[Interview] 'Sinkhole' Cha Seung-won "You Can't Talk About Me Without Comedy"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] Long hair neatly parted in the middle. Sitting in front of the monitor with his long hair tied back tightly. Cha Seung-won, hiding a white beard behind his mask, said, "I struggled a lot with whether I should appear in a media interview looking like this," but joked, "If I just cut my hair and beard, I would look like I'm 32 years old right away."

In an interview conducted on the 19th, Cha Seung-won spoke about the movie Sinkhole (directed by Kim Ji-hoon), saying, "I was captivated by the scenario that combined a disaster situation with comedy, so I decided to appear."

The movie Sinkhole is a disaster buster about a house, prepared after 11 years, falling into a massive sinkhole 500 meters underground. It is the new work by director Kim Ji-hoon, who previously directed Tower (2012), released after 9 years.

Director Kim Ji-hoon shared the story behind casting Cha Seung-won, saying, "He contacted me the day after reading the script," and "He said he immediately decided to appear because he was worried someone else might take the role of Mansu." Regarding this, Cha Seung-won laughed heartily, saying, "I'm not that desperate." He also joked repeatedly, "If it weren't for me, Sinkhole wouldn't have even gotten off the ground."

In the movie, Cha Seung-won plays Mansu, a resident who strives to survive and get back to the surface after an entire villa building falls into a 500-meter-deep sinkhole. Mansu works day and night to make a living as a gym trainer, substitute driver, and photographer, raising his son alone.

He explained his reason for appearing, saying, "I like the fun that arises when different genres collide in one movie. I wanted a movie that is not just about disaster, but one that creates ironic laughter within the disaster."

"What mattered was whether it convinced me. Acting is a skill, but these days I am trying to strip those things away. I wanted to act in a way that even convinces myself. I focused on Mansu's emotions in the disaster situation."

Sinkhole was released on the 11th and is currently doing well, attracting 1.28 million viewers. Considering the impact of COVID-19 (Coronavirus Disease 2019), this is a meaningful number of viewers.

Cha Seung-won said, "The number of one million viewers feels very significant. I think people around me will start to appear one by one saying they watched the movie. In that sense, it is meaningful and I am grateful." Regarding competing with Mogadishu, released at the end of July, and Hostage, released on the 18th, he said, "Competition doesn't matter. Even if I lose, I feel good. Even if I come in third, I hope I don't lose out."

Earlier, Cha Seung-won appeared on KBS1's Morning Yard with co-star Lee Kwang-soo, showing a distinctive presence. He said, "It was new," and "If the movie does well, we even talked about appearing on 6 O'clock My Hometown. I have my own way of promoting. I don't know if it's right or not, but please watch it in my own way."

Recently, he has been active in darker genres like noir, but in fact, Cha Seung-won is an actor who gained great popularity in comedy genres such as Shilla's Moonlit Night (2001) and Teacher Kim Bong-doo (2003). However, when asked about comedy films, a somewhat complicated inner feeling was revealed.

"I know that comedy cannot be left out when discussing actor Cha Seung-won's career. I like comedy films too. But I don't think I can only do what the audience wants. I struggle to show a changing and developing side, but it's not easy to find common ground. What was funny yesterday may not be funny today. I have to think about so many things."

When pressed further, he said, "There is no separate comedy acting," and "Some actors say 'comedy acting was hard,' but that's wrong. Sometimes, I have seen actors who are good at acting make the atmosphere awkward by doing comedy. From an actor's perspective, the tone and manner differ according to the genre, but there is no fundamental difference. It depends on the director making the movie," he emphasized.

He revealed, "Most of my most loved films are comedies, but there was a time when I said I wouldn't do comedy genres," adding, "The filming set is the most fun." When asked if he feels pressure, he laughed, "There is no pressure because the attitude is 'if you don't laugh, then don't.' Even now, it bursts out laughing."

Cha Seung-won debuted as a model in 1988 and has been working as an actor for 33 years. Recently, he confessed that his perspective on works and roles has changed. "Honestly, it's not fun to act out ordinary stories as characters in dramas or movies. I won't be doing such characters for a while," he said, adding, "I want to challenge characters that are not conventional."

Photo = YG Entertainment, Showbox

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.