Veteran actor touts 'The Fortress' as quality epic

Actor Kim Yoon-seok poses after an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, in Seoul, Wednesday. / Courtesy of CJ Entertainment

By Kim Jae-heun

Before the forthcoming movie “The Fortress,” actor Kim Yoon-seok had never appeared in an epic film. If he was to do this, he insisted it should be a classic. Today, he believes his dream has come true.

“The Fortress,” directed by Hwang Dong-hyuk and based on the book of the same name, deals with the Qing Dynasty invading the Manchu region of Korea in 1636. King Injo and his retainers seek refuge in an isolated fortress in Namhansanseong, Gyeonggi Province, where the winter is freezing and food is running out because the Chinese soldiers have besieged the fortress.

The leaders of two ideological cliques_ Choi Myung-kil played by Lee Byung-hun and Kim Sang-hun played by Kim Yoon-seok_ confront each other on how to deal with the enemy.

“If I star in a historical film, I wanted to do a real classic one,” said Kim told The Korea Times at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, Wednesday. “I had been offered roles in historical films several times, but I turned them down. I chose ‘The Fortress’ because I am about the same age as my character.

“I also wanted to do a film that deals with a serious topic, not just an easy comic movie based on an old story. ‘The Fortress’ is based on a real, significant historical event 300 years ago.”

In general, a movie with a heavy topic or sensitive issue does not easily attract investors or producers. But they gave full support to “The Fortress,” with actors and directors guaranteed freedom of expression.

“It is incredible that a classic historical film receives full support from investors and production company,” Kim said. “Nowadays, we often see movies that are biased and lean toward the right or the left to appeal to the public.

“Or directors make superheroes with exaggerated actions to entertain the audience. So stories get simpler and they become very similar to one another.

“But ‘The Fortress’ excluded all that and we go deep into the human story and try to depict what actually happened at Namhansanseong back in the Joseon Dynasty.”

To maximize reality, most of the movie was shot during the freezing winter in PyeongChang, Gangwon-do Province, the coldest region in South Korea.

The actor said the movie focused on the psychological facet of people during wartime and the breakdown of the caste system when a country is nearly collapsing.

“Kim Sang-won is a character who undergoes the most changes,” Kim said. “‘The Fortress” depicts the Joseon Dynasty’s failure and defeat and incompetence, but at the same time, we wanted to show there were adults who fought hard to protect the country.

“It’s not so different nowadays. Among the people who lie and do not take responsibility for their actions, there are adults who take life-threatening risks to support the country.”

“The Fortress” will open on Oct. 3.