Ma Dong-seok "8 Years of Effort on 'Apgujeong', Oral Action Instead of Fists"

Actor Ma Dong-seok. Photo by Showbox

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] This time, it's comedy. Actor Ma Dong-seok (51), who led the crime action film "The Outlaws 2," which attracted 10 million viewers this year, has returned with the movie "Apgujeong."

On the 1st, through the distributor Showbox, Ma Dong-seok said, "I am happy to present the film 'Apgujeong,' which was planned 8 years ago and prepared for a long time, to theaters in the second half of the year," adding, "Please enjoy it." He expressed confidence, saying, "If 'The Outlaws 2' had powerful fist action, 'Apgujeong' has oral action."

Released on the 30th of last month, "Apgujeong" (directed by Lim Jin-soon) tells the story of Daeguk (Ma Dong-seok), a native of Apgujeong with a mouth full of endless business ideas, who teams up with top plastic surgeon Ji-woo (Jung Kyung-ho) to become the 'archaeopteryx' of K-beauty. Ma Dong-seok, who participated in planning, production, and screenplay adaptation, plays the protagonist Daeguk.

Ma Dong-seok said, "I have a desire to make films in various genres. I try to find various materials around me. This time, I wanted to create a fun movie in the cheerful comedy genre." Regarding working with director Lim Jin-soon, he said, "We have been colleagues for a long time, working on several scripts together, so our chemistry was great and it was enjoyable."

Regarding the reason for naming the film set in Apgujeong-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul, "Apgujeong" as "Apkujeong," he explained, "I thought about a short title that the audience could easily call," adding, "I created it to capture the flavor of the pronunciation." Why Apgujeong? He said, "Since I was young, I thought it was a place with good cars and delicious food. I met many people while working and saw many people circling around to succeed. I wanted to interestingly explore the keywords 'success' and 'desire.'"

Daeguk's flashy fashion was born from Ma Dong-seok's idea. He said, "To express the cheerful personality of a native Apgujeong resident, I paid attention to hairstyle, fashion, and props. It was not easy to maintain the style throughout the shoot, dyeing and spraying my hair. This is the film in which I changed costumes the most among all the films I have worked on."

The ensemble with Jung Kyung-ho and Oh Na-ra is also impressive. Ma Dong-seok said, "They are all colleagues I have known for a long time," adding, "It was a nostalgic feeling." About Jung Kyung-ho, with whom he shared the most scenes, he said, "He is a sensible actor with a great sense of humor," and "Our chemistry was indescribably good." Regarding Oh Na-ra, he said, "She perfectly portrayed Mi-jeong, like a female strong Daeguk," adding, "Please enjoy the film."

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