The King's Warden director Jang Hang-jun shared how his daily life changed after surpassing 10 million viewers.
On the afternoon of the 11th, SBS's News Hunters featured director Jang Hang-jun of the film The King's Warden for an interview.
That day, director Jang Hang-jun, asked about earning the title of "master" after surpassing 10 million viewers, said, "Among our family we say it's a mixed blessing; something always comes with it. I hope it's not something fatal. As if I suddenly started gambling, misunderstandings could arise, or friends or family could become ill — there are always consequences. It's just a matter of scale. Always stay humble. My wife tells me not to act recklessly and to watch my words," he said, sharing his recent status after reaching 10 million viewers.
Yoon Tae-jin laughed and said, "With the promise to reach 10 million, he became an icon of acting recklessly," and director Jang Hang-jun said, "At that time I couldn't imagine reaching 10 million. Advance ticket sales were very poor, and the opening day score was half of what I expected. I thought it would flop again; getting past the break-even point looked too hard. The production company was completely gloomy," he said.
He continued, "Our film is uniquely the exact opposite pattern of other films. The first week had the lowest score, and from the second week the score went up. In the film industry that's called a 'one-in-ten-years hit.' Usually the first-week score is the highest, and from that point you can estimate how much it will drop and therefore predict the score," and "For us the first week was the highest, and the scores rose in the order of the second, third, fourth, and fifth weeks," he mentioned the unusually different score figures.
Asked when he began to expect the 10 million score, he laughed, "The people who made it together drink together. When it surpassed 5 million we told each other, 'Don't act recklessly or show it off,' but when we were drunk numbers popped into our heads. Could it be that it's not a dream? I couldn't dare say 10 million. I thought, isn't this real, and each time Yoo Hai Jin would say, 'Don't talk like that.' I think that was the first time I sensed a strange nuance," he said.
However, director Jang Hang-jun refused the pledge to reach 20 million viewers. He said, "I don't think that's something that could realistically happen, and I think it shouldn't happen. There are Korean films that follow. As you know, it's not good for only one house to prosper on a street; it's bad for the street and the village. Evenly distributed — it may be a privileged view — but there are fellow directors with films they made with care waiting. I hope my colleagues and I can be happy together," he confessed.
Director Jang praised the actors he worked with, saying, "First, Yoo Hai Jin is someone whose historical dramas do well. He looks like he stepped out of a history book. Looking at history books you can see the faces of late Joseon militia leaders. Are they real Joseon people? They are the faces of the Korean people. I think a screenplay is print — words created at a desk. He is an actor who can make that print speak like the most living creature. He speaks his own lines, and he is truly suitable to be the village chief of Gwangcheongol," he said, lavishly praising him.
Jang Hang-jun said, "The range of his acting covers this satirized situation and, in the end, the heart to protect the king. As it moves toward a tragic ending, there's no one better to carry it. From the start I thought Yoo Hai Jin was the right person. He showed surprisingly good acting on set," he said.
About Park Jihoon, who plays 'Danjong' Lee Hong-wi, director Jang Hang-jun said, "I watched his drama and proposed meeting him, but it seemed he didn't plan to do much. When he came out he had put on weight. He gave off a slightly handsome Doraemon vibe," he said of his first impression.
He added, "I wanted a sharp feeling but it was a problem; I thought I had to persuade him. So I met him four times and on the fourth he said OK, but then said he had to lose weight. He lost weight in a very short time and couldn't even exercise," and "He said he lost weight purely through diet, eating two slices of apple while losing weight. He has deep eyes and a depth of skill that is hard for actors in their 20s to have. I think this person will do very well with this and someday I'll benefit from it," he laughed.
Director Jang said, "In the case of Yoo Ji-tae, he reinterpreted Han Myeong-hoe. I wanted to work with him since I was young, and creating that character was so enjoyable. I wanted Jeon Mi-do, but at first her screen time was so small I thought she wouldn't do it. Later she agreed. When I told the cinematographer he said, 'Why are you asking?' As we kept revising, her screen time increased and she gained a narrative as a character. She contributed a lot on set, and I'm thankful for that," he said.
So what scene from The King's Warden did director Jang pick as a masterpiece? He said, "Heung-do blocks Hong-wi's path as he leaves. If he leaves he'll go to the government office. The running scene was important. He runs while getting rained on; that road is the road of righteousness, and this road is the road I live on. So it's the most irrational choice. You can't convey that in lines; only Yoo Hai Jin's acting can do it. I thought then for the first time that it might work," he said.
However, there were parts of The King's Warden that received harsh criticism. Regarding the tiger CG, he recalled, "Originally the release wasn't planned for Lunar New Year. We were thinking of April or May. There are blind screenings where you gather general audiences with no prior information. We gave it scores, and it received much higher scores then," he recalled.
Director Jang said, "The distributor asked us to release it during Lunar New Year. Because they wanted to enter when the market was big, the release was moved up and there was no time to do CG. I regret that, and the CG team regretted it too. It seems we had no choice, and on the other hand, if the actors' performances were poor it would have been fatal, so I'm glad the CG wasn't good," and "CG work is still ongoing. It will remain on OTT and other digital platforms. The CG company wanted to finish it properly so they're working on every strand of hair," he said.
Asked whether his status at home changed with the success of The King's Warden, director Jang Hang-jun said, "Unfortunately, that hasn't happened. There's no such cartoonish change. Many people respect me as a creator, and even people who were close act differently. My family basically talks without rank, so nothing changes. My daughter too says everything she wants to say," he laughed.
Director Jang Hang-jun said, "And as for changes, when I wake up there are over 100 KakaoTalk messages and texts. I spend all day replying and calling; I wish they'd stop contacting me. I'm grateful but it's annoying and tiring. unbelievable things keep happening. A huge hidden-camera-like 'Truman Show' isn't happening; it's the Hang-jun show," he said.
[Photo] SBS News Hunters broadcast capture
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