[Sportschosun Jo Ji-young] Singer and actor Kim Jae-joong (40) said, "I was disappointed because the character turned out differently from what I had imagined for my screen comeback after 14 years."
Kim Jae-joong, who plays Myeong-jin, a shaman who uncovers the identity of a demon in the Korea-Japan joint occult horror film 'The Shrine: Whisper of the Evil Spirit' (hereafter 'The Shrine,' directed by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri and produced by Mystery Pictures), met with Sportschosun in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 16th and spoke about how he came to join the film.
Kim Jae-joong began by saying, "It had been a long time since I last filmed a movie, and because it was a genre I was trying for the first time, I approached it with a very serious mindset. I did not know much about the other actors' scenes on set, so when I watched the film myself, there were moments when I thought, 'So that scene was in there.'"
He said, "What drew me in was that it was a Korea-Japan collaboration. It was a project made up of Japanese director and staff, and it was also planned as an all-location shoot in Japan. But Korean production funding was invested, and Korean actors were involved, so I thought it would have a distinctive quality. The screenplay was written in Japan, but it had to be adapted for Korean actors, so I was curious about how it would change. When I first received the script, I was drawn to the appeal of Myeong-jin's cheerful and dark sides existing together, so I jumped at it. But as revisions went on, that charm gradually disappeared," he said with a laugh.
He added, "I feel burdened by extremely handsome characters, the so-called department head, director, or chaebol son types. I wanted to play someone more casual, someone who could exist in everyday life around us. I thought that kind of character could resonate more with audiences, which is why I liked Myeong-jin so much. But that color was taken out. Of course, while discussing the character with director Kazuyoshi Kumakiri, I was persuaded by him, but at first it was difficult for me in that respect."
'The Shrine: Whisper of the Evil Spirit' tells the story of three college students who disappear after visiting an abandoned shrine in Kobe, Japan, and a shaman who investigates the case and confronts a strange evil spirit. Kim Jae-joong, Gong Seong-ha, Go Yoon-joon, and Kino Hana star in the film, which is directed by Kazuyoshi Kumakiri, known for 'Bungo: Stories of Desire' and '658km, Yoko's Journey.' It will be released on the 17th.
Jo Ji-young
