"Gunchae" Jun Ji-hyun returns to the screen 11 years after the 10-million-ticket film "Assassination." She returns to the zombie genre teaming up with director Yeon Sang-ho.
On the morning of the 6th at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul, a production briefing for the film "Gunchae" was held. Director Yeon Sang-ho and lead actors Jun Ji-hyun, Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Changwook, Shin Hyun-been, Kim Shin-rock, Go Soo and others attended.
"Gunchae" (directed by Yeon Sang-ho, distributed by SHOWBOX, produced by WOWPOINT·Smilegate, co-produced by Midnight Studio) is a work that depicts the desperate fight of isolated survivors inside a building sealed off by a mysterious infection, against infected people who evolve into unpredictable forms.
It is Yeon Sang-ho's new work that promises a new evolution of the zombie genre and that also made "Train to Busan," "The Face" and "Hell." Through "Gunchae," director Yeon Sang-ho signals the birth of a new species different from existing zombies, raising expectations that he will once again show the evolution of the genre. In addition, Jun Ji-hyun, who returns to the screen 11 years after "Assassination," along with Koo Kyo-hwan, Ji Changwook, Shin Hyun-been, Kim Shin-rock and Go Soo make for a dazzling lineup that raises expectations by name alone, and they are expected to show an intense and fresh ensemble.
Jun Ji-hyun plays Kwon Se-jung, a biotechnologist and leader of the survivors; Koo Kyo-hwan plays Seo Young-cheol, a genius biologist who longs for the birth of a new humanity; Ji Changwook plays Choi Hyun-seok, a security team employee at the Dunguri building who becomes isolated in the building with his older sister; Kim Shin-rock plays Choi Hyun-hee, Choi Hyun-seok's sister who has a lower-body disability; Shin Hyun-been plays Gong Seol-hee, a professor who majored in biotechnology and holds the clue to solving the case; and Go Soo plays Han Gyu-seong, Kwon Se-jung's ex-husband and a professor and researcher in biotechnology.
Jun Ji-hyun described the Kwon Se-jung character as "a biotechnology professor and the leader of a group of survivors. She is upright and confronts injustice, and in extreme situations she acts proactively so that all the survivors can survive."
Especially, Jun Ji-hyun, who returned to the screen 11 years after the 10-million-ticket film "Assassination," said, "I'm excited to be back in a movie after a long time," and added, "As a true fan of the director, I'm happy to greet audiences through the director's work." She went on to say, "The reason I chose 'Gunchae' is because it is a work by director Yeon Sang-ho, and it is rare to get to work with such excellent actors in one project, so I chose it without hesitation," explaining her reason for appearing.
Director Yeon Sang-ho recalled his first meeting with Jun Ji-hyun, saying, "When I had my first meeting with actress Jun Ji-hyun, we met at a cafe. The moment I entered the cafe I thought, 'Huh? Why is a movie being screened?' Suddenly I saw a movie with my own eyes, so I looked for the cause and found that a movie actor was sitting there. Jun Ji-hyun...just that made the atmosphere feel cinematic," he recalled.
He praised her, saying, "Through the works Jun Ji-hyun has shown so far there are films like 'My Sassy Girl' and 'Assassination,' and it is rare to find an actor with such a wide acting spectrum," and added, "What surprised me during this work was that in 'Gunchae' she compressed that wide spectrum of acting into her performance. Throughout the film she was cynical at times, playful at other moments and serious at others. Those feelings condensed to show the spectrum she has shown in one film. She's not a great actor or a superstar for no reason. I felt there were reasons for it."
Asked about the process of casting Jun Ji-hyun, he said, "At first I never dared to think about casting Jun Ji-hyun. But I heard a rumor somewhere. 'I heard actress Jun Ji-hyun is interested in Yeon Sang-ho,' they said. (laughs) When I heard that intelligence I thought, 'Oh? Really?' and after that I tried a bit."
Koo Kyo-hwan said, "This is the second work of the Seo villain. This project has to go well for a third to be possible. I approached it with the desire to complete the 'Seo villain trilogy,'" making people laugh. Earlier, he played Captain Seo Sang-hoon in the film "Peninsula," and this time he takes on the role of Dr. Seo Young-cheol.
Director Yeon Sang-ho expressed affection for Koo Kyo-hwan, saying, "His persona changes with every work, but for this 'Gunchae' I thought I'd go with Koo Kyo-hwan as himself," and added, "He is a very free actor. He really loves films and there is nothing he does not know."
Director Yeon Sang-ho spoke about the differences from existing zombie works, saying, "Compared with 'Train to Busan' and 'Peninsula,' I think new types of zombies appear and the new fun they will show is different," and added, "They may look more stupid and primitive than previous zombie films. They crawl on all fours, and as infected people increase, their rate and method of evolution differ from the way humans grow. I think those appearances create tremendous terror. The contrast of the protagonists having to notice that and overcome it is one of the horror elements this film can provide. I thought it would provide a setting that emphasizes suspense."
Playing the leader of the survivor group, Jun Ji-hyun said, "The raw feeling came alive on set. So preparing separately felt calculated. I thought it was better not to prepare and to accept the raw feeling as it was and act on it."
She continued, "As the leader of the survivors I had to lead many survivors and be on the scene," and added, "The most frustrating moments were with Hyun-hee (played by Kim Shin-rock) and Hyun-seok (played by Ji Changwook). If it were a real situation, someone like Hyun-hee, who uses a wheelchair because of a lower-body disability, might have been left behind before... (laughs) My character could not do that. I was very frustrated with Hyun-hee. On set I told her, 'Get up and walk quickly.' I said that to a friend who couldn't walk. (laughs) It brought out urgency on set. It was hard alternating between reality and the character," she admitted honestly, prompting laughter.
Jun Ji-hyun added, "Personally, Kim Shin-rock is the same age as me, and it's not easy for an actress to meet an actress the same age on set. And she was the one I most wanted to meet. There was so much to learn, and she made me reflect."
Finally, Jun Ji-hyun, who returned with a new work after a 10-million-ticket film, said, "I was often confused about whether it would be a burden on myself or not. These days I don't think the line between movies and drama is as clear as it used to be. I thought there was no difference on the shooting site either. But when monitoring, it's inevitable to feel nervous watching it on the screen. I'm glad 'Wang Sa-nam' is doing well, and I think our 'Gunchae' is a work that can live up to that," expressing confidence.
Meanwhile, "Gunchae" is scheduled to be released in May.
[Photo] Min Kyung-hoon reporter
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