[Sportschosun Reporter Ahn So-yoon] Actor Gong Myung, 32, showed even stronger chemistry with Jin Seon-kyu in the film 'The Exes,' following their work together in 'Extreme Job.'
Netflix's film 'The Exes,' released on June 19, is a comedy action movie about a former husband and a current husband who unexpectedly join forces to rescue a wife kidnapped by a criminal gang. It was directed by Park Gyu-tae, who helmed '6/45.' Gong Myung plays Min-seok, Citye's current husband.
Speaking with Sportschosun after the release, Gong Myung said, "It was such a happy project to film that watching the movie brought back many new memories. I enjoyed it at the recent premiere, and after the release, I watched it again at home with my family."
He also addressed the mixed reactions to 'The Exes,' saying, "I looked up almost every review. Since it is a comedy, I think reactions vary depending on each viewer's taste." He added, "I wasn't especially hurt by the negative feedback."
He also shared his thoughts on reuniting with Jin Seon-kyu seven years after 'Extreme Job' (2019). Gong Myung said, "If it hadn't been for Seon-kyu, I don't think I would have been able to act that boldly. Every time, I thought with him on set about how to make the scenes even more fun." He added, "I want to become a senior like Seon-kyu. He is 17 years older than me, so I feel I should be a little more respectful to him." He continued, "My youngest junior is 15 years younger than me, and hearing the age gap as a number was surprising. If I can have a junior like that someday, someone I can keep a relationship with for a long time, that would be wonderful."
He also spoke about whether he felt pressure, given that 'Extreme Job' drew a massive 16.26 million viewers. Gong Myung said, "To be honest, I never thought about that at all. The subject matter is different, and our relationship dynamic is different too, so I wasn't too worried. But once promotion started, I was surprised that so many people brought it up. Recently, as 'The Man Who Lives with the King' has been doing well, 'Extreme Job' has also been mentioned again, and I'm realizing once more just how huge our film was."
Gong Myung recently drew attention on the YouTube variety show 'Pyeonggyego' by boasting, "My younger brother gave me a car as a birthday present." Asked about NCT's Doyoung's reaction, he said, "He contacted me from the military and said, 'Good job.' I first mentioned it on 'Pyeonggyego,' and it seems the impact was strong because so many people reached out. My brother said he felt a burst of dopamine for a moment and was happy about it. He's still in the military, but if there's anywhere he wants to go by car later, I'll drive him anywhere."
When asked what birthday gift he would like to give Doyoung in return, he said, "Many people are curious about that, but just because I received a car doesn't mean I feel uncomfortable. I'm not really thinking much about my brother's birthday next year. (Laughs.) I think it would be nice to just treat him to a good meal." He added, "I only remember being especially good to my younger brother when I was little. My parents both worked when we were young, so I was always the one looking after him. Until middle school, wherever I went, I always went with my brother."
He also expressed gratitude, saying that working in the entertainment industry alongside Doyoung gave him a sense of support. Gong Myung said, "Of course, since we do the same kind of work, I rely on him a lot. Even if we're family, there would be things I couldn't say if my brother didn't work in this field, so it's nice that we can share things comfortably. We work in different areas, of course, but my brother has appeared in musicals and web dramas, and I also did group activities with Surprise before. In that sense, I think we can help each other."
In his next project, the MBC drama 'Your Ground,' he will transform into a baseball player and act alongside Han Hyo-joo. Recently, rumors of a romance surfaced after the two were spotted together at a baseball stadium. Gong Myung said, "Even after the photos were taken at the stadium, Hyo-joo and I have continued preparing for the project by reading the script together. At the time, I didn't know a news article had come out about the stadium. A fan of mine saw the article and came to the stadium. So I looked it up and saw that I had been photographed eating sundae. (Laughs.) Hyo-joo also saw the photos at the script reading after the stadium pictures came out and burst out laughing. The article made it look like a date sighting, but thankfully fans said we look good together, so I'm grateful. In fact, it seems to have become something to look forward to and a point of interest ahead of the release. We just went there to study baseball, so I was glad the article came out."
Reporter Ahn So-yoon antahn22@sportschosun.com
