"I told you he's at my house"... 'Hope' Eum Moon-suk, the man Na Hong-jin picked and Bong Joon-ho gave a shoutout to (Roundup)

Eum Moon-seok, who played the carpenter Yang Bae, the cause of the massive disaster that occurred in the village in the SF thriller film 'Hope' (directed by Na Hong-jin, produced by Forged Films), met with Sportschosun on the morning of the 29th in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, and shared everything from the process of his casting in 'Hope' to the passion he poured into the film. 'Hope', which was considered one of the most anticipated Korean films of the year, is a new work released by Director Na Hong-jin 10 years after 'The Wailing', which was released in 2016. It is a global project featuring Hwang Jung-min as the main lead, along with Jo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Hollywood actors Taylor Russell and Cameron Britton, and the married couple Alicia Vikander and Michael Fassbender, and was released to audiences on the 15th. Living up to expectations, 'Hope' is racing ahead, surpassing 1 million viewers in just 3 days and 2 million in 5 days—the fastest pace among this year's releases—and subsequently breaking the 3 million mark in 11 days. 5 million mark in its third week of release, 'Hope' is poised to surpass 4 million this weekend. In particular, there is intense interest in scene-stealer Eum Moon-seok, who instantly reversed the atmosphere of 'Hope' with his enigmatic expressions and slow Chungcheong dialect as Yang-bae.

Appearing midway through the film, Eum Moon-seok instantly heightened the tension of the entire movie with his distinctive eeriness and subtle madness, leaving an unforgettable impression with a performance that perfectly blended into the character. On this day, Eum Moon-seok said, "I auditioned for Director Na Hong-jin and was able to participate in 'Hope. ' When we first had tea time together, we talked about various things, and I think we shared a lot about my daily life in particular. I really enjoyed watching 'The Wailing,' and I think I kept asking Director Na questions about things I was curious about. If you look closely at 'The Wailing,' the Chungcheong dialect is mixed within the Jeollanam-do dialect. I asked Director Na about that point, and he suddenly asked, 'Are you able to speak the Chungcheong dialect?' So, I performed in the Chungcheong dialect right in front of him.

The assistant director delivered the lines while I acted, and Director Na, who was sitting behind him, looked pleased. Yang-bae changed as the Chungcheong dialect was incorporated. I wonder if Director Na got a feeling from watching me. " "I want to," he said, reflecting on the situation during the audition. He replied, "After deciding to take the role, I read the script, and it was the first time I felt like the words were being visualized as I read them. It was fascinating to see the story come to life exactly as written in the script.

Since the premise involves a major disaster striking through Yangbae, I was extra careful and thoughtful while acting, feeling that I couldn't afford to fail to portray this character well. I filmed while agonizing over every detail. " He also expressed exceptional trust in Director Na Hong-jin, with whom he worked for the first time. Eum Moon-seok stated, "I can express my feelings about Director Na Hong-jin exactly. Even now, if Director Na were to ask me to film, I would immediately say, 'Let's go!' When we were filming 'Hope' together, he accepted many of the ideas I suggested during rehearsals. Director Na is actually witty.

We had so much fun filming on set that I kept wondering during the shoot, 'Will I ever be able to do a shoot like this again?'" "I wanted to. I did wonder if there would ever be another set where I could shoot with such density, paying attention to every detail from the lighting," he said. Photo = Plus M Entertainment Regarding the character Yang-bae, who embodies "ordinary yet chilling human desire"—bringing a catastrophe to a peaceful village through petty selfishness and lies rather than being a typical villain—he explained, "When I first heard the story of Yang-bae, I was told he was neither a strange child nor a bad child. However, I was initially confused by Director Na Hong-jin's remark that 'evil is evil,' wondering what he meant. I think this is the project where I agonized over the character the most while filming so far. There is a saying in the Chungcheong dialect: 'It is neither this nor that.

' It felt exactly like that. At first, I wondered how to approach this character, and while thinking about what kind of character Yang-bae was, I happened to see my nephew. I saw the child playing with scissors, unaware that he was in a dangerous situation. Watching that, I felt he was similar to Yang-bae. " Regarding Yang-bae's unique visual appearance, he added, "Director Na Hong-jin created the entire concept. In the past.

