The film "Number One" raises expectations of the emotional impact of the 12-year-old film "The Giant" as director Kim Tae-yong reunites with actor Choi Wooshik, and the performances of Jang Hye-Jin and Gong Seung-yeon add further resonance.
On the 29th at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Yongsan-gu, Seoul, the new film "Number One" (directed by Kim Tae-yong, provided by By4M Studio·Penter Invest, distributed by By4M Studio, produced by Semicolon Studio·Studio Double M, co-produced by By4M Studio·IPD Company) held a press screening and conference. After the screening, lead actors Choi Wooshik, Jang Hye-Jin, Gong Seung-yeon and director Kim Tae-yong attended the conference and answered questions from domestic reporters.
"Number One" tells the story of Hamin (Choi Wooshik), who one day begins to see a number decrease by one each time he eats his mother's food, and learns that when the number reaches zero his mother Eunsil (Jang Hye-Jin) will die, prompting him to try to protect her. The film is adapted into a Korean version from Sora Uwano's Japanese novel "The number of times I can eat my mother's home cooking is 328".
Director Kim Tae-yong said the film "is a story that makes you think about how precious one person's life is, as I felt these days there are many sensational contents that make people tolerant of death or murder. Its strength is that it is a story that stays in the heart longer rather than just passing before the eyes."
Choi Wooshik also said, "It's an incredibly warm film. When I read this piece I felt I also grew a lot. Watching the film you can feel the message at the very end and ask questions together and grow together; it was a healing film."
Jang Hye-Jin laughed, "Our film opens around Lunar New Year. A warm film that families can watch together at Lunar New Year has come out. It's pleasant and moving. I want to say it's a good film for a family outing after a long time." Gong Seung-yeon also urged, "Our film is a touching, healing movie. After the film ends, you think of family, of mothers, of loved ones; it is a film with a warm feeling. I hope everyone takes that warmth in their hearts."
In particular, the film has drawn attention as director Kim Tae-yong and Choi Wooshik, who were praised for the 2014 film "The Giant," reunite as director and lead actor after 12 years. In fact, the ending of "Number One" shows a different atmosphere from the director's previous works, reflecting his growth and change. Director Kim Tae-yong said, "It feels like a ballad singer returning as a dance singer. 'The Giant' and 'The Concubine' were works I made in my twenties, and this film is a work I started at 40 after growing personally over the past decade. In the film, Yeo-eun's line 'privation is not a flaw but a possibility' is a sentiment I wanted to ferment beautifully and warmly as a creator and as a human, which is why I chose this project."
He added about the easter eggs reminiscent of "The Giant" in the film, "Thank you for noticing. Many people look for 'The Giant,' and I thought that if Young-jae grew up this way we could tell this story, so we did."
Director Kim Tae-yong also laughed about the title "Number One," which differs from the original, saying, "I couldn't use the original long title, and suddenly 'Number One' came to mind with no other candidates. The last number left in this film is 'number one,' and the existence of a mother means 'number one' to you and to us, so the film follows the title and we decided on 'Number One.'"
He explained, "Because the original is a short story, its setting covered up to the point where Hamin faces his destined moment, about one-third into this film. I wanted to portray how Hamin and Eunsil navigate their fate after that. Yeowon does not appear in the original. I thought it would be good to have a bridge between Hamin and Eunsil. Also, food is not prominent in the original, but since I'm from Busan and whenever I missed my mother I tried to cook her food but couldn't reproduce the taste, I recalled Busan's beef soup and soybean leaf dishes I ate when I missed my mother."
Choi Wooshik said, "I felt a lot of pressure preparing for Hamin. First, many people liked me for 'The Giant,' and meeting again brought the burden of how to do this well. But I leaned on the director a lot. For questions, things I lacked, or dialect acting, which was new to me, my mother (Jang Hye-Jin) helped and there was also a teacher on set to check things. Our film handles a somewhat heavy topic but we often broke the tension with wordplay and had many back-and-forth scenes, so we adjusted a lot on set while filming."
He continued, "When we met for 'The Giant' I was 24 and the director was 27. Back then neither of us had much experience, so good synergy emerged. When we met the second time about 10 years later, both the director and I had more experience so things proceeded more smoothly on set. Even when there was nothing before it was smooth, but this time synergy was added. It was so fun to act on set. I didn't even have to go to the monitor to ask because the director already knew. I acted really happily."
There is another reunion beyond the director and actor from "The Giant." Jang Hye-Jin and Choi Wooshik, who appeared in Bong Joon-ho's masterpiece "Parasite," once again meet as mother and son in "Number One."
Choi Wooshik added, "When we worked on 'Parasite,' the ensemble was emphasized. Many people had to act in one scene. Back then there was no one-on-one emotional exchange between my mother and me. But this time we enjoyed one-on-one interactions and banter; it was so fun. Because we didn't meet for the first time here but started from a very familiar place, there was no awkwardness, so it was very smooth."
