"Woochi" set to work its magic - Part 2

Q: Choi Dong-hoon (Choi), you work with the Kim, Baek and Yoo trio so much, in almost every movie you make, that they're often identified as the 'Choi association'. What's so good about working with them?
Choi: That it's guaranteed you get to go out and drink afterwards? (laugh) Lines that had originally seemed bland in scenarios will come to life when Baek says them. He knows how to turn them into these amazingly great lines so I think I've become attracted to his way of speech. I also think the movies where I have him disappear do well. (laugh) He's a mentor in this movie, like he was in "The War of Flower", and it seems he is good at playing characters who provide important links to the story. He's also almost my dad's age but he is so unreserved that we can see each other as director versus actor. He's like my life mentor, friend and dad all at the same time.
Baek Yoon-shik (Baek): On unofficial occasions, mostly when we're out to drink, I complain to the director a lot. It's because I keep dying in his films. (laugh)

Q: Yoo Hae-jin, it seems that you would complain a lot too because you always play roles which are far from cool and this time in particular, you play a 'human dog' -- a character that has been unheard of.
Yoo Hae-jin (Yoo): I thought it would be worth trying and that it would be fun. And I really did have fun playing a character where a human being and dog coexists within the body. I take on the appearance of a human being but I'm actually a dog that has been transformed by Woochi so I had to have the traits of a dog. I started payed more attention to dogs than usual. (laugh) My character also constantly stays besides Woochi, as if they are traveling companions, so although it was my first time working with Gang Dong-won, I was able to find a lot of sincere aspects to him that I hadn't noticed before.

Q: You're recognized as a director who makes the best of the actresses, like you did with Yum Jung-ah and Kim Hye-soo in your previous works by discovering new sides to them. How was it working with Lim Soo-jung?
Choi: I'm very flattered but it's only because they worked hard. I thought I could only be ranked within the top directors by working with Lim. (laugh) My fellow directors all want to work with her too. She's such a delicate actress. And there were many times while editing that I found details she had expressed on set but had missed. There's a unique sense about Lim but I haven't been able to find out what it is yet so I want to put myself up to the challenge again by working with her.
Lim: First of all, I had a lot of fun on set and all the characters in the movie are funny and are attractive in their own way to an extent it may seem weird. I think that's the characteristic of Choi's movies -- being a collection of such characters. I myself had played nice, innocent characters but I felt better this time because my character swears slightly and expresses her inner desires and reveals her soft heart very honestly. I think "Woochi" will be the film that changes the characters I play or movies I choose to take on in the future.


Q: There are a lot of characters in this movie. How was it working with everyone?
Lim: They are definitely forces to be reckoned with. (laugh) To start with Kang, the best to talk about to make news, I thought he was very pretty but that he would be cold-hearted. I thought he would be very quiet and have few friends but he opened up a lot while working on this film. He's a very cheerful and smart actor. I actually learned a lot watching him. I personally like actor Yoo Hae-jin the best. He's a funny and honest speaker but his acting is exquisite. I thought he was born with the talent to act but I realized that he really puts in an enormous amount of effort. I was moved by how much he prepares for a single scene and how he continuously communicated with the director.

Q: Gang, you've been recognized with the superlative 'pretty boy' for a while now. Don't you feel competition against other pretty boys such as Hyun Bin and Kim Bum also set to release films near the years end?
Gang: I don't feel much pressure by the word itself because good-looking, pretty boy, whatever it is, they're all compliments. If people think I won't be able to focus on my acting because of such words, then breaking that stereotype is also part of the fun. I'm also confident about our movie doing well so I'm not pressured about other films which are awaiting release. (laugh) And I feel that every actor is my competitor but if I had to pick appearance-wise, there's also [Won] Bin, [Jo] In-sung... Not that I really consider them competition. Oh no, I can't take that back since I already said it. I bet it's already in the news. (laugh) I'm not confident about my looks but I will utilize my strengths as best I can.

Q: What sort of film is "Woochi"?
Choi: I hope it'll be considered a cheerful movie which will stir up people's imagination and memories that they have not been able to see with their eyes.

Reporter : Lee Ji-Hye seven@10asia.co.kr
Photographer : Chae ki-won ten@10asia.co.kr
Editor : Jessica Kim jesskim@asiae.co.kr