(continued from interview②) Actor Um Tae-goo of the film 'Wild Sing' shared his impressions of working with actors Gang Dong-won, Park Ji-hyun and Oh Jung-se.
Um Tae-goo conducted an interview on the afternoon of the 28th at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. At the event, he met with domestic reporters and talked about the new film Wild Sing.
Wild Sing, which opens on June 3, is a comedy about a mixed three-member dance group called Triangle that once swept the music scene but disbanded overnight after being embroiled in an unexpected incident, and now makes a reckless bid to seize a comeback opportunity 20 years later. It is the new work from the producers of Extreme Job, the 2019 comedy that thrilled more than 16.26 million viewers and ranked number one in comedy box office, raising expectations.
In particular, Wild Sing has attracted attention as actors Gang Dong-won, Park Ji-hyun and Um Tae-goo each take on the roles of Triangle members Hyun Woo, Domi and Sang-gu, respectively, preparing by practicing actual dancing and singing. In addition, actor Oh Jung-se adds laughs as ballad singer Choi Seong-gon, who was Triangle's rival. Ahead of the release, SNS and portal site information for Triangle and Choi Seong-gon, as well as the supposed Triangle hit 'Love is' and Choi Seong-gon's perennial No. 2 hit 'I like you,' have been released as music videos and stage footage, generating intense interest.
How was the chemistry with the Triangle members? Um Tae-goo said, "Senior Gang Dong-won was amazing. When we went to the practice room, his whole body was soaked with sweat. It felt like a rookie actor who is shooting a first role and is passionately working hard. It was very inspiring. That made me want to go to JYP Entertainment and work harder," he said.
He went on, "From the start when she was learning the choreography, Ms. Ji-hyun, to my eye, already looked like she had the form down. From the very beginning something felt different. When I do the hand moves it looks like gymnastics, but when Ms. Ji-hyun does them it really looks like dancing. She also joked around a lot, which was a lot of fun," he said, amazed. He also added with a laugh, "Park Ji-hyun once had a severe sore throat during filming. Worried and feeling sorry, I gave her some candy I had. It was Manuka honey candy."
He also said of Oh Jung-se, "When I read the script, the most attractive character was Choi Seong-gon." He said, "At the preview screening I sat side by side with senior Oh Jung-se and watched the finished film. We both said we don't laugh when watching our own films. I said I don't laugh either, and we watched without laughing even once. I did let out a nervous chuckle when the senior appeared, but up until then I knew the story and had seen the first edited cut, so I didn't laugh. But no matter how many times I watched, Choi Seong-gon was funny," he laughed.
Coincidentally, it is widely known that all the main cast members of Wild Sing have MBTI types that start with 'I,' indicating introversion. Um Tae-goo recalled, "On set I mostly listened. Overall there wasn't much talking. So it felt like everyone was seriously committed to their roles."
He added, "Even so, the mood maker on set was Ms. Park Ji-hyun. She would suddenly do the Triangle dance and ask everyone to join, and I was personally grateful. She may seem bright now, but there are many times when she is not bright on set. Now she tries to project her voice more. Even if someone says they will be lively on set, to others they may not seem very talkative. As you know, I'm not one to talk much," he said, laughing.
Perhaps because of that, despite the intense interest even before the release, Gang Dong-won has maintained that he "absolutely won't" do a Triangle special stage pledge in response to requests. He has said he would only reveal pre-recorded footage after the film's success. In response, Um Tae-goo joked, "If the two (Gang Dong-won, Park Ji-hyun) pledge to do a stage, I'll do it no matter what."
In response to the strong reactions even before the film's release, Um Tae-goo said, "It's already strange that there is a reaction. I don't know whether a real fandom has formed or whether the production team is working hard, but everything is surprising. I'm grateful for everything and it's all been fun. At the same time I'm nervous and excited. The film hasn't been released yet. I felt similarly when the music video response was good — people enjoyed the music video, and I hope the film will be just as enjoyable."
Even Um Tae-goo said the most memorable comment was, "If Gang Dong-won is living so diligently, I should live diligently too." Gang Dong-won himself once told Um Tae-goo via text that "he really doesn't talk much," even expressing astonishment. Um Tae-goo said, "We still haven't had many conversations. I'll try harder," adding, "When the camera rolls it's not like I'm completely different — I'm still shy. But I prepare, and on the day I try to be a little bolder or try to bring the character to life. Sometimes that effort pays off, sometimes it doesn't. There's no sudden transformation."
Meanwhile, despite his shy nature, Um Tae-goo became a hot topic for rushing at light speed in a bear costume at the Wild Sing VIP preview to catch a staff member who looked about to fall. But it turned out the staff member had been preparing to do a headspin while wearing the costume, not to fall, which provoked laughter.
About that moment, Um Tae-goo said, "From my position I felt uneasy from the moment they came up. It looked like they might fall. There was a railing to the side and also in front, so I thought, 'Doesn't that look dangerous?' So I ran over," he laughed, adding, "I just didn't want them to get hurt."
(continued in interview④)<
[Photo] Provided by Lotte Entertainment.
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