"Heartman" director Choi Won-seop revealed his affection for persona Kwon Sang Woo.
On the 9th afternoon at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul, an interview was held with director Choi Won-seop, who directed the film "Heartman."
"Heartman" (director Choi Won-seop, distributor and provider Lotte Entertainment, production: Movierock·Like M Company) is a comedy film in which Seung-min (Kwon Sang Woo) returns and struggles to hold on to his first love Bona (Moon Chae-won), but when a secret he absolutely cannot tell her arises, events unfold. It is a work from production company Movierock, which produced films such as "Young Policemen," which surpassed 5 million viewers, "Pilot," and "Sweet and Sour: 7510." Comedy genre hitman Kwon Sang Woo and director Choi Won-seop reunited, Moon Chae-won returns with a first-love vibe, Park Ji-hwan, who has shown a strong presence in every work, and scene-stealer Pyo Jihoon joined, drawing attention.
Director Choi Won-seop, who specializes in the comedy genre, and Kwon Sang Woo, who led the success of the "Hitman" series, meet for a third time with "Heartman," announcing another reliable pairing. Their previous works, "Hitman 1" drew 2.4 million viewers and "Hitman 2" drew 2.54 million viewers, respectively.
Director Choi Won-seop said he proceeded with casting with Kwon Sang Woo in mind from the beginning, saying, "When I filmed 'Hitman' with senior Sang-woo, our chemistry was good, so I thought he was the most suitable casting for this role. When I proposed the casting he liked it, and he liked the script," and added, "In fact, the shooting order was to film 'Hitman' part 1, then 'Heartman,' and finally 'Hitman' part 2. Because the release was delayed, the order changed. Thanks to that, we were able to focus more on post-production, which was better. The original film was 'No Kids,' and the working title was 'We Grow Up.' During filming 'Heartman' came up, and since it's a story of 'people with warm hearts,' I thought 'Heartman' would also be fine," explaining the process.
He said he had confidence in leading actor Kwon Sang Woo. "Senior Sang-woo acts much better than people generally think. He acts very well. His concentration is good, and having played many lead roles, you realize 'it's not just luck.' He doesn't need many takes on set. Because he acts well, we could shoot quickly," he praised as a director.
In response to the remark, "It seems there may be regret about the low regard for comic acting in our country," he said, "Especially in Korea, when it comes to comedy acting there is a tendency to view and evaluate it somewhat lower. Some film festivals give awards to serious or weighty works, and Hollywood is not like this either. I hope that changes a bit. I think senior Sang-woo's comic acting is really difficult. I don't think only serious and weighty works are well done. In that respect, there is something to be regretted," he confessed.
Director Choi Won-seop, who said, "Kwon Sang Woo is my persona," added, "He said, 'If there's an opportunity next time, let's do it together.' We anticipate each other's moves, it's very good, and trust keeps building. If possible, I'd like to do more. Basically, our temperaments match well, and since both of us also have two children, there are many commonalities. I would gladly work with senior Sang-woo again," he added.
Meanwhile, the new year's first comedy film "Heartman" opens on the 14th.
[Photo] Provided by Lotte Entertainment
[OSEN]