(Continuing from interview ①) Actor Lee Gyu-hyung spoke about working with senior actors Jo Woo-jin, Park Ji-hwan, Jung Kyung-ho and Lee Sung-min in the film "Boss."
Lee Gyu-hyung conducted an interview on the afternoon of Oct. 20 at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. At the event he spoke with domestic reporters about the film "Boss" (director Ra Hee-chan), which opened Oct. 3.
"Boss" is a comic action film about members of an organization desperately competing and "yielding" the boss position to each other for their own dreams as the election of the next boss, on which the organization's future depends, approaches. After its release it held the No. 1 spot at the box office through the Chuseok holiday, and on Oct. 19 it reached a cumulative audience of 2,258,190, surpassing the break-even point and continuing its success.
Lee Gyu-hyung plays Hong Tae-gyu. Hong Tae-gyu is an undercover agent who, despite being a police officer, infiltrated the "family faction" for more than 10 years. In the process, Lee Gyu-hyung cleverly portrays the character and provides much of the comedy in the film's latter half.
That created a sense of pressure. Lee Gyu-hyung said, "I was at a loss when I first read the script. I felt a lot of pressure. But many senior actors on set helped me a lot. Comedy isn't something you can do alone, and Ji-hwan hyung's and Oh Dal-su senior's reactions and ad-libs on set, line by line, I think brought that scene to life. When I did something odd, the ad-libs like 'why are you spinning that thing in the middle' would have been too embarrassing and not nearly as funny if I had done them alone. But Ji-hwan hyung also filled parts I couldn't on my own with an ad-lib that wasn't in the original script like 'what is this crazy guy doing,' and the ensemble on set made it work. If I had done it alone I might have run out crying in the middle," he said.
About the physical comedy, he said, "I felt pressure. No matter how many times I've done 'weak acting' before, at first I kept the level from being too extreme, but the director told me it would be better to go for the dramatic there, so I trusted him and thought 'what the hell,' and trusted the seniors and acted crazy hoping WOOJIN hyung and Kyung-ho would come in soon." He added, "Before shooting that scene, Ji-hwan hyung and I exchanged many ideas. Ji-hwan hyung is such a strong comedy actor, and we had worked together on the previous film 'Handsome Guys,' and I first met Young in 'My Dictator,' so hyung gave me ideas and we developed those ideas together. Thanks to Ji-hwan hyung, some of the weight lifted from my shoulders."
Lee Gyu-hyung also said of Jung Kyung-ho, who plays Dong Kang-pyo, "I did the drama 'drama' 'Prison Playbook' with Kyung-ho. We're the same age and friends. I already knew Kyung-ho was such a fun person. He's naturally cheerful. Even if that hasn't shown in his roles, he's a very funny friend when we spend time together. When the setting changed from piano to tango, I was excited to see how fun it would be. He's also cool and handsome. When the tango comes out, there's an edge to it; I think that was expressed stylishly. I think those kinds of characters meeting is why people enjoyed the film," he said with a laugh.
He continued, "Park Ji-hwan hyung even drove me home yesterday. He's a very sweet person. Very emotional. Many people don't realize that when they first meet him. Hyung also has an image that audiences remember. But Ji-hwan hyung is 'so sweet' and takes care of those around him with attention to detail. Yesterday, when I said I was tagging along, he did everything except shake my hand for me. He accompanied us through all the stage greetings," he emphasized.
In particular, Lee Gyu-hyung praised Jo Woo-jin, who anchors the film as Na Soon-tae, saying, "WOOJIN hyung has such great leadership. From shooting through the stage greetings we did throughout Chuseok, he kept cheering the members up, bought us good food, and after it was over he even sent encouraging messages to each member individually. From filming through the later schedule he has been delicately leading everyone," he marveled.
He added, "Even yesterday at the stage greeting, Lee Sung-min senior came. Senior Sung-min also gave our film a huge boost with his special appearance. The moment he saw me yesterday he said, 'Gyu-hyung, you saw Ji-hwan in 'Handsome Guys' and it made you grind your teeth thinking you should step up in 'Boss' — it was great,' and gave me kind words. Even though he made a special appearance, he accompanied us to our stage greeting. WOOJIN hyung said he learned a lot and was inspired by Senior Sung-min's approach in 'The Sheriff.' I also feel I learn a lot from the senior. His attitude toward work and his willingness to take responsibility for a project until the end are very admirable," he added.
(Continued from interview ③).<
[Photo] Provided by Ace Factory.
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