[SC Interview] "Relentless by Default"... Zo In-sung in 'Hope,' a Man Who Survived Na Hong-jin (Full Story)

[Sportschosun reporter Jiyoung Cho] He poured himself out until he was completely spent. Zo In-sung (45), an actor who blooms steadily like a trumpet vine that survives typhoons and monsoon rains, has returned safely and with confidence from his battle with relentlessness.

Zo In-sung plays Seong-gi, a young man from the village of Hope Harbor who passes the time hunting and fishing in the sci-fi thriller film 'Hope' (directed by Na Hong-jin, produced by Forged Films). On the morning of the 9th, he met with Sportschosun in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and spoke about how he came to join the film and the behind-the-scenes action sequences pushed to the limit.

'Hope' tells the story of a Hope Harbor branch chief stationed in the Korean Demilitarized Zone (DMZ) who hears from local young men that a tiger has appeared. As the entire village is thrown into emergency mode, the story unfolds as he encounters an unbelievable reality. It is Na Hong-jin's first new film in 10 years since 'The Wailing,' released in 2016. With Hwang Jung-min at the center, the global project also stars Zo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, and the married couple Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender. It has been named one of this year's most anticipated films.

In particular, Zo In-sung's performance, marked by the most daring transformation in 'Hope,' has drawn viewers' attention. Playing Seong-gi, a local young man in Hope Harbor who does odd jobs that make money, Zo delivers a shocking new image that is completely different from his previous roles. Above all, he drew admiration by personally handling difficult action scenes, moving between deep forests and vast highways while riding a horse. His fearless performance maximized the catharsis in 'Hope.'

Zo also reflected on 'Hope,' which began filming in the summer of 2023 and took three years to reach theaters. "If you wait long enough, you start asking, 'Why is it taking so long?' and eventually reach a point of resignation. Then your mindset changes to, 'I just hope it gets released someday.' My impatience wouldn't make the release happen any faster, so I just wanted 'Hope' to come out in the best possible condition. I wanted Na Hong-jin to do everything he wanted, to the point where he would have no regrets when it was finally released. That way, audiences could watch a film they would be satisfied with, right? I wanted it to be a film in the best possible condition," he said. "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 think that my own satisfaction is not necessary. Making content that satisfies audiences is the best. I wanted people to say 'new' when they saw it, so even though my knees were not in good shape, I pushed my body to the limit and rode horses. At the preview screening, I described this film and Na Hong-jin as 'great.' The character for greatness can also mean unusual or distinctive. 'Hope' is an unusual and distinctive film."

He also recalled the moment he first received the offer to appear in 'Hope' from Na Hong-jin. Zo said, "For me, 'Hope' was a choice between settling and not settling. This year marks my 28th year since debut, and as you keep working, you want to try new things. I even think it would be fine to fail while trying something new. Taking on challenges rather than making safe choices is my way of working. That is why I chose the 'Moving' series as well. I hope my filmography eventually ends with me having taken on new challenges. When I first got 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 for this?' Taking on 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," he said, explaining his trust in the project.

He also spoke candidly about his first collaboration with Na Hong-jin, the director known in the South Korean film industry as a notorious perfectionist. Zo said, "When Na Hong-jin gave me the script, he clearly said I didn't have to run, but I didn't believe him. If you look at his films, you can infer enough, can't you? In all of his works, from 'The Chaser' to 'The Yellow Sea' and 'The Wailing,' the actors never held back. The script said there would be running, and I immediately thought, 'This is not ordinary running.' My physical condition was also cautious because I had undergone knee surgery. My doctor said light jogging was fine, but jumping or sprinting was absolutely not allowed. He said it would make the rest of my life difficult. But 'Hope' obviously needed running scenes. Without them, it wouldn't be a Na Hong-jin film, would it? I thought the quality of 'Hope' should not be lowered because of me, so I told Na Hong-jin about my physical condition in advance. Even so, Na Hong-jin kept saying, 'You won't have to run' and 'You'll do it, right?' And somehow we got here. Once I got to the set and saw the situation, I couldn't not do it as an actor. I pushed my body to the limit. In return, I got to eat a lot of delicious food from Na Hong-jin. Now we've decided to stay on good terms," he said with a laugh.

