(Continued from interview ①) Hong Kyung, an actor in the film "Good News," dreamed of an ensemble with senior actress Jeon Do-yeon.
Hong Kyung conducted an interview on the morning of the 21st at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. At the event, he met with domestic reporters and talked about the recently released Netflix film "Good News" (director Byun Sung-hyun) and his recent activities.
"Good News" is a film set in the 1970s about a suspicious operation by people who gathered to land a hijacked plane by any means necessary. In it, Hong Kyung gave a passionate performance as elite air force controller Seo Go-myeong.
Regarding Seo Go-myeong, whom he said he was captivated by from the moment he read the script, Hong Kyung said, "This character is very precious to me. People have different standards, but my twenties are very precious to me. This is a friend I met at the final gate. It seems I spent my twenties chasing things I couldn't see. I can't explain it in words, but I chased invisible things. That kind of story seems to be what this story was. There were many things I wanted to try inside me and many complex things, and that was Go-myeong. Meeting him felt very fateful," he said.
He added, "It's not that I suddenly became certain of what to pursue, but I feel I gained hope and moved on to the next stage. Maybe it's more courage; I felt like I could explore something different now."
In the past, Hong Kyung has said in various interviews that he wanted to live in reality rather than in a bubble or a vacuum. So what about now? He laughed and said, "I want to be a movie star," adding, "I grew up watching films and had a strong desire to become a movie star. Still, having gone through periods like the 'comment unit' or 'Cheongseol' and works such as 'Weak Hero,' I wanted to keep thinking and layering experiences because film and drama naturally allow you to reflect while watching. Even in 'Innocence,' I wondered if there was something different only I could do, and that led me to the project. Since then I've been searching for those things. It may be self-indulgent, but I think I ran with my own standards. As I took each step, I learned new things, so so far it's been encouraging," he self-assessed.
He especially spoke about the movie stars who influenced him: "There are so many. The works of Sul KyungGu and Ryu Seung-bum senior actors, and films by Al Pacino, Denzel Washington, Leonardo DiCaprio — I grew up watching those people. I wonder if I could ever work with them. Maybe I think of them as too distant," he laughed, then emphasized, "I've never said this before, but I really want to do a project with senior actress Jeon Do-yeon."
Jeon Do-yeon made a special appearance as the first lady in "Good News," showing a strong presence. Regarding that, Hong Kyung said, "There are many moments in the film I love, but my favorite is the moment when Jeon Do-yeon swept through the scene. That scene felt like very sophisticated comedy. I can't tell whether it's Do-yeon senior or KyungGu senior or anyone else. How do they do it? It feels like they are performing magic. Even watching the magic trick from the side, I couldn't figure it out. Something happens, and as an actor that was a fascinating experience. She swept through with that energy. I tried to lean close behind the monitor to eavesdrop on what conversations were happening," he admired.
So what kind of movie star does Hong Kyung want to become? He said, "People have different definitions, but I think an actor should make people want to go to the theater to see them. That likely means having charisma and energy. I don't know if that can be achieved through effort; it's partly innate. It seems to follow good work, and it's not something I can just seize. It's both innate and accumulative, so I plan to do projects," he said. He added, "Before youth passes, I want to try a melodrama about passion and turbulent, tumultuous love."
(Continued in interview ③.)<
[Photo] Provided by Netflix.
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