Jeong Jun-ho, clarification of rumors of entering politics “I was nominated but declined, my heart is a 5-term lawmaker”[Interview]
Photo courtesy of Bypoem Studio
Since it is a sequel that has only been released in five years, the two actors, who are confident in even more upgraded humor and action, expressed their determination to “continue the ‘Hitman’ series with at least four movies, receiving favorable reviews that ‘each new movie is ‘better than the previous one’.
“There is no ‘Hitman’ series without Kwon Sang-woo”
Jung Joon-ho praised Kwon Sang-woo, the center of the ‘Hitman’ series, He emphasized, “This series cannot exist without Kwon Sang-woo.”
“(Kwon) Sang-woo has been exercising since he was young, so he is someone who is basically used to action. He has consistently watched the works of his favorite actors, such as Jackie Chan and Stephen Chow, and has consistently acted in a comedic action genre. It is a work that embodies all of Kwon Sang-woo’s strengths from ‘Hitman.’”
He also expressed a special affection for Lee Yi-kyung, with whom he has the most comedic chemistry, playing the role of National Intelligence Service agent Cheol-hee.
“(Lee) Yi-kyung and I would have an ad-lib war whenever I acted together. It would be easy to give in when my senior did an ad-lib, but he would do it more. He is a person who does not compromise at all. His sense of humor and quick-wittedness are amazing, so I have to be very wary. He sits on his older brothers’ laps and does things that are so cute and refreshing. He is so lively to his older brothers, but he is not like that to women? Haha.”
Having led the golden age of comic action films in the early 2000s with films like ‘My Boss, My Boss’, and ‘The Glory of the Family’, he also expressed his hope that ‘Hitman’ would revive the popularity of the comic action genre, which has seen a sharp decline in the number of films produced recently.
“It is important to make blockbuster films with production costs of hundreds of billions of won, but we need to produce more films like ours that can tell rich stories with less money. That is the way to revive the recently depressed film industry. I think that among them, bright films that people of all ages can enjoy with a light heart should continue to be produced.”
Reporter Lee Seung-mi smlee@donga.com
Not only ‘Hitman 2’, but also ‘Ghost Cop’, in which he made a special appearance, will be released in theaters on the 24th. This special appearance was made at the request of Shin Hyun-joon, the lead actor of ‘Ghost Cop’ and a close friend who always bickers with me.
“Shin Hyun-joon said that since it was a special appearance, there wouldn’t be much to film and that he would just come and film briefly and leave, but when I actually got to the filming set, there was so much to film and there were even action scenes. They said they would give me some kind of security deposit instead of my appearance fee, but they gave me so little that I thought they only gave me a deposit. So I told them that I would only do as much as they gave me, but I ended up working really hard without realizing it. Haha!”
Meanwhile, regarding the ‘political candidacy rumors’ that have been following me around for a long time because I have been actively involved in various groups and associations, I explained, “It is not true”.”“As I get along with so many different people, I actually received two or three offers to run for office in my hometown of Yesan, South Chungcheong Province. But I politely declined them all. If you want to get into politics, you have to put down your acting skills, seriously study politics, understand the local situation, and compete in politics, but I chose to become an actor. And I don‘t necessarily think that politics means wearing a National Assembly badge. If you act as a local ambassador as an actor and listen to the stories of local citizens, I think that is also politics. So in my heart, I think I am a ‘5-term member of the National Assembly’.”
Reporter Seungmi Lee smlee@donga.com
