The making-of video of Zo In-sung, who delivered crazy action with horses and a long gun in 'Hope,' grabs attention.
The character making video "Seong-gi" from the film 'Hope' (HOPE), which opened amid explosive interest and set this year's new advance ticket record, has been released.
This video offers a glimpse of Zo In-sung's fierce efforts as the neighborhood youth "Seong-gi," who does any profitable work in Hopohang. Zo In-sung, who described "Seong-gi" as "a character whose survival instinct is visible as he struggles to live," proved his unique presence by performing not only chase scenes across Romania's Retezat and vast national roads but also high-difficulty equestrian action such as firing a gun rapidly while riding a fast-running horse.
He vividly expresses the vigilance against an unknown force that attacked the village and the instinct to survive by resisting with his whole body, maximizing the film's immersion. Zo In-sung, who said, "I thought that to do a work like this you have to come in with great resolve, and I poured all my energy into it and filmed each scene carefully," conveyed his impression and is expected to present original action completed with passionate effort.
Praise from overseas media and critics for Zo In-sung's fearless high-difficulty action performances has continued, drawing attention. The International Business Times said, "Zo In-sung injects intense energy into the role of the pursuer," and Ioncinema said, "The action sequence in which Zo In-sung appears on horseback is the best sequence in this film. The character he played establishes himself as someone who steals the audience's attention with a strong survival instinct," praising Zo In-sung's thoroughly embodied performance. In addition, the evaluation that "this is the birth of a truly crazy film never seen in over 100 years of Korean cinema" adds to the anticipation for the intense cinematic experience 'Hope' will offer.
Earlier, master director Lee Chang-dong mentioned Zo In-sung's action at the 'Hope' GV with director Na Hong-jin held on the 14th at Lotte Cinema World Tower in Seoul, saying, "(the film) got more enjoyable as it went on. I felt the latter part was especially overwhelming, and the scene where 'Seong-gi' rides a horse and falls cannot be described as fun. It's crazy. If actor Zo In-sung had not been there, it would have been difficult for the film to have an important center of gravity. He's truly amazing," and he did not spare praise.
Also, in an interview with OSEN, Zo In-sung said, "I once had surgery and the doctor told me not to run. Light jogging and such is fine, but running and jumping would do no good for Mr. In-sung for the rest of his life," and laughed, "But action scenes are of course necessary in the work. If there aren't such scenes, it's not a Na Hong-jin work. So I came clean about my physical condition and thought maybe a healthier actor would be better. I didn't want the quality to drop because of me. But the director said, 'That's not the case. Don't worry and do it.' As I did it, I came this far. Once on set, how could I not do it."
Still, Zo In-sung said the reason he appeared in 'Hope' was a "challenge." He said, "Is it complacency? It's the difference between complacency and not being complacent. After working this much, you naturally want to try new things, and I'd rather try new things even if I fail. If you have a career, it's better to take new challenges rather than safe choices. 'Moving' was done with that feeling, and I hope my filmography someday finishes in that way," and asked himself, "Am I ready to do it?" He added that doing something new requires a working method that pushes to the extreme. If it's a Na Hong-jin work, he thought, 'Let's challenge more for now,' and welcomed it. He said he did not worry much and decided to do it as soon as he read it, expressing faith and certainty.
Meanwhile, 'Hope' (written and directed by Na Hong-jin, produced by Forged Films, co-produced by Plus M Entertainment & (Co.) Westworld, distributed by Plus M Entertainment) topped the box office with 333,899 admissions the day after its opening (on the 15th), according to the Korea Film Council (KOFIC) integrated computer network as of 7 a.m. on the 16th.
It is Na Hong-jin's best opening among his works, far surpassing his previous film that caused a sensation, 'The Wailing' (310,000), as well as 'The Chaser' (110,000) and 'The Yellow Sea' (120,000). Moreover, it easily beat 'Colony' (199,762), which held this year's best opening record, and surpassed the first-day record of the blockbuster 'Exhuma' (330,118), which exceeded 10 million admissions.
[Photo] Plus M Entertainment, Forged Films
[OSEN]