Actor Park Byung-eun is aiming for a ‘double hit’ by revealing his ‘two faces’. In the film ‘Lobby’ and the Disney+ drama ‘Hyperknife’, he is expected to captivate both theaters and living rooms with his completely different acting tones as a petty villain and a warm character with human charm.

In ‘Lobby’, Ha Jung-woo‘s third directorial film, which opens on April 2, Park Byung-eun plays the role of Gwang-woo, a businessman and ‘lobbying king’ who achieved great success not with his product technology but with his ‘lobbying skills’. In this movie full of ‘real characters’, he is practically the ‘main villain’.

In the movie, Kwang-woo is a cold-blooded person who does not hesitate to commit fatal acts such as stealing the technology of his old friend, startup CEO Chang-wook (Ha Jung-woo), in order to succeed. Unlike Chang-woo, who is inexperienced at lobbying, he prepares a golf lobby that is just right for the taste of Minister Cho (Kang Mal-geum), the decision-maker for national project support, and tries to hit the back of Chang-wook’s head once again, who is in desperate need of national project support.

In particular, he bows down in front of powerful figures like Minister Cho, but treats the easygoing Chang-wook roughly, showing a typical ‘strong-weak-strong’ attitude, as well as his boastful speech that mixes in elementary school-level English whenever he speaks, playing the role of an ‘unatable villain’ to the fullest. Park Byung-eun also introduced this character as “the most strange and decadent role”.

Ahead of the release of ‘Lobby’, in the Disney+ original drama ‘Hyperknife’, which has been well-received since its release on the 19th, he is drawing attention by showing a completely different side of ‘Lobby’ as an anesthesiologist Dr. Han Hyun-ho who puts his patients first.

He is also the surgical partner of Se-ok (Park Eun-bin), who has lost her medical license and lives as a ‘shadow doctor’ performing illegal surgeries. He is a complex character who has no choice but to tolerate Se-ok‘s illegal surgeries in order to help the sick and poor who have difficulty getting surgery.

Park Byung-eun said, “Of all the characters I’ve played, he is the kindest and most innocent character”. He explained, “He is a character who feels respect for Se-ok saving lives, but at the same time feels sorry for her because she cannot perform legal surgeries.”

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.