Jang Hye-Jin said, "Wooshik's dialect acting was his first time, so he would have paid attention, but as someone who uses the dialect I was concerned. People would say, 'Is that Busan dialect? It smells like Seoul from living there long,' and when he used dialect some said, 'I can't understand.' I agonized over whether to use my natural dialect or refine it to be more understandable. I talked a lot with the director about that. Our production company's representative is also from Gyeongsang Province, so we discussed it a lot. At first I worried and sometimes blurred pronunciations, then I tried to be less careful and thought, 'Let's just do it; if people can't understand, it can't be helped.'"
She continued, "When I reunited with Wooshik after 'Parasite,' we were already very comfortable with each other, and when 'Parasite' started he took care of me so I was grateful, but I never properly took care of him on set because we were both busy acting. But while making 'Number One' we talked a lot. The poster image really resembled my son. I want to show him the photo later. I once told Wooshik, 'I hope my son grows up like you.' He truly feels like my son. There was no difficulty acting; if anything, Choi Wooshik grew deeper, his emotions broadened, and his expressions became more fluent, and I envied him and wanted to act like that many times. It was wonderful. I am so glad I chose to work with Wooshik. I'm thankful Eunsil came to us."
Gong Seung-yeon plays Ryeo-eun, Hamin's girlfriend. She said, "Ryeo-eun is a friend with many flaws, but she does not hide them or see them as complexes; she confidently reveals them and, in front of love, does not hide and can say it's her choice. In this film she is not particularly outstanding but she stands firmly; I worked hard to be a solid support between the two people's emotions. Also, Ryeo-eun is the character closest to the director, so I often imitated him. The cadence I use is the director's cadence, so I tried to mimic him a lot. We also took inspiration from Young-jae in 'The Giant'; as in 'The Giant' where you wanted to embrace Young-jae, I acted with the idea that viewers would want to hug Ryeo-eun, thinking she grew up well."
She added, "They are two globally famous people, a mother-and-child pair who are endlessly talked about. I worried a lot whether I could blend in between them. I wondered, what if I'm lacking here? On set they led and embraced me so comfortably that I worked at ease. I actually called them mom and brother while working."
Director Kim Tae-yong said, "Mr. Wooshik and I have a very long connection, and we worried whether Ms. Seung-yeon would find it hard to fit in between us. But Seung-yeon is very easygoing. She opened her heart and approached us, so it was comfortable for us to work together."
Director Kim Tae-yong also said, "At the 'Giant' conference I said 'Choi Wooshik's acting is a miracle,' and this time too his acting was a miracle. Dialect acting is actually not easy, but seeing how diligently he studied dialect details in the dormitory, his sense of responsibility as a lead actor grew immensely, his pride as an actor rose, and whereas during 'The Giant' Wooshik leaned on me, this time I leaned on him like an old couple watching the dusk, and I think both of us did well."
He emphasized, "Working with senior Jang Hye-Jin felt like one of the few blessings in my life because we attended the same elementary school. She knows the sentiment of Busan's Amidong very well. Dialect is not just about words; it must show the hidden emotion within, and senior Jang intuitively caught my heart, making post-production more comfortable. Meeting Choi Wooshik felt like divine luck."
He also said, "I didn't really watch dramas, but while watching 'Aloners' I came across director Hong Seong-eun and felt jealous and envious of the director for how he drew out such performances. Seeing Gong Seung-yeon in real life, she has a witty side, and it was enjoyable to incorporate that into Ryeo-eun."
Gong Seung-yeon added, "Actually after meeting the director I contacted Hong Seong-eun, who made 'Aloners.' I said let's meet again in 10 years. I was so envious of those two (Choi Wooshik and director Kim Tae-yong)."
Meanwhile, Jang Hye-Jin said, "Eunsil is a mother who lives her life cheerfully. She does housework with the mindset of wiping away every speck of dust. Although many scenes were edited, I knew the parts that were removed and acted with that knowledge, so Eunsil felt pitiful and admirable and like my mother, my aunt, or my mother-in-law, so she did not feel distant. Everyone lives that hard. They are tired but don't say they're dying of hardship and get through it coolly. And Wooshik resembles my son, so it was easy to act. As a mother you would be hurt if your son didn't eat, and you would worry and later want to bring him side dishes, so I focused on aspects that reminded me of my son. I'm thankful," adding to expectations.
Finally, director Kim Tae-yong revealed a personal experience that added poignancy, saying, "I said 'The Giant' contained my autobiographical story, and I hadn't seen my mother for about 20 years, but before shooting this film I heard the news of her passing and my mindset for making films changed. I thought it would have been better if my mother's time had been visible to me, and that thought resonated with the film."
He added, "The locations were also the roads I used to walk with my mother. I went with that feeling, but there was remodeling and I wanted to show the look of old shops but the signs had changed so it was disappointing. Giant Chicken was remodeled just in time for filming, so the scenes in the film were shot at the second branch chain. While visiting locations we also ate, and the act of sharing the food I had cherished in my heart with the actors and staff was itself a completion."
"Number One" opens in theaters nationwide on the 11th.
[Photo] OSEN reporter Min Kyung-hoon, provided by By4M Studio.
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