nationwide on Friday, September 5.
In this film, Jeong Seong-il plays the role of psychiatrist Yeong-hoon, a serial killer, and delivers a passionate performance. He shared, "After reading the script, I was drawn in, so I thought there was no reason not to do it if the actors performed well and the director did a good job, as I believed that the audience could fully immerse themselves in it. It was a truly valuable experience."
"I put in a lot of energy, but the set was so enjoyable," he said. "I couldn't understand the actions of a serial killer, someone who kills. However, I didn't think much about the psychiatrist's expertise. As you can see, there were elements of hypnosis and psychology that I could study. I discussed these aspects frequently with the director. The character had to be clearly expressed, be persuasive, and capable of drawing Seon-ju in. I think I pondered a lot on where to begin my choices."
Regarding the differences between the early and later parts of the film, Jeong Seong-il said, "The beginning and the ending of the piece were clearly divided even before entering the film. Even in the film, the preceding situations had to attract Seon-ju within the setting of a psycho drama. I believe the performances at the front were a result of need, while the back reflects the character's true self, so there was no choice but to divide it."
Additionally, regarding working with Cho Yeo-jeong, he remarked, "I admired her at every moment," adding, "Because of the character Seon-ju that actor Cho Yeo-jeong portrayed, Yeong-hoon underwent many transformations. The breadth of change when she reacted a certain way was enormous. The tone of my lines and my delivery were greatly influenced by the director and Yeo-jeong. I wasn't an actor who calculated everything to the end. I was immediately receiving and reciprocating at every scene, so I was very thankful. While she said she relied on me, I felt like I was just going along for the ride. I am so grateful to have her as a partner."
As the film centers on the interviews between Seon-ju and Yeong-hoon, it has an immense amount of dialogue. He said, "The dialogue is actually absurd. There are edited parts, but honestly, I wanted to kill the director with the amount of dialogue." He humorously noted, "I wondered if they were giving this amount of dialogue to two people in their right minds. Thus, I had no choice but to memorize it entirely to have the strength to carry on to the end. Since it was something that occurred in a day, I had to memorize it all before shooting." He continued with a smile, "I was grateful that actor Tae-han appeared intermittently, providing me with breathing space. I found that it was very different on set compared to what I had memorized, so I progressed without any calculations in that regard."
Jeong Seong-il, who gained attention for his role as Ha Do-young, the husband of Park Yeon-jin (Lim Ji-yeon), in the Netflix series 'The Glory', expressed that it feels like a homework to not have had a hit project greater than 'The Glory' for three years. Jeong Seong-il calmly stated, "Since 'The Glory', there hasn't been anything that has succeeded because of me," adding, "Honestly, 'The Glory' wasn't successful because of me either. I am just grateful to have participated in a good project."
However, he remarked, "Even so, I believe the projects I've done have been excellent by my standards. I think that choice was not wrong at all. It seems like it was an opportunity to show a variety of appearances. Whether it became 'Jeon, Ran' or 'Trigger', I believe it was a chance to showcase the various sides I can present."
Consequently, Jeong Seong-il expressed, "I hope 'Killer Report' does well and becomes another representative work. My honest feelings are that I understand not every work can succeed. However, I know that if I did my best within it, there would be no regrets regarding the results, so I firmly stated that this is a project where I have no regrets at all."
For this reason, he craved more attention from the audience. Jeong Seong-il said, "I thought a lot about why people should watch the movie in theaters. Movies these days come out too quickly on OTT platforms. But if it's entertaining, don't you want to see it first? It is the place where it comes out first. You can see it first there. I thought that our movie was entertaining and came out really well in that aspect. I hope people think they want to see something interesting in theaters quickly, just like wanting to eat something delicious quickly," he said with a laugh.
In 'Killer Report', Jeong Seong-il showcases his performance confidently as if to prove himself. The film itself places a significant emphasis on the acting prowess of Cho Yeo-jeong and Jeong Seong-il. In the case of Jeong Seong-il, he maximizes his unique calm and cold atmosphere and delivery skills. After being referred to as 'Syaknam' for his role as Ha Do-young in 'The Glory', he has now transformed into a nice psycho as Yeong-hoon in 'Killer Report'. Attention is focused on how Jeong Seong-il's next move will bring him closer to his next hit project.
[Photo] OSEN DB, provided by A2Z Entertainment-Netflix.
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