" "If you watch the 'Men in Black' series, don't aliens lose control even when they enter a human body? I think it might look like that kind of feeling. When Director Na Hong-jin was making the teeth, he went over every detail, even the color, to perfect them. Even during filming, the reason I used my lower jaw in such a peculiar way when Beom-seok (Hwang Jung-min) and Yang-bae met was because the teeth were fake, so my mouth kept drying out. Seeing that, Director Na asked if I could act a little more exaggeratedly. Actually, I didn't know it would turn out that way while I was acting, but it was fascinating after watching the movie. Yang-bae looked so strange in the film that I even tried to imitate it at home, but it didn't come out that way.

At the beginning of the stage greetings for 'Hope,' there were many audience members who didn't recognize me. The older audience members, in particular, looked at me with eyes that seemed to say, 'Why is he even here?' So, without realizing it, I ended up saying Yang-bae's lines. When I said, 'He says he's at my house,' they recognized me with surprised expressions. These days, if an audience member asks me to say Yang-bae's lines, I do so, and I find it so funny every time I say them," he said with a laugh. At the 'Hope' Q&A session held on the day of the film's release, Director Bong Joon-ho spared no praise for Eum Moon-seok, stating, "In a good way, Eum Moon-seok's face looked more alien than an alien," and adding, "The movements of his mouth and jaw were so bizarre and surprising. " Regarding this, Eum Moon-seok said, "I didn't just watch Director Bong Joon-ho's Q&A video a few times; I watched it dozens of times.

It was so fascinating and I was so grateful that my name, 'Eum Moon-seok,' actually came out of Director Bong Joon-ho's mouth. I went to the Cannes International Film Festival in 2017 with the short film 'Following,' which I directed, and Director Bong Joon-ho was also there with 'Okja. ' Watching him walk the red carpet, I even felt envious, thinking, 'He is a director I really want to work with. ' Honestly, I felt it was an honor just to be able to see Director Bong, but I was so happy just to have my name mentioned. Director Bong told me I was 'more alien than an alien,' and hearing that compliment made me feel that I had indeed pulled off the character well.

It felt like he saw me as Yangbae himself, so I was incredibly grateful for every single word he said. If I were to receive offers from both Director Na Hong-jin and Director Bong Joon-ho at the same time, I wouldn't be able to choose right now. It is just like choosing whether I like my mom or my dad better. If only I could participate in the next projects of both directors. " He made the audience laugh by confessing, "I would give it my all even if it meant staying up all night.

" Finally, regarding his yearning for good roles, he said, "I feel that the characters I played in 'The Fiery Priest,' 'The Outlaws,' 'Taxi Driver,' and 'Hope' all had many good aspects. When I approach a character, I believe everyone experiences joy, sorrow, anger, and pleasure; it is simply a matter of which aspect is highlighted. I have never once acted with the mindset that I was playing a bad character. Yang-bae probably didn't want to harm anyone, but simply wanted to show off. " He added, "After the release of 'Hope,' people made many speculations about Yang-bae.

I even heard people ask if he was an alien, and I liked that because it seemed to expand the character's scope. It was a very grateful reaction. I think the fact that there is so much talk about Yang-bae means there is a higher possibility of seeing him in a sequel. To be honest, even though I played the role, I am suspicious of Yang-bae myself. Director Na Hong-jin hasn't given me any direct details about a sequel, but personally, I really hope Yang-bae returns.

I am grateful that the movie ended without me dying. " He cracked a joke. 'Hope' is a film that tells the story of a branch office chief at Hopo Port, located in the Demilitarized Zone, who hears from local youths that a tiger has appeared, putting the entire village on high alert as he faces an unbelievable reality. The cast includes Hwang Jung-min, Jo In-sung, Jung Ho-yeon, Taylor Russell, Cameron Britton, Alicia Vikander, and Michael Fassbender, and the film was directed by Na Hong-jin, known for 'The Chaser,' 'The Yellow Sea,' and 'The Wailing. ' Reporter Jo Ji-young soulhn1220@sportschosun.com

This article has been translated by GripLabs Mingo AI.