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| Son Seok-hee’s Questions / Photo=MBC |
[By Jeong Ye-won, Sports Today] The episode was true to the spirit of Son Seok-hee’s Questions and thoroughly in tune with The Man Who Lives with the King. The program invited director Jang Hang-jun and lead actor Yoo Hae-jin—who had not done a joint interview since the film opened—and the two filled the studio with lively, witty anecdotes and behind-the-scenes stories. Midway through the conversation, host Son Seok-hee spontaneously invited Im Eun-jung, CEO of production company OndaWorks, from the audience onto the stage. It was so unplanned that the three ended up squeezed onto the sofa normally occupied by two, creating a memorable moment. This was Im Eun-jung’s first broadcast interview.
Jang displayed his trademark, energetic storytelling, while Yoo watched him with a mix of concern and obvious affection for both the director and the film, warming the room. Yoo said, “When I finish a film I usually want to forget it quickly so I can focus on the next project. But with The Man Who Lives with the King I’m still caught up in those feelings — this is the first time I’ve felt like this.” Jang added that Yoo grabbed the film “by the scruff of the neck” and carried it forward. He said Yoo was the only actor who could play Eom Heung-do, and that because Yoo was involved, the film was able to get off the ground.
In fact, Jang recalled that after shooting wrapped and they moved into editing, Yoo sharply criticized him for making edits too casually, and tensions on set turned serious for a time. Jang joked that it might have been the first time in film history an actor nagged a director to edit better. Yoo then recounted that the next day Jang coolly conceded, “I re-edited it — you were right,” which drew laughter from the audience.
Brought onto the stage unexpectedly, Im Eun-jung explained why she had stubbornly pursued Jang: “He combines humor, seriousness and a strong sense of justice. I believed he was the only director who could make this film.” She added that once Yoo Hae-jin joined, production finally breathed easier. Reflecting on quitting her job and returning to filmmaking after three years away, she admitted, “If we hadn’t even broken even, I would have had no backup plan.” Jang said she was the first producer he’d seen take on a project with empty hands.
The meeting between Son Seok-hee’s Questions and The Man Who Lives with the King arrived as the film was marching toward 14 million admissions, and in that sense it served as a modest celebration for Korean cinema. Host Son Seok-hee observed that the director, actor and producer all stood on the brink of 14 million viewers with expressions that were cautious rather than exuberant, yet clearly eager to share their joy. That restraint, he said, made the film’s success feel especially meaningful.
The cast of The Man Who Lives with the King will appear on Son Seok-hee’s Questions, which airs at 9 p.m. on the 18th.
[Sports Today reporter Jeong Ye-won ent@stoo.com]
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