Kim Soo-hyun returns with new film 'Real'

The Korea Times

The Korea Times

Entertainment & Arts

Sat, December 9, 2023 | 06:41

Kim Soo-hyun returns with new film 'Real'

Posted : 2017-06-02 14:16

Updated : 2017-06-04 15:47

Kim Soo-hyun, left, and Seong Dong-il in a scene from "Real," which is expected to be released in late June. / Courtesy of Cove Pictures

By Kim Ji-soo

If the collective sound, or rather decibel level, of human voices could render judgment of how an upcoming film may fare at theaters, then "Real," actor Kim Soo-hyun's new film, has more than good prospects. On Wednesday evening, fans began swooning in the narrow corridor at Sungkyunkwan University's Millennium Hall and continued swooning when he walked down for the film's showcase.

Kim, returning to the big screen after an absence of more than four years, looked upbeat and healthy. After catapulting to mega-stardom with a series of popular television dramas, including "Moon Embracing the Sun" (2012), "My Love From the Star" (2013) and "Producer" (2015) and the film "Secretly, Greatly," Kim went on a hiatus of sorts, forgoing work on both the small and big screens. Any news about Kim was mostly about his attempts to become a professional bowler.

But on that evening, fans from Seoul, and even from Malaysia and Hong Kong, finally saw him promote his latest film in around four years. In the noir film "Real," directed by Lee Sarang, Kim plays the two main characters _ the first being Jang Tae-young, a crime boss who runs Asia's biggest casino who is in conflict with Cho Won-geun, a man who claims half the casino's proprietorship, played by Seong Dong-il. Kim's other character is a man with the same name and same features as Jang, who makes Jang an irresistible offer.

The film, which is expected to open in late June, features other popular actors including Lee Seong-min, Cho Woo-jin and Choi Jin-ri, formerly known as Sulli in the girl band f(X).

Entertainer Park Kyung-rim, left, presides over the showcase for "Real," where actors Kim Soo-hyun, second from left, Seong Dong-il, third from left, and Choi Jin-ri participated. /Yonhap

Asked by a fan to describe similarities between himself and his first character, Kim said, "Jang is depicted as an ambitious figure in the movie, and I am ambitious as well."

Kim also said playing two characters in the same film on the big screen for the first time was challenging and thrilling, but at the same time he felt burdened when he saw the list of his costars.

"I said ‘Yes' when I saw the list of my costars, because I was happy to work with them, but then I thought to myself, now I have to do really well, and felt the burden," Kim said during the showcase, which was also attended by Seong and Choi, who also said they enjoyed working on the action film with their great costars.

According to the teaser images, the film promises bold, colorful sets of the casino interiors, which Kim said was "overwhelming at times, but they also made the delivery of my double characters possible."

For the movie, Kim said he trained with a boxing coach because the director requested clean-cut, sophisticated and impactful action scenes. "I chose boxing because its moves fall in line with the (director's) request," he said. About his other sports love, bowling, Kim said he bowled three weeks ago but has not yet achieved a perfect game. "This perfect game continues to elude me," Kim said, "But someday." Kim's love for bowling became well known when he tried to become a professional bowler in 2016.

Seong, who plays the arch nemesis of Kim's first character in the film, said he did not even read the script when he heard that Kim was starring in it.

"I wanted to shoot a film with Kim before I got any older," said Seong, whose career in film spans 27 years. He said he made it clear with the director that he did not have to play action scenes.

Choi plays a rehabilitation specialist who is a romantic interest of Kim's character. For her role, she said she made almost daily runs to hospitals to study what rehabilitation specialists do.

The film had gone through some dissonance of its own, having been shot in the first half of 2016, only to open a year later. It also changed directors, from Lee Jeong-seop to Lee Sa-rang, over creative differences.

Despite his relatively long absence, Kim's star power as an A-list hallyu actor continues to shine brightly. At the showcase, the crowd, including hundreds of his fans, responded loudly whenever he answered a question from them. Fans from around the world brought bags of rice as gifts to decorate the entrance to the venue. After the showcase, fans lined up just to catch a glimpse of his vehicle as it drove away.

As the event was a showcase, organizers took questions from attendees, who wrote their questions on memo pads before the event. At the end of the showcase, Kim responded: "Thank you for waiting patiently and being excited and showing your love. I will try to do my best to respond."

janee@ktimes.com