[Interview②] Jung Jin-young "Winning Best Actor Award Made Me Recall My Dream of Becoming a Director"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] Actor Jung Jin-young shared the behind-the-scenes story of how 'The Vanished Time' came to be.

Director Jung Jin-young spoke about various aspects of the film 'The Vanished Time' during an interview held on the afternoon of the 12th at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.

'The Vanished Time' is a film about a detective investigating a mysterious fire incident who faces a shocking situation where everything he believed in disappears, leading him to search for his own life. It is actor Jung Jin-young's directorial debut.

Jung Jin-young debuted in 1988 with the play 'Dae-gyeol' and has been active as an actor across various genres including films and dramas. He has been a persona of director Lee Joon-ik, starring in films such as 'Hwangsanbeol', 'The King and the Clown', 'A Happy Life', 'My Dear Enemy', and 'Pyongyang Castle'. He has also appeared in blockbuster films like 'The King and the Clown', 'Miracle in Cell No. 7', 'Ode to My Father', and 'A Taxi Driver', meeting a wide audience. Additionally, he has worked on films with artistic and social messages such as 'Another Promise', 'Claire's Camera', and 'Gunsan, Singing the Goose'. Furthermore, he has been active in various fields including hosting the current affairs program 'Unanswered Questions'. Now, after 33 years since his debut, he greets the public as a director.

It took 33 years for director Jung Jin-young to go from debuting as an actor to holding the megaphone. Counting from when he dreamed at age 17 to earning the title of director at 57, it took a full 40 years. Director Jung said, “Life is about things happening unintentionally,” adding, “I started working on the screenplay in 2017 and began filming in the fall of 2018. I wanted to present it in the fall of 2019, but due to the impact of COVID-19, it is only now being released.”

“Being a director was a childhood dream, but not everyone can achieve their dreams. I worked as the youngest assistant director on director Lee Chang-dong’s film ‘Green Fish’, but I spent most of my life as an actor. Working in the film industry, I realized my abilities were far from enough to direct. There are so many great directors. I won the Grand Prize at the 2015 MBC Drama Awards for ‘Glamorous Temptation’. At that time, my son was in his last year of high school. I felt I had fulfilled my duties as the head of the family. When I asked myself what I really wanted to do, the answer ‘artist’ came to mind. I decided to work on an independent film, but it was canceled a week before shooting. It was disappointing and frustrating. After that, I had about two weeks free in my schedule, and suddenly I thought about writing a screenplay and making it myself. Working with director Jang Jool, I also realized that films are not always made with money.”

Director Jung Jin-young reflected on the moment he decided to present ‘The Vanished Time’ to the world. He added, “Life is strange, and major decisions or actions often come from unexpected triggers. Looking back, it’s quite peculiar,” sharing his unique thoughts.

‘The Vanished Time’ was originally known under the title ‘Close to You’. Jung Jin-young had been writing the screenplay with independent film work in mind, but loyal film professionals lent their support, and the project grew in scale. After actor Jo Jin-woong read the first draft and readily agreed to participate, CEO Jang Won-seok of BA Entertainment rolled up his sleeves to help with production, giving the project momentum.

“I thought it was a film with no commercial prospects, so I planned to establish Da-ni Film and make it myself. It’s a small company with only me as an employee. I set up an office in a 50-year-old apartment and wrote the screenplay alone. Since I was using my own savings to make it as an independent film, I didn’t show it to Chungmuro players. I’m a rough stone. If I showed the screenplay, wouldn’t it just become a rounded stone? After writing the first draft, I sent it to Jo Jin-woong. I thought he would reject it, but the next day he replied that he would do it. We were keeping it secret, but a few days later at a drinking party for ‘The Outlaws’, Jo Jin-woong suddenly stood up and shouted, ‘Senior Jung Jin-young is making his directorial debut!’ It seemed he was trying to bring in CEO Jang Won-seok. Then CEO Jang came to my office, read the script, and said, ‘I want to produce and manage this.’ I was really grateful.”

Actors including Jo Jin-woong participated in ‘The Vanished Time’ only receiving travel expenses. Director Jung Jin-young said, “Thanks to that, we were able to work within the budget. I’m really thankful. Everyone liked the screenplay. We made it with excitement. Many people believed in and helped us, so if the film receives good reviews, that would be wonderful. That makes me even more nervous,” he said.

The original title ‘Close to You’ was changed to ‘The Vanished Time’ before release. Director Jung explained, “When I wrote the first draft and sent it to Jo Jin-woong, it was untitled. I wrote the screenplay while listening to ‘Close to You’ by the American pop duo The Carpenters, so I used it as a working title. I really wanted to include the song in the film, but they said we couldn’t afford it with our budget,” he laughed. Then he added, “When we couldn’t use the song, I thought we couldn’t keep the title. It lost its meaning for me. So I changed it,” revealing the behind-the-scenes story.

'The Vanished Time' opens on June 18.

Photo = Ace Maker Movie Works

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