The film 'The Savior' is drawing expectations about whether it could become a career-defining film for actress Song Ji-hyo that surpasses Running Man.
On the afternoon of the 22nd, at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, a press screening and press conference for the film 'The Savior' (director Shin Jun, provided by Studio Plum, distributed by Mindmark, produced by Mayday Studio, Studio Plum, co-produced by IFilm Corporation, Grida Studio) were held. Leading actors Kim Byung-chul, Song Ji-hyo and Kim Hee-ra and director Shin Jun attended the event and talked about the film.
'The Savior' is a mystery occult film in which miraculous events occur to Yeong-beom and Seon-hee, who moved to the blessed village Obok-ri, and they learn that all of this is the price of someone else's misfortune. Actor Kim Byung-chul, praised for the dramas Goblin, Mr. Sunshine and Doctor Cha, plays Yeong-beom, and actress Song Ji-hyo, who has consistently been loved for the variety show Running Man, plays his wife Seon-hee. Kim Hee-ra plays Chun-seo, who lived in Obok-ri, amplifying the mystery.
The film unfolds its mystery by focusing on the premise of equal exchange between miracles and curses. Director Shin Jun said, "I thought the desire for a miracle is something everyone can empathize with. I wanted to tell a story about yearning for and clinging to memories. At the same time, by setting miracles not merely as rewards and curses not merely as punishments but as equivalent relationships, it gave an indescribable thrill that miracles are not something one earns and curses are not punishments for my own wrongdoing. So I wanted to explore the occult through miracles and curses. Our film does not have the usual ghosts, exorcisms or demon expulsions. Instead, it tells a story that treats characters through the miracles they earnestly wish for. Focusing on that, I wanted to unfold the actors' performances and the characters' hidden sides in various ways," he said.
In particular, the film shows Song Ji-hyo's transformation, familiar from the SBS variety show Running Man. Contrary to her public image, Song Ji-hyo, who wears magnifying glasses, portrays near blindness, and shows the anguish of moving between curse and miracle, said, "My character is blind because of an accident. The director gave me many references about the extent of that. I think the director guided the process of gradually reaching a point where she can hardly see. I actually wore magnifying glasses during filming. I was less able to see than the director's references, which played a big role in portraying Seon-hee. On the contrary, I received a lot of help."
Song Ji-hyo added, "If I have the most long-standing and familiar work, it would be Running Man, and it's true that I have been cemented in that image. But I originally acted before Running Man, so rather than thinking this kind of character or genre is particularly difficult or something I must force, I tend to think about how to best present the character. Actually, I wanted to say this in interviews: when I first read the script for 'The Savior,' I liked Seon-hee's role, but I loved Chun-seo's role even more. Chun-seo seemed so three-dimensional, and the process of losing what is mine looked much more desperate and cool than the desire to gain, so I wanted to portray that. But the director insisted on Seon-hee's part. The director might have had Hee-ra in mind when he spoke to me, but the process of losing seemed attractive, and he considered Seon-hee's longing after gaining and losing as a charm point, so I wanted to show that part step by step."
Director Shin Jun on casting Song Ji-hyo said, "I also enjoyed watching Running Man, and I took classes from the director of The Woman of My Life 20 years ago and I really enjoyed The Intruder. I thought it would be good if the character could be a bit more reckless and someone who represses desire and then expresses it. I thought I could shape the senior's leadership, big eyes and unseen sides together, so I asked her to join."
Director Shin Jun also said about casting, "I am a huge fan of all three of them. I have even watched their smaller works because my fandom is that big. Kim Byung-chul, who plays Yeong-beom, showed very persuasive acting. He made any role hard to hate and easy to empathize with. Yeong-beom is the first person to witness the equal relationship between miracle and curse. If the audience sees the film through Yeong-beom's eyes and Kim Byung-chul plays that role, I thought he could convey empathy through the colors and energy he shows."
He added, "Since I was writing and finishing the script, I thought it would be good to work with Kim Hee-ra. Chun-seo could look monotonous or like a typical device, but if Hee-ra plays Chun-seo, I thought she could bring a different touch and elicit empathy, so I consider it an honor."
Kim Hee-ra, who ended the school violence controversy and returned to mass media through her first commercial film 'The Savior,' said, "I have already expressed my position through my agency before. There were parts that caused concern, but at that time I met the parties involved directly and had deep conversations, and the misunderstandings were resolved. After that we have supported each other's lives and keep in touch regularly."
She continued, "I never absolutely avoided or felt wronged about the time I couldn't be active after that. I thought it was something I would experience, so I filled that time with deep acting study and there wasn't a single day when I didn't think about acting. I became a bit firmer, reflected deeply and waited, and miraculously met a good project, so when I play Chun-seo I feel much more desperate and earnest and I yearn for that miracle. But by receiving a curse I realized that some ordinary things I had been enjoying were actually miracles, and I approached each one with heartfelt gratitude. So I will engage in more activities later while reflecting more deeply inwardly and continue to move forward."
She also explained why she chose 'The Savior' as her first commercial film: "I have always liked the occult genre itself, and this is mystery occult. As you will see, if you look closely at each person, there are no villains. They seek salvation for the things they desperately want in order to obtain the health, vision or ability to walk they should enjoy, which leads to incidents and crises. That newly gave audiences a chill and sense of fear. I also thought the role of Chun-seo would be a great challenge for me. There were so many things I wanted to explore that I thought I absolutely wanted to try it."
Kim Byung-chul, on the points he considered for Yeong-beom, said, "Yeong-beom is a character who, despite receiving the miracle his family desperately needed, doubts that miracle. After learning that the miracle comes at the cost of someone else's misfortune, he tries to break free from the cycle of miracle and curse. Because he is not the direct party to the miracle and curse, he reacts passively at times and therefore could not actively dissuade it. That person eventually, as you will see in the film, leads to supernatural consequences, and I tried to portray how such a passive person changes — it is an allegory of the world we live in, focusing on how that person transforms."
He praised his chemistry with Song Ji-hyo as a married couple: "I have long known and watched her work. I thought she was an extremely beautiful actor. I was surprised by her beauty at our first meeting. Working together, communication was very good. She helped soften relationships with other staff on set. She painted Seon-hee in front of my eyes and was a great help."
Kim Byung-chul also complimented his chemistry with Kim Hee-ra, saying, "I strongly felt that Chun-seo's presence was alive and moving in front of my eyes. I remember that I acted along with that feeling. I think the character had a huge influence."
Director Shin Jun, who watched them, said, "Our shoot was really cold. We exhaled a lot. On the worst days it dropped to minus 25 degrees. But they did not show it; they intentionally smiled, lifted the mood, kept trying and thinking. Even though I was in front of the monitor, they suffered in thinner clothing than me without showing hardship and kept asking if there was anything more they wanted to do, expressing concern. I want to take this opportunity to thank them once again."
Finally, Song Ji-hyo said with a laugh, "We have a stove that appears in the warehouse. It comes out to warm and protect that space, and the stove heats up hot and warm, but because it was so cold, whenever we cut we all gathered in front of the stove. But the lighting director told us it wasn't a stove but lighting. Whether it was a placebo effect or not, we really felt warm. It wasn't warm at all and was just lighting, but we felt warmed, so please watch for that as a point of interest." Their chemistry raises expectations for how it will unfold in 'The Savior.'
'The Savior' opens on Nov. 5.
[Photo] OSEN reporter Park Jun-hyung.
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