[Sportschosun Reporter Jo Ji-young] Actor Zo In-sung, 45, said, "Hope is strange and unusual, and I didn't want to settle."
Zo In-sung plays Seong-gi, a young man from the Hopo Port village who passes the time hunting and fishing in the sci-fi thriller Hope, directed by Na Hong-jin and produced by Forged Films. He met with Sportschosun in Samcheong-dong, Jongno District, Seoul, on the morning of the 9th and spoke about how he came to join the film.
Zo In-sung said of Hope, which began filming in the summer of 2023 and took three years to reach theaters, "When you wait for a long time, you start wondering, 'Why is it taking so long?' and eventually you reach a point of resignation. My feelings changed to, 'I just hope it gets released someday.' My impatience wouldn't make it come out any sooner, and I just wanted Hope to be released in the best possible condition. I wanted Na Hong-jin to have complete freedom to do everything he wanted, to try everything until he was satisfied, and to release it without regrets. That way, audiences would be able to see a film they could truly enjoy, wouldn't they? I wanted it to be a film in the best possible condition." He added, "My own opinion after watching the film is not important. What matters is that the viewer is satisfied. The more I work, the more I feel that my own sense of satisfaction is not necessary. The best thing is to create content that satisfies the audience. I wanted people to say, 'This is new,' so even though my knees weren't in good shape, I pushed myself and rode horses. At the press screening, I described this film and Na Hong-jin as 'great.' The character for 'great' can mean excellent, but it can also mean strange and unusual. Hope is a strange and unusual film."
He also spoke about Na Hong-jin's offer to appear in the film, saying, "For me, Hope was a choice between settling and not settling. This is my 28th year since debut, and as I keep working, I want to try new things. I'd rather try something new and fail than play it safe. Taking on challenges is my way of working. That's why I chose the Moving series as well. I hope my filmography ends someday after I keep taking on new challenges. When I first received the offer for Hope, I read the script and thought it was incredibly fresh. I also knew it would be difficult to film. I asked myself, 'Am I ready to do this?' Challenging myself with something new means pushing myself to the extreme. That would be even more true for a Na Hong-jin film. I asked myself that question and decided, 'I should keep challenging myself a little longer.' I made my decision within a day of reading the script."
Hope tells the story of the Hopo Port branch office chief, who hears from local young men that a tiger has appeared in the DMZ and then faces an unbelievable reality as the entire village goes on alert. The film stars Hwang Jung-min, Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander, and Michael Fassbender. It is directed by Na Hong-jin, known for The Chaser, The Yellow Sea, and The Wailing. The film opens on the 15th.
Reporter Jo Ji-young soulhn1220@sportschosun.com
