If another me appeared without my knowledge, how could I prove I am myself?
On the 20th at Hotel Naru Seoul MGallery in Mapo-gu, Seoul, the press conference for the Netflix series 'Mousetrap' was attended by director Kim Hong-sun along with Ryu Jun-yeol, Sul Kyung-gu and Lee Kyu-hyung.
'Mousetrap' is a pursuit thriller that depicts the story of novelist Moon-jae, whose name, face and life are completely taken by the mysterious being Mousetrap, loan shark No-ja who tries to recover lost money, and detective Sun-yong as they chase the identity of Mousetrap.
'Mousetrap' is a new work by director Kim Hong-sun, who showed stylish direction in Netflix series 'Dear Hongrang', 'Money Heist: Joint Economic Area', and dramas 'The Guest' and 'Voice', joined by reliable performers Ryu Jun-yeol, Sul Kyung-gu and Lee Kyu-hyung.
Director Kim Hong-sun introduced the work by saying, "It is a story inspired by our traditional folktale about the nail-eating mouse. I think it can be defined as a chase thriller in which a person's life is entirely taken away and that person pursues their identity."
Kim said the reason he took on the direction was, "When you read the webtoon you feel a very chilling sense of horror. Writer Lee Jae-gon turned the original into a very dynamic form of pursuit. Reading the script I identified with Moon-jae's emotions, cheered for him, and read the script thinking I wanted to see the Mousetrap. I thought there was absolutely no reason not to do it."
So why did the actors choose the project? Ryu Jun-yeol said, "First, the concept was very interesting. I was drawn to the idea of interpreting the folktale in a modern way to meet global audiences," adding, "The script provoked curiosity, but I had to decide after seeing only part of it; I was so curious about the rest that I voluntarily searched for the original to satisfy my curiosity. It was so intriguing that I decided to do it."
Sul Kyung-gu gave a simple answer: "It was the most interesting book I read at the time." He said, "As Ryu Jun-yeol said, our work has no hero and no supernatural power. Many characters seem empty, and the story unfolds through their suspicion, anxiety and fear. It was a work that made me curious to find out what the truth is and who is real."
Lee Kyu-hyung also said, "When I first read the script I thought, 'What is this? Is the pacing this fast?' and then I found myself reading five or six episodes. Within the script, today's society overflows with personal information, and the thought that if I am not myself someone could steal my life gave me goosebumps. That made me feel I absolutely had to do it."
Through this work Ryu Jun-yeol challenges himself with dual roles for the first time in his 15-year career. Ryu said, "The director and I thought about it a lot. I can say the current result is what we decided after trying everything we could." He added, "When I did 'Night Owl' I said something similar; it was a similar question of how to persuade. One actor plays two characters, and when thinking about how to convince the audience, we decided to express differences by touching very delicate parts of personality, gaze and character appearance."
He continued, "The most prominent part is probably the voice. Beyond that there are detailed parts that will be fun to dissect when you watch the work later."
Sul Kyung-gu meets viewers in the role of No-ja. About his character he said, "You can see him as the last generation of gangsters we commonly know. Not the boss, more like a mid-level boss? He doesn't care about people he knows or doesn't know; if asked he'll ask back. Is he called No-ja because he takes 'seed money'? His real name is Kim Young-geun."
He added, "The relationship with Moon-jae involved an investment of mutual interest that disappeared, so he chased after it; he's someone I hate so much I wanted to kill him, but Moon-jae becomes my hope, creating an ironic situation. It's not a relationship of good fortune. No-ja is in a position where he has to help reluctantly."
Detective Sun-yong, played by Lee Kyu-hyung, is a character who obsessively pursues a mysterious case after receiving a tip that arrived at his desk. Lee said he both gained and lost weight for 'Mousetrap'. Lee recalled, "At first the script described a character who fights very well, is rough and violent, so I added weight. A bulk-up, you could say. But near the end of filming I met the director and he said, 'Why did you get like this? I wanted you to be sharper. Lose it again~' so I had no choice but to rapidly lose weight from then on."
Ryu Jun-yeol chimed in, "I remember this: at our first gathering I met him in the elevator. He said gaining weight was hard. As far as I know his role was supposed to lose weight.." and Lee Kyu-hyung said regretfully, "I wish you had told me earlier.."
Director Kim Hong-sun, hearing this, said, "The character Sun-yong is very angry, dissatisfied and sharp. I thought that would be natural... but I believed Lee Kyu-hyung would do well because of the wide range of acting he showed, and it seems he delivered that."
Lee Kyu-hyung said he did his best with the diet. He said, "I borrowed the power of modern medicine. I cannot mention product names... I tried both. I did what I could..." and added, "They were costly, but I worked hard." When asked if he has maintained the weight, Lee added, "I hurt a lot afterward... but I am maintaining it."
'Mousetrap' also includes action that adds a refreshing thrill. Sul Kyung-gu joked, "I had intense action with Ryu Jun-yeol. When action starts, Ryu Jun-yeol would pass out or be shot and sleeping. Either go home early. I had to take care of the rest." Sul mentioned No-ja's action, saying, "Since 'Kill Boksoon' I've worked closely with the martial arts director and learned many moves, which helped. No-ja doesn't use orthodox fists; he uses equipment like baseball bats, and if none are available he uses liquor bottles or cups."
Ryu Jun-yeol said, "I feel guilty answering about the action because the senior did almost all of it. To defend myself, I asked the director to let me be knocked out. Being awake during action is a torment," adding, "I would just disappear. That was agreed, and as my senior said, I got to enjoy some comforts during action scenes while he worked hard for my share, so I want to take this opportunity to apologize and thank him and ask for his continued support."
Lee Kyu-hyung said, "I mainly chase and fire a shot, and in the latter part there's action with many people gathered. So is there such large-scale action?" adding, "It was almost a blockbuster I'd never seen before. It was so fun and hard; filming through the night I even felt catharsis."
Asked which character he would like to live as if he could live another's life, like the folktale 'the mouse that ate the fingernail', Sul Kyung-gu answered, "I would like to be the coach of a World Cup–winning team. The day after the victory."
Ryu Jun-yeol said, "I would like to be a player on the team coached by the senior. I was going to give an answer like a sports player or star would, but when the senior said he would be the coach, I thought what if I became a member of that team," and Lee Kyu-hyung said, "I would like to try being the club owner of that team," showing their perfect rapport.
Finally, asked what the differences and borrowings are between the webtoon original and 'Mousetrap', director Kim Hong-sun confessed, "The original creator is here today. I also found the work very interesting and loved the chilling horror. But honestly I thought it would be difficult."
Kim said, "Can I do this well? How should I express it? That kind of fun and the way writer Lee Jae-gon unraveled it in another form was interesting. If you watch it together I think you will feel what I'm talking about."
Ryu Jun-yeol, who said he had read the original, said, "When you read this webtoon original, it's not that the writer wrote simply for interest or fun; it's a webtoon with the writer's own philosophy. Ultimately, how do you prove and define a person as yourself, is this really me, is that really the other person — it tried to express those parts in an easy-to-understand way. Writer Lee Jae-gon's adaptations mesh with that so I think you can watch without discomfort."
Meanwhile, Netflix's 'Mousetrap' will be released on the 28th.
[Photo] Reporter Lee Dae-seon
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