About Na Hong-jin, who is widely known as a director who never compromises on set, he said, "Relentlessness is his default setting. You shouldn't even think about it. It's just the default. If you start arguing over Na Hong-jin's relentless side, I'm the one who loses. And if an actor gets an OK cut on the first take, isn't that a loss? There are times when you want to show different sides of yourself, but would I really work with Na Hong-jin just to get an OK cut in one take? If that were the case, it would be better to find another director. Instead, I decided to think positively and say that I got an OK cut after 30 takes instead of 100."

He continued, "Of course, waiting a long time to capture the best scene was difficult. There was a scene of us running on a road in Hapcheon County, and it was snowing at the time. Until the snow melted, all the actors and staff had to stay on standby. In my case, I often came out after spending more than an hour on blood-soaked makeup, only to not film at all. Even so, we kept waiting. There were many times when we waited endlessly just to shoot once the snow melted. For that scene, we originally planned to stay in Hapcheon County for a month, but we ended up staying an extra 20 days. It was March, and we shivered in a cold, shaded area while waiting, then filmed whenever the weather briefly improved. We called filming at that time 'roll call.' I remember everyone standing by in full setup and waiting."

Despite the extreme hardship, Zo's affection, trust, and respect for Na Hong-jin remained strong. He added, "In a way, that could be one of the good stories about Na Hong-jin. Because he made the film so relentlessly, audiences are satisfied with it, aren't they? If we had compromised with the weather, would the result have been satisfying? In Korea, sci-fi is often called a barren genre. But Na Hong-jin pushed through that with his relentlessness, and his energy came through in the result."

He also talked about the horse-and-car chase sequence in the latter half of the film, a scene so impressive it leaves viewers in awe. "Now that some time has passed, I can talk about it with a laugh, but at the time I kept thinking, 'Can I really do this?' It is a scene that even viewers feel is extremely dangerous, isn't it? Of course, we filmed it safely, but the situation on set was incredibly urgent and sensitive. One wrong move could have caused an accident, so everyone was at peak tension. On top of that, horses absolutely cannot run on asphalt. So everyone had no choice but to be on edge. The monitor vehicle was in chaos. Everyone knew there were only a few chances, so we really had to film it the hard way. I can't even put that hardship into words," he said, shaking his head.

He went on, "They told me to ride the horse on one leg, and Na Hong-jin kept telling me, 'It can't bend!' I asked the martial arts team how I was supposed to ride a horse on one leg. They said, 'We've never done anything like this either.' Then I thought, 'Why should I do something even the martial arts team has never done?' There was also a team that does equestrian dressage, so I asked them too. Even in dressage, they said they don't ride horses on one leg. But I had to do it. From now on, please call me 'Zo Caprio'—Zo In-sung plus DiCaprio. Maybe Leonardo DiCaprio felt something similar when he filmed 'The Revenant' in 2016. 'Hope' is 'Zo Caprio: The Man Who Survived.'" His remark drew laughter in the room.

He also mentioned the possibility of a sequel to 'Hope.' Zo said, "Of course, after watching the film, people will wonder about a sequel, but I have to be very careful. Na Hong-jin probably has a sequel in mind, but as you know, this film has a production budget of 70 billion won, so we can't help being cautious. There may also be practical issues. I can't say for certain that there will be a sequel, but I think it will probably be decided after the release, based on audience response and various environmental factors."

He also addressed concerns about the heavy responsibility 'Hope' carries amid the crisis facing Korean films. "As you know, I'm not an actor with a huge capacity. I've never made a major contribution to the South Korean film industry. I'm just an actor who loves films and works in them. I can't even think of something as grand as saving Korean films with 'Hope,'" he said. "There is a flower called trumpet vine. I heard it blooms through monsoon rains and typhoons. I think 'Hope' has that kind of fate. The film industry is difficult and exhausting both inside and out, but even so, I hope this work can bloom brightly in the arms of audiences, just like a trumpet vine, despite the harsh environment."

'Hope' 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.

Jiyoung Cho, soulhn1220@sportschosun.com