Actor Hong Kyung of the film "Good News" expressed humility when compared with distinguished stars such as Park Hae-il and Timothée Chalamet.
On the morning of the 21st, Hong Kyung gave an interview at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. There, he met with domestic reporters and talked about the recently released Netflix film "Good News" (director Byun Seong-hyun) and his recent activities.
"Good News" is a film about a suspicious operation by people who gathered in the 1970s to land a hijacked plane by any means necessary. In it, Hong Kyung gave a passionate performance as elite air force controller Seo Go-myung.
Director Byun Seong-hyun, who directed the work, praised Hong Kyung, saying, "He reminds me of Park Hae-il at his prime." Industry and fan reactions also compared Hong Kyung to Hollywood star Timothée Chalamet. Hong Kyung himself awkwardly smiled at such compliments, saying, "It gives me cold sweats. I'm just at the beginning stage."
He also laughed, saying, "I think this is too much praise," and added, "Still, my first impression of the director and what I felt while working was that while all collaborators work fiercely, director Byun Seong-hyun seemed to be someone who is obsessively focused on this alone. When he works on a project, I felt like he pulls together and pours out his entire allotment. And I don't know how he handled his previous works, but in this one I felt even more of his passion and will to move forward. He really works obsessively hard," he replied.
He also said about director Byun Seong-hyun and senior actor Sul KyungGu praising him as "obsessive" and "really hardworking," "I don't know precisely, but I think because I met them frequently, whenever my curiosity arose and I asked, they were obsessively indulgent in answering. Continuing takes is partly because I like it, but judgments are made by the director and the production; from my perspective I wanted to see more potentially viable choices. In the moment-to-moment takes, other intuitions can come in. I don't want to go home and regret it, so I try somehow to do more," he said.
Hong Kyung continued, "I haven't thought about it, but at least the crew who did the costumes and makeup deserve credit. I also liked it very much. I felt their contribution and affection while watching the film. They tried in every way to make Go-myung shine, and the filming and lighting people were trying to realize what director Byun created with my new faces as an actor, and I gratefully received the totality of their labor. Once again I felt the greatness of the staff," he said.
However, he said, "Did I think I was handsome? Not really." Hong Kyung said, "Rather, there were moments I thought weren't great. I am grateful, but I didn't think that watching myself. I keep feeling that way, and when I talk about what I'm disappointed with, the director jokingly says, 'Stop it.' I held it inside. In various ways, when I look at myself internally and externally, I wasn't satisfied," and added, "I'm not the type to be satisfied easily. That seems to be a driving force. Even while doing this project, there isn't much I can do with my face, but I felt that finding ways to show good expressions as an actor is an important element."
So what attractiveness does he acknowledge in himself? Hong Kyung self-assessed, "Maybe it's that I try obsessively. Rather than a charm, it's the only thing I can do. My personality tends to see things through to the end. That may or may not be charm, but it seems to be one advantage I have."
(Continued in interview ②)<
[Photo] Provided by Netflix.
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