INTERVIEW How 'Along with the Gods' captivated Asian fans
Actor Ha Jung-woo poses prior to an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Thursday. / Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment
By Park Jin-hai
Ha Jung-woo, one of the country's most prolific and versatile actors, who starred in the pan Asian hit “Along with the Gods,” says the film's popularity in Asian countries was unexpected and that shared Buddhist world views contributed to its success.
“I think the first part of the fantasy series was able to have so much success in the region because of the shared interest in the Asian Buddhism the film is based on,” said the 40-year-old “The Handmaiden” star and eldest son of veteran actor Kim Yong-gun, during a recent interview with The Korea Times.
The first part “Along with the Gods: The Two Worlds,” released in December 2017, became the second most-viewed film of all time in Korea, attracting an audience of over 14 million. The 40 billion won budget fantasy film, telling the story of the afterlife, also topped box offices in Asian countries including Taiwan and Hong Kong. The film became the highest-grossing Korean film in Taiwan, and the second-highest-grossing Korean film in Hong Kong following “The Battleship Island.”
In the sequel, “Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days,” which premieres Wednesday, Ha plays Gangrim, head of the reaper trio who guide the dead in their 49-day post mortal journey. It features the back stories of the three reapers and how their paths crossed a millennium ago.
He said although he had so many “embarrassing” moments while shooting the computer graphic-heavy film, because he had to act alone during “blue screen” scenes while imagining a different setting, he said he was surprised by the end-product. “Since it is rare to appear in a film with as many special effects as this one, it was hard to act at first.
"Most of my challenges have been me versus machines, coordinating my acting with the cameras. In the scene where dinosaurs are chasing after me, I just run behind the blue screen alone and draw a ring around me on the ground to prevent them coming closer. I wished something, anything like a doll, could appear so that I could know what I should look at. It was a strange and embarrassing experience,” said Ha. “Then I remembered the behind-the-scenes videos of 53-year-old Robert Downey Jr. acting in Ironman with the green backdrop. I clenched my teeth and tried my best to just believe what I was told. But, when I saw the post-production, I was in awe.”
He added that he is proud to witness the quality of Korean movies improving over time. “BTS and Psy played a big role in elevating K-pop in the world music scene. Now I think it should be K-film's turn,” he said. “Although the Korean film industry has problems like less diversity in genres, I think the quality of filming staff can rival those of Hollywood. As the film's first sequel proved it to some extent, I wish to see more such high quality Korean films meet global film fans.”
The cast of “Along with the Gods: The Last 49 Days” will launch Asian promotional events beginning in Taiwan, Aug. 5.
As for differences from the first film, Ha said if the first installment spoke about maternal love, the second part tells more about paternal love. “If viewers had maternal love and tear-shedding emotions from the first installment, part two will tell of paternal love, which will make viewers choke up,” said Ha, adding that the story is richer since it has an additional storyline of a thousand years ago when the three reapers were human.
Apart from acting, Ha is also known as an artist. He held his first solo exhibition in 2010 and has been expanding his presence in the art world, currently holding an exhibition titled “Vacation” in Seoul from July 11. It shows his paintings inspired by his travel to cities such as Rome, Naples, Florence, Barcelona and London when he takes a break from acting.
Ha said his paintings reflect his wish to communicate with the public. “Although I can show part of myself through my characters in films, those characters are more like another self of the director and his story, not me. My paintings, on the other hand, show the all of me, showing who I am and what I feel at the moment. The reason I continue to paint is that I want to communicate with the public. Although nowadays it gets harder to just tell my story and reveal myself as I am, I'm afraid. ”