"Hope" star Jung Ho-yeon shared her impressions of working with director Na Hong-jin for the first time.
On the morning of the 8th at a café on Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, an interview was held with Jung Ho-yeon, the lead actor of the film "Hope".
"Hope" (director and screenwriter Na Hong-jin, produced by Forged Films, co-produced by Plus M Entertainment·West World Co., distributed by Plus M Entertainment) is the story that begins when Beom-seok (Hwang Jung-min), the Branch Office chief at Hopo Port located in the Demilitarized Zone, hears from village youths that a tiger has appeared, and the whole village goes on alert as they encounter an unbelievable reality.
Director Na Hong-jin, who rose to prominence with films such as "The Chaser," "The Yellow Sea" and "The Wailing," released this new work after 10 years; it was officially invited to the competition section at the 79th Cannes Film Festival and received much acclaim. It is an SF genre featuring creatures and is reported to have the largest production budget in the history of Korean cinema. Estimates say at least 70 billion won, and adding late marketing and promotional expenses could bring it to as much as 100 billion won.
Hwang Jung-min fervently portrayed Beom-seok, the arrogant but responsible Branch Office chief of Hopo Port; Zo In-sung played Seong-gi, a village youth who passes the time with hunting and fishing; and Jung Ho-yeon delivered a passionate performance as Seong-ae, the Hopo Port police officer who does her duty in any situation. In addition, the film attracted attention before its release with a star-studded cast including Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, Taylor RUSSELL, and Cameron Britton.
Former model Jung Ho-yeon began acting with the Netflix series Squid Game Season (2021) and became a global star from a single role. She later worked with director Alfonso Cuarón on the Apple TV+ "Disclaimer" (2024), sharing the screen with Cate Blanchett, and this "Hope" is her first film screen debut.
Jung Ho-yeon recalled, "The director does not compromise and does not yield. For the result, he goes as far as he can; he does everything a person can do. I heard those things and went to the set," adding, "From the fittings I felt persistence; although I had only one police uniform, we did fittings three times. We discussed various colors with cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo and the costume director about how it would look in natural light, and we considered how makeup would appear most effectively. We agonized a lot over props as well. It was the first time I had done so many fittings."
Having worked with director Alfonso Cuarón on a previous project, Jung Ho-yeon said, "The director even confirmed one by one how to attach the brooch and what social interests to show; he crafted details carefully. I learned a lot of respect then."
She continued, "When we filmed 'Hope' this time, senior actor Hwang Jung-min was a perfectionist, and the elders on set carried themselves in such a way that naturally you had no choice but to follow. They provided that environment. As an actor, I am grateful," expressing her sincerity.
Meanwhile, "Hope" opens on the 15th.
[Photo] Provided by Plus M Entertainment
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