Lee Dong-hwi, who appeared in the second highest-grossing film of all time, Extreme Job, mentioned the box office success of The King's Warden, which surpassed 13 million, and said, "I hope it does better than Extreme Job," sincerely cheering for Korean films.
On the morning of the 16th, an interview with Lee Dong-hwi, the lead actor of the film Method Acting, was held at a cafe in Palpan-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
'Method Acting' (screenplay and director Lee Gi-hyeok, produced by Run Up Company, distributed by By4M Studio) is presented as a comedy, but it tells the story of the "funny actor" Lee Dong-hwi, who does not want to do comedy, becoming overly immersed in a role to be recognized for sincere acting. Based on a short film of the same name, it is an expanded feature project completed by director Lee Gi-hyeok and Lee Dong-hwi reuniting after the short film to create an over-immersed meta comedy.
In particular, Lee Dong-hwi plays a character named Lee Dong-hwi in the film, delivering a fresh pleasure with a clever setup that blurs reality and fiction and a playful development that twists reality. In this film he not only stars but also participated in production. In Method Acting, Lee Dong-hwi, who played the king, recently said on the variety show You Quiz, "These days, starting with Park Jihoon, a 'Danjong boom' is happening," and he could not hide his embarrassment at the unexpected competitive dynamic. Lee Dong-hwi said, "It was coincidental and not at all intentional. Somehow the timing overlapped," and broke into a sweat. Praising the performance by Park Jihoon that caused a stir, he said, "Park Jihoon really did 'method acting,'" while adding in relation to the coincidence with his own release, "It is a rather awkward situation," prompting laughter.
That day Lee Dong-hwi said, "I feel apologetic about riding on The King's Warden," and added, "Still, I am grateful that The King's Warden has brought energy to theaters."
According to the integrated computer network for movie ticketing, The King's Warden surpassed 13.46 million cumulative viewers on Sunday, March 15, its 40th day after release, setting a new box office record. This surpasses the cumulative audience of 12. the spring of Seoul (13,128,080), which drew the largest audience for a Korean film since the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020. Riding this momentum, there is curiosity whether it might even challenge the all-time No. 1 The Admiral: Roaring Currents (17.61 million) and No. 2 Extreme Job (16.26 million).
When asked if "The King's Warden could surpass Extreme Job," Lee Dong-hwi said, "(Korean films) need to do well, and what filmmakers want is for people to keep coming," and added, "I'm not in a position to worry about records; I'm just one actor who appeared in that work, so it's hard for me to speak, but I hope it does better," conveying his sincere wishes.
Meanwhile, Method Acting opens on the 18th.<
[Photo] Run Up Company, By4M Studio provided
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