Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
INTERVIEW 'Project Silence' director, Ju Ji-hoon recall working with late actor Lee Sun-kyun
Actors Lee Sun-kyun, front, and Ju Ji-hoon play the lead characters in the disaster blockbuster film “Project Silence." Courtesy of CJ ENM
By Lee Gyu-lee
Seven months after the death of actor Lee Sun-kyun, one of his last films, the disaster epic, "Project Silence," is set to premiere in local theaters this Friday.
Director Kim Tae-gon / Courtesy of CJ ENM
“This film has been labeled as ‘Lee Sun-kyun’s final work,’ but as a director, all I could think about was making it well … But I believed I shouldn't deliberately avoid or excessively include elements to avoid that title. I felt preserving the integrity of this work was the best way to honor Lee,” the film’s director Kim Tae-gon told The Korea Times during an interview at a cafe in Jongno District, Seoul, Wednesday.
“I made the film exactly as I originally envisioned. How the external factors affect (the audience) when perceiving the film will vary depending on each person's emotions.”
The big-budget disaster blockbuster revolves around Cha Jung-won (Lee Sun-kyun), who works for the Office of National Security and gets trapped on a foggy bridge with his daughter after a series of car crashes.
With the bridge on the verge of collapse and pursued by another threat — weaponized dogs from a military project — Cha struggles to find a way out to survive and protect his daughter. Alongside fellow survivors, including Jo Park (Ju Ji-hoon) and Doctor Yang (Kim Hee-won), he fights to ensure their safety.
Ju plays the role of a free-spirited tow truck driver who initially clashes with Cha. After reuniting during the disaster, the two, who often bicker, gradually stop butting heads and join forces for survival.
The disaster blockbuster film “Project Silence" will hit local theaters Friday. Courtesy of CJ ENM
The actor shared that the differences in their acting approach led them to work closely with each other, recalling Lee as being meticulous.
“He was a good colleague and a good actor. It’s not my place as a less experienced actor to judge him, but he was undeniably a trusted actor. His personality was also very straightforward,” Ju said.
Actor Ju Ji-hoon / Courtesy of CJ ENM
“I am the type of person who is like ‘Let’s just give it a try.’ But Lee was someone who would rehearse in great detail until all the question marks were resolved before shooting (a scene). In big-budget movies, there are inevitably many scenes that are unrealistic but accepted as cinematic fiction. So, we had a lot of conversations to make adjustments together.”
Despite over two decades of acting experience, this was Lee’s first time leading a disaster blockbuster. The director expressed confidence in the late actor, believing his extensive and diverse repertoire would allow him to portray the character convincingly.
“Lee had a wide spectrum as an actor, starring in director Hong Sang-soo’s work, in melodramas and sentimental series like ‘My Mister.’ But, he hadn't done a disaster film before. And since he was also a father, I felt he would understand the relationship between a father and a child better than anyone else, so I offered him the role,” Kim said.
“At first, he was hesitant because he’d never done this genre and felt the pressure of playing Cha who leads the film. However, he did an excellent job as the central character, and I was very satisfied.”
The film had its world premiere at last year’s Cannes Film Festival as a non-competing film for Midnight Screenings. Since the premiere, the director revealed he had edited out about six minutes of the film's running time to make it more fast-paced and less sentimental, in order to suit the tastes of audiences today.
Also, the fast-paced, entertaining blockbuster genre was what appealed to Ju, leading him to play the comical character that gives some moments of humor amid an intense, life-threatening disaster.
“This film is made as a popcorn movie. I was drawn to the fun elements, fast pace, tension, and excitement this movie offered as such film,” the actor said.
“(Jo) plays the role of a ‘comma’ in this film. It's a functional character that gives a moment to breathe,” he said. “Rather than intentionally trying hard to be funny, I aimed to naturally radiate the wit that the character of Jo had. Personally, I enjoy the comedy genre.”