Actor Jang Hye-Jin of the film "Number One" emphasized that Choi Wooshik, who reunites as her on-screen son after "Parasite," resembles her real son.
On the 29th at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, a press screening and press conference for the new film "Number One" (director Kim Tae-yong, presented by By4M Studio·Penter Invest, distributed by By4M Studio, produced by Semicolon Studio·Studio Dubbly M, co-produced by By4M Studio·IPD Company) were held. After the screening, the cast talk included lead actors Choi Wooshik, Jang Hye-Jin, Gong Seung-yeon and director Kim Tae-yong, who answered questions from domestic reporters.
"Number One" tells the story of Ha-min (Choi Wooshik), who one day begins to see a number that decreases by one each time he eats his mother's food and learns that when the number reaches zero his mother Eun-sil (Jang Hye-Jin) will die, and he strives to protect his mother. Through this, Choi Wooshik and Jang Hye-Jin reunite once again as mother and son after director Bong Joon-ho's masterpiece "Parasite."
Choi Wooshik said of reuniting with Jang Hye-Jin, "When we worked on 'Parasite,' the emphasis was more on the ensemble. Many people had to act in a single scene. At that time there was no one-on-one emotional exchange between my mother and me. But this time it was so fun to have one-on-one exchanges and try the back-and-forth rhythm; it was very enjoyable. Because we didn't meet for the first time here but started from a place of already being very close, there was no awkwardness up front. It was very smooth."
In response, Jang Hye-Jin laughed and said, "Although actor Wooshik was using a dialect for the first time and may have been careful, I was speaking the dialect and was concerned. Every time I spoke, I heard, 'Is that a Busan dialect? It smells like Seoul from living there a long time,' and when I used dialect people said, 'I can't understand.' I had many worries about whether to use the dialect as I speak it or to refine it so it's easier to understand. I discussed that a lot with the director. Our production company CEO is also from Gyeongsang Province, so we talked about it a lot. At first I worried and flattened my pronunciation, tried even harder, and then thought, 'Just do it; if they can't understand, there's nothing to be done, that's right, I don't know,' and did it that way."
She added, "In particular, when I reunited with actor Wooshik after 'Parasite,' we were very comfortable with each other, and when 'Parasite' began he took care of me, for which I was grateful, but I was never able to properly return the favor on set. We were each busy acting. But this time during 'Number One' we talked a lot. His look on the actual poster resembles my son so much. I want to show him a photo of my son later. Once I told Wooshik that I wished my son would grow up to be like him. Wooshik really feels like my son. There was no difficulty in acting; rather, seeing how Choi Wooshik deepened, widened his emotions and became more fluent in expression made me envy him and want to act like that many times. It was wonderful. I'm so glad I chose to work with Wooshik. I'm grateful Eun-sil came along."
"Number One" opens in theaters nationwide on the 11th.
[Photo] OSEN reporter Min Kyung-hoon.
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