In director Bong Joon-ho‘s comeback Hollywood film ‘Mickey 17’, which will be released for the first time in Korea on the 28th, there is a character that is attracting more global attention than the main character Mickey. That is the main villain Marshall, played by Mark Ruffalo.

In the film, Marshall is a politician who, with the support of an extreme religious force, recruits a group of planetary colonists and embarks on a four-year space flight. He is a de facto ‘dictator’ who unilaterally leads the spaceship with the slogan ‘One & Only’ and his followers.

This character, who forces inhumane labor on the main character Mickey, who can be revived even after death using ‘Human Printing’ technology, and attempts to wipe out ‘me’ and other living beings, received positive reviews from foreign media outlets after the London premiere and screening at the Berlin International Film Festival, saying that he is reminiscent of various politicians from various countries around the world. In particular, there were reactions that the specific scene in the latter half where Marshall is attacked reminded him of the Trump shooting incident that occurred during last year’s election campaign.

Regarding this, Director Bong Joon-ho emphasized that the film was “completed in 2022 and no additional filming was done after that,” and that it was not based on any specific politicians currently in power. “Foreign media even say that I have a crystal ball in my room that predicts the future,” he said, bursting into laughter. However, he admitted that he did think of “famous dictators in history” such as Hitler and Mussolini.

Among them, the people Director Bong referenced the most were the Marcoses of the Philippines and the Ceausescu couple of Romania, known as the “dictator couple.” This is also the reason why the role of Marshall‘s wife Ilpi (Toni Collette), a character who does not exist in the original novel of ‘Mickey 17’, ‘Mickey 7’, was greatly expanded.

Another reason why the character of Marshall is receiving attention is because of Mark Ruffalo, who played him. Mark Ruffalo, who has mainly played righteous and good characters in movies such as the Marvel hero ‘Hulk’, took on a villain role for the first time since his debut in this movie.

Mark Ruffalo said, “I was so surprised that I wondered if this role was really given to me. When I doubted myself if I could act like this, Director Bong believed in me,” and “I hope that when the audience watches our movie, they will think of all the petty and small-minded dictators we have seen in history, not a specific politician.”

Director Bong said, “This may sound like a very dangerous statement, but dictators have a strange charm. Just because they look scary doesn’t mean they become a dictator. “It’s their dangerous charm that creates such a diehard fan base,” he said. “I thought Mark Ruffalo was the actor who could embody that charm.”

Reporter Seungmi Lee smlee@donga.com

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.