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| From left, actors Park Seo-joon, IU and director Lee Byeong-heon pose during a press conference for the film, "Dream" in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Singer-actress IU expressed how excited she was to be paired with Park Seo-joon for her first major movie role in the sports drama film "Dream," which they filmed three years ago.
Directed by Lee Byeong-heon, whose 2019 comedy film "Extreme Job" surpassed the 10 million viewers mark, it tells the story of a football coach training a team of homeless people to compete in the Homeless World Cup.
In the film, IU plays the role of a TV director who wants to make a documentary on Korea's first homeless football team.
"After playing serious roles in drama series, I wanted to take on lighter roles," she said during a press conference for the film, Thursday. "I actually shot 'Dream' earlier than 'Broker.' This film took so long to finally hit the big screen."
The budding actress joins Park Seo-joon, who portrays a former football player who became a coach after his retirement.
Park also said it was a thrilling experience to work with IU on "Dream."
"I'm a huge fan of IU, so I wondered what it would be like to act alongside her. She was beyond my expectations and by the end of filming, I wished we had more scenes together."
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| Actor Park Seo-joon in a scene from the film "Dream" / Courtesy of Plus M Entertainment |
Asked if he got any advice from his best friend Son Heung-min, who plays for Tottenham Hotspur, Park said, "Son is a national football player, which means he's on a different level. Even if he had given me some advice, I wouldn't understand because I'm no good with football knowledge. Before we started filming, however, Son told me he's looking forward to 'Dream.'"
On collaborating with Park, IU said, "What I can say about Park is he's very collaborative. On set, he always wanted to know about director Lee's opinion and just pushed himself to better portray the character. He was a constant inspiration to me."
Director Lee said he is confident that "Dream" can match the success of "Extreme Job."
"It took me almost 10 years to complete the film and open it in theaters. There were countless challenges every step of the way, but I can say with confidence that our film is both entertaining and thoughtful," he said.
"Dream" will hit local theaters on April 26.
