Actor Lee Kwang-soo's romance, "I Alone Prince," meets audiences.
On the 10th at the Yongsan I'Park Mall CGV in Seoul, the film "I Alone Prince" (director Kim Seong-hoon, presented by Jerry Good Company, distributed by CJ CGV·Jerry Good Company, produced by Jerry Good Company·Yeonghwasa Ichang, co-produced by Westworld·HB Entertainment) held a press screening and a press conference.
"I Alone Prince" is a survival comic romance film about Asian prince "Kang Joon-woo" (Lee Kwang-soo), who is left alone in a foreign land without a manager, passport or a single won.
Director Kim Seong-hoon said, "The reason I first planned this film was that I went to Nha Trang, Vietnam, for a film event and visited Vietnam for the first time. The scenery at the time was nice, and while talking with people in the film industry I said, 'It would be nice if there were a project we could do together,' and we resonated, so we began to plan a basic project with local people. I liked the idea of talking about film in another language. Even if the language doesn't get across, you can communicate by watching their expressions and every gesture, and I thought there are many things we might be overlooking. Based on that, I conceived a film locally and prepared it in Korea."
He added, "Romance, in a way, is about communication between people, caring for one another, and it's an important issue. Because relationships are what viewers are most interested in, I chose romance."
He also shared casting behind-the-scenes. Director Kim said, "Actress Hwang Ha was cast through an audition. I wanted an actor whose first impression isn't striking or flashy; someone like that. I liked everyone, but I was actually concerned about the height difference. Above all, she could act well. I thought she could overcome it. And when Lee Kwang-soo straightens his back, he's 2m," adding, "I wondered how many centimeters taller or shorter would really matter. In Vietnam there are long trees even inside the city. I thought using vertical and horizontal images would produce interesting and aesthetically pleasing two-shots, so we worked together."
He continued, "When I heard Kwang-soo was called an Asian prince, I thought, 'Really?' So if a fresh-feeling Hallyu star could play the role of an Asian top star in this film, it would be really fun. Above all, I wanted to try a long-form story with Kwang-soo. We know each other well, communicate well and have trust, so if the two of us worked together it could become a meaningful project for us, so I joined. I agreed without hesitation from the start," explaining his chemistry with Lee Kwang-soo.
He added, "Early on, Kwang-soo's appearance wasn't acting but himself. There may be familiar resemblances between Kang Joon-woo and Lee Kwang-soo. If that were acting inside a TV variety show, I wanted to mix various colors on screen, and actor Kwang-soo did that wonderfully."
He also spoke about the co-production with Vietnam. Director Kim said, "I thought it was essential to shoot the film in Vietnam and go to the market, and I think now is the time it became necessary. Each country's film industry doesn't look the same as before, and I think the national color of content has become much weaker than before. If that's the case now, making something that isn't just Korean or Vietnamese, but something that represents what Asia has, could expand the market and create new content, so I started the project with that in mind."
Lee Kwang-soo reflected on the process of creating the character, saying, "Even if there are similarities, the character Kang Joon-woo had to be presented as that character, so I didn't feel a heavy burden. Director and I went to Vietnam early before filming and discussed the script a lot, and acting with Vietnamese friends who speak a different language meant we rehearsed dialogues plenty before shooting, so I think we filmed enjoyably without difficulty."
He recalled memories of filming in Vietnam. Lee Kwang-soo said, "Vietnam is a meaningful and grateful country because it first gave me the nickname, not quite a nickname, 'Asia prince.' So I wanted to do better and show a good side. Since it had been a while since I went, I had that kind of ambition. During this shoot, when doing greetings and promotional schedules, a friend who had been a student 10 years ago brought a child, and a friend who had been pregnant brought a much older child and said, 'The child used to crawl then.' I had many thoughts; it was emotionally new and moving."
He added, "I am very thankful that the friends I acted with in Vietnam liked me, and I liked them too, so even when there was no shooting they would call the director or me and take us to delicious places and show us around, so we became close quickly. I want to thank them again. Personally, it was a beautiful and unforgettable memory."
He also spoke about his rapport with director Kim. Having worked together previously, Lee Kwang-soo said, "Eleven years ago he was someone who I was very grateful to, and I had such a pleasant memory of filming on set that I wanted to work with him again. Much time has passed and we're older and have grown, so meeting again felt personally new. It was a time that made me praise myself; it was very nice. As before, he was very pleasant in Vietnam and liked getting along with all the staff, so I felt we made another good memory."
He also discussed character acting. Lee Kwang-soo said, "Rather than my natural self, I thought that if I put familiar aspects that viewers associate with me onto Kang Joon-woo, they might be more forgiving of the humor. I blended in elements of my variety show and other TV appearances to make him feel familiar."
He especially noted, "What resonated with me in Kang Joon-woo's lines was the anxiety about whether, as a top star, he might lose his position. He feels anxious that someone will take his place and he will disappear. Rather than that burden, I have been thankfully busy with work. I haven't felt tired enough to want to go somewhere. I really like working and seem to get energy from being on set. I don't think I've ever truly felt exhausted. I do have a greedy hope that this busyness continues."
Finally, Lee Kwang-soo said with an embarrassed smile, "Now that the film's title has been confirmed as 'I Alone Prince,' it's a little awkward to say it myself," and added, "It's not provocative, it's healing, and it seems like a film that fits coldening weather. I ask for your interest," urging audiences to see the film.
Meanwhile, "I Alone Prince" will be in theaters on Nov. 19.
[Photo] OSEN DB
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