'Assassin(s)' Park Hae-il recalled the moment he admired senior Yoo Hai Jin.
On the afternoon of the 10th, at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, an interview was held with Park Hae-il, the lead actor of the film "Assassin(s)".
The film "Assassin(s)" (director Heo Jin-ho, produced by Hive media corp, distributed by Hive media corp) portrays the investigation into the suspicions and the forces behind the shooting of the first lady that shocked Korea on Aug. 15, 1974. It added some imagination to the facts surrounding the assassination of Park Chung-hee's wife, the late Yuk Young-soo. Director Heo Jin-ho, who opened a new horizon for Korean melodrama with "Christmas in August" and also directed "The Last Princess", "The Himalayas: Asking the Sky", and "A Normal Family", has once again produced a highly accomplished work with meticulous and precise direction.
Drawing on a historic event that shook Korea as its motif, the film expands the incident's underside with cinematic imagination and adds tight tension and deep emotional texture to complete a high-density mystery pursuit. It was officially invited to the gala section of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival, receiving recognition for its artistry, and delivers powerful immersion and a lingering aftertaste.
Park Hae-il delivered a powerful performance as Jae-hwan, a reporter for Dongsin Ilbo and the head of the social affairs department. He returned to the screen after four years following the 2022 releases that drew cumulative audiences of 7.26 million for "Hansan: Rising Dragon" and 1.91 million for "Decision to Leave".
Park Hae-il said that while promoting a new film after four years he experienced "reels" for the first time and said, "Short content is something Haejin hyung does gracefully. He points out the key points crisply, so I follow. I learned a lot from Haejin hyung," adding, "My connection with senior Yoo goes back to around 1998. After doing children's plays for a year and a half, when I moved into adult theater, Yoo Hai Jin and Park Hee-soon did a two-person play that I watched as an audience. The two of them flew across the stage, and I watched with my mouth open. Later, I first met him in 'Moss', and 15 years later we met in 'Assassin(s)'."
He continued, "I wanted to know the secret to how he can have such longevity; I was curious. He had just reached a peak in 'King's Man' and his energy was so good. On set I wondered how he shot each take and how he prepared. First, I secretly read the script. No lie, he had notes densely on every take and every scene. It was like a map that contained that senior's ideas and his thoughts and opinions about this work. I was surprised once. He would take out cards from time to time. I'm not that type of actor," he said, describing how shocked he was at the time.
The second shock after the script was the running. Park Hae-il said, "Another thing was after filming ended and we were heading to the lodging, the senior's car and our car were parked similarly on the road. Then Yoo Hai Jin senior suddenly changed clothes, got out in shorts and a T-shirt, stepped into the middle of the road and started running. There were 5 to 7 km left to the lodging, and he sent only his manager ahead and ran to the lodging. I slapped my knee at that moment," adding, "I thought, 'The senior relieves stress right then and there.' And he carried the film with that long breath. I felt he manages and releases his stamina and mindset like that. I thought that identified an important point as an actor," he recalled.
Along with that, Park Hae-il said, "The next day I immediately looked for a place near the lodging to run. (Laughs) I also ran right after finishing. It felt so good. (Laughs) I slept well at night," adding, "That kind of management fit with this film. This film runs from start to finish, and daily life and the film aligned. I learned that way. I'm very grateful," he said with a smile.
Meanwhile, "Assassin(s)" opens on the 23rd.<
[Photo] Provided by Hive media corp
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