Actor Zo In-sung voiced his convictions about the romantic acting he can do now.
On the afternoon of the 11th, an interview with Zo In-sung, the lead actor of the film "Humint," was held at a cafe in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
The film "Humint" (director Ryu Seung-wan, distributed by NEW, produced by Oeyunaegang Co., Ltd.) depicts a story in Vladivostok, where secrets and truths are submerged in a cold sea of ice and people with different objectives collide. It partly shares a universe with Ryu Seung-wan's box office hit "Berlin," which was released in 2013 and surpassed 7 million admissions.
Zo In-sung gave a passionate performance as NIS Director Jo, a National Intelligence Service agent in the film. He delivered riveting performances ranging from unarmed action to high-difficulty firearm action. Park Jeongmin plays North Korea's State Security Department Director Park Geon, Park Hae-jun plays North Korea's consul general in Vladivostok Hwang Chi-seong, and Shin Sae-kyeong plays a North Korean restaurant worker who becomes a humint named Chae Seon-hwa to survive.
Zo In-sung met director Ryu Seung-wan for the third time with "Humint," following "Escape from Mogadishu" (2021) and "Smuggling" (2023), further adding to his career-defining works. This year he will also present the Netflix film "Possible Love" and director Na Hong-jin's highly anticipated global project "Hope." Releasing three works in one year, his busy slate is drawing attention.
He said, "These days I don't prefer the romance genre. I'm more curious about people. Love is very important, but including love I'm more curious about people and 'what kind of person is this?' is one of those things. Rather than focusing on one thing, it's the feeling of 'I want to try to portray this person.' Love is in that, but it won't be only romantic love between a man and a woman; philanthropy is also a form of love. That love is a good point, but maybe because I'm getting older, I tend to focus on what kind of person I'm trying to portray. When having conversations, my appearance or my attitude inevitably reflect the present."
He continued, "Recently, as for romance, I only briefly did it with Hyoju in 'Moving.' I did a lot of romance when I was younger, so rather than that kind of romance, I'm more focused. I think romantic stories between men and women are often over the limit, and self-replication becomes too easy. I think there are many times you fall into your own trap. Right now I want to craft the person himself well," adding, "If I were to do romance, it's more likely to be in a drama. In drama, apart from romance, you can't really discuss the work. Should 'My Mister' be seen as romance or as humanism?"
Zo In-sung replied, "I'm in my mid-40s, and some people might feel uncomfortable pairing me with someone 12 years younger than me. Of course that could be fine if it suits the work, but the kind of character I want to work on now broadly favors portraying people."
Asked, "Would a big age gap with a co-star be burdensome? Has that come up?" he replied with a laugh, "It's burdensome. But it hasn't come up."
He also emphasized, "Although the entertainment industry is said to be difficult, young actors seem to be emerging amid that. Watching those young actors' romances, new stars emerge through romance. I can't re-enter that space. They should do it, and through that female audiences seem to like romance and be moved. It's not that I've done everything so I won't do it because it's trivial. It's their part to play, and my work goal has become portraying the timeliness of society and the diverse aspects of human beings."
Meanwhile, "Humint" opens on the 11th.
[Photo] Provided by NEW
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