(continued from interview ①) Lim Eun-jeong, head of production company Onda Works for The King's Warden, spoke about the behind-the-scenes casting of actor Park Jihoon.
On the 11th, at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, an interview was conducted with Lim Eun-jeong, head of production company Onda Works, for the film The King's Warden (director Jang Hang-jun, presented/distributed by SHOWBOX, produced by Onda Works·BA Entertainment).
The King's Warden is a work that depicts 1457 Cheongnyeongpo and the story of a village chief who volunteered for exile to revive the village and the young former king who was deposed and exiled. After recently becoming a 10-million-audience film, it has continued its strong box office momentum, recording a cumulative audience of 11,188,404 by the 10th, creating a phenomenon.
On the day, Lim said of Park Jihoon, who gave a passionate performance as Danjong and gained near-syndrome-level attention, That was not simply a well-written script but rather a casting combination. We didn't expect it to grow this much. I did think Park Jihoon's Danjong would have impact. So director Jang Hang-jun also moved forward with conviction. Not a single person, no staff member, ever doubted that (the casting), she said with a laugh, As for becoming a syndrome, now we say we 'predicted' it. A film is the end result.
However, Park Jihoon revealed that he underwent a 15kg weight-loss diet before filming to portray Danjong. Asked about his first meeting with him before the weight loss, Lim recalled, I can still clearly picture when he appeared enjoying his vacation. He was tanned. When he first showed up, visually I thought, 'Oh?' which made her laugh.
She continued, But I could really feel his attitude and passion for acting. With that passion I thought he had a chance. The director may have initially thought, upon first seeing the 'evil hero,' that it was Danjong, but meeting the actor probably made him think even more, 'This is Danjong.' For example, when I look at the director, he is such an outstanding writer. Even during retreat work, I was moved by his writerly ability to think, 'Did he really write this far?' He focuses on communication with actors, and when he meets an actor and feels their attitude and passion, he gains 200% conviction. I had as much certainty in Park Jihoon's acting as in the visuals he showed in 'evil hero,' she explained.
Asked about the meeting after Park Jihoon succeeded in losing weight, Lim recalled, I'm somewhat close with the production team of 'evil hero,' so I had heard stories about actor Jihoon. Anyway, 'evil hero' worked with actors of the same age group. In a set with many seniors, there could be concerns about how it would be. He is also from an idol background. But that seemed to be a real prejudice. He had a strong sense of responsibility not to be a burden to anyone.
She also mentioned Park Jihoon's intense dieting moments, saying, Every time we met, you could see him lose weight in stages. We have days when we meet to bond, and he stuck to it sternly. He said he had a goal and didn't waver.
(continued in interview ③)<
[Photo] Provided by SHOWBOX
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