"Hope" Hwang Jung-min: "Acting with nothing but imagination and no scene partner... I had to calculate everything carefully"

[Sportschosun Reporter Ahn So-yoon] Actor Hwang Jung-min shared his thoughts on taking on creature-feature acting in the film "Hope."

At the press and distribution screening for "Hope" held on the 6th at Megabox COEX in Samseong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, Hwang said, "I acted in the creature feature using only my imagination, without a scene partner," adding, "I had to calculate everything very carefully."

Set to open on the 15th, "Hope" tells the story of Beom-seok, the head of the Hope Harbor branch office in the DMZ, who hears from local young people that a tiger has appeared. As the entire village goes on alert, he is confronted with an unbelievable reality. The film is directed by Na Hong-jin, known for "The Chaser," "The Yellow Sea," and "The Wailing."

Hwang Jung-min, who plays Beom-seok, the head of the Hope Harbor branch office, said about the process, "This was the first time I acted in a creature feature using only imagination, without a scene partner. I think it was unfamiliar for all the actors, not just me," adding, "For me, it was a role that required very careful calculation. In particular, this kind of acting is completed depending on how the other actor responds, but that was impossible in this project."

Director Na, who worked with Hwang Jung-min for the second time after "The Wailing," said, "I originally planned to do a different project with Hwang Jung-min, but I switched while writing the script. Even though quite a lot of time had passed, he never rushed me by asking when the work would come out. One day, he called and asked, 'Can I film another project?' and I told him, 'Yes, you can.' Then the script for "Hope" was completed, and I contacted him to invite him to join us. Thankfully, he agreed, and we ended up working together. Of course, when I wrote Beom-seok in the script, I had only Hwang Jung-min in mind."

Reporter Ahn So-yoon antahn22@sportschosun.com