Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, and Mark Ruffalo, who worked with director Bong Joon-ho on ‘Mickey 17’, visited Korea. They drew attention by sharing their love for movies, their trust in director Bong Joon-ho, and their thoughts on visiting Korea.

On the morning of the 20th, a press conference for the movie ‘Mickey 17’ was held at Megabox COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul. Actors Naomi Ackie, Steven Yeun, Mark Ruffalo, director Bong Joon-ho, and producer Choi Doo-ho attended the press conference that day.



Naomi Ackie said about her first visit to Korea, “This is my first time coming to Korea. I‘ve wanted to come for a long time. I’m happy to be here with the director.”

Mark Ruffalo, who is visiting Korea for the first time in 10 years, said, “I‘m happy to be back in Korea. Last time I visited Korea, I was also warmly welcomed. I am happy to come to Korea and to have finished the film like this. I rode a motorcycle here. I am happy to be here with Director Bong Joon-ho, to be with the greatest director and great actors, and to be in Director Bong Joon-ho’s home country,” he said.

Steven Yeun also caught everyone‘s attention by saying, “I am happy to be back in Korea. I am happy to be with great actors, and I am happy to work with Director Bong Joon-ho again.”



Director Bong Joon-ho said about the reason for casting actors Naomi Ackie, Mark Ruffalo, and Steven Yeun, “I think because they have strange personalities, I only see the strange side of people. When I see something different in a corner, something different from what is commonly known, I become obsessed with it. It was surprising that Mark Ruffalo had never played a villain. When that first opportunity came to me, I was excited and honored, so I gave him the script, and he was unfamiliar with it at first. But I thought it would be great if he played this role. There is a dangerous charm to dictators, and there is an aspect of them that sway the public, and Mark Ruffalo did a great job with that part. Naomi Ackie, who suppresses that dictator with incredible energy and shouts, is an actress who was able to act while singing in the Whitney Houston biopic. She suppresses the dictator with just her voice. I am proud that they recognized actress Naomi who has that kind of energy.”

He continued, “I had a great time working with Steven Yeun on ‘Okja,’ but I wanted to make a sci-fi film that had a human touch. I couldn’t have done it without Steven Yeun. He is an actor who can play a rare character that you don’t see in sci-fi, so I ended up working with him on ‘Mickey 17.’ I’m grateful to the actors, and I think I was lucky,” he added.



Director Bong Joon-ho said about the differences between previous SF films and ‘Mickey 17’, “It‘s a subject matter that’s been covered in many SF films. If you look closely, the core concept is different. The concept of human printing, like printing documents, contains tragedy and drama in itself. Shouldn‘t we not print humans? The person who’s printed is Robert Pattinson. It‘s not a superhero or a genius, but a kind and pitiful young man who gets printed and an incident occurs. I thought that’s where it could be different from existing SF.”

Mark Ruffalo said about his first villain role in ‘Mickey 17’, “First of all, I would say I was surprised. When I was offered the role, I wondered if it was really for me. In the end, I feel grateful. I also thank the director who believed in me when I doubted myself. I can‘t be satisfied with my acting and it seems unfinished. In the end, I’m satisfied with the result. But I‘m also scared. It’s because it‘s my first time trying it. Still, I think it’s an actor‘s responsibility to act in accordance with the purpose of the movie,” he emphasized.

When asked about his experience working with director Bong Joon-ho, Mark Ruffalo said, “Director Bong Joon-ho is really delicate and meticulous. He always gives me great support. He also lets me discover my own creativity. In Korea, there is a practice of making storyboards when making a movie. The director himself drew most of the pictures. He didn’t write down the acting in detail in the storyboards, but there were hints. He told me not to look at them, but I did. He showed me the characteristics of the characters in the pictures. He made me discover new things I hadn‘t felt before. So I think there was a lot of information. I got to act in a meticulously designed space, and it was my first time experiencing this. I thought he was really kind. Even though he is a director who has risen to a high position, he is humble and kind. I hope we can continue to be friends,” he said, making us feel affectionate.

Director Bong Joon-ho said, “When the news of martial law came out, Mark Ruffalo contacted me and asked, ‘Are you okay?’ I’ve mentioned this several times on the news, but I heard the news while I was watching where Blackpink Rosé’s song was ranking. Now, we have returned to our daily lives. It is a proud sight of the people who have already overcome martial law. I think we have already overcome it. All that remains are the legal formalities.”



Director Bong Joon-ho also said about the meaning of ‘Mickey 17’, “‘Parasite’ is also a satire and criticism of capitalism, but I don’t have a specific goal when I make a movie. I wanted to share specific emotions in all difficult situations. The movie allows us to share the emotions of people breathing in such a gap. I hope the audience will feel a lot of comfort and empathy. The fact that the main character Mickey survived in these difficult situations. That he was not destroyed in the end was the story I wanted to tell.”

Lastly, Director Bong Joon-ho said, “I think that the feeling of waiting for a work to be released and the excitement that rushes when it is released are valuable parts of the power of cinema itself. ‘Mickey 17’ has some spectacular scenes, but there are also moments where the actors’ delicate and nuanced acting is the spectacle itself. You’ll regret it if you don’t see it in the theater.”

Meanwhile, ‘Mickey 17’ is a movie that depicts an unpredictable story that unfolds when ‘Mickey (played by Robert Pattinson)’, who is an expendable item (Expendable) that is used for dangerous work and is reprinted when he dies, is going through his 17th death crisis, and ‘Mickey 18’ is printed thinking he is dead. It will be released on the 28th.

Choi Yoon-na, Donga.com reporter yyynnn@donga.com

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