Jo In Sung’s difficult action scenes in “Hope” are drawing attention after director Na Hong Jin revealed the behind the scenes story at the Cannes Film Festival.
Na Hong Jin’s new film “Hope,” his first movie in 10 years since “The Wailing,” was officially introduced at the 79th Cannes Film Festival. The film was invited to the competition section and held its official press conference in Cannes with Na Hong Jin, Hwang Jung Min, Jo In Sung, Jung Ho Yeon, Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, and Taylor Russell in attendance.
“Hope” follows the strange events that begin after people in a village near the Demilitarized Zone hear that a tiger has appeared. The movie had its world premiere at the Lumière Grand Theatre on May 17 and received a standing ovation for about 7 minutes after the screening.
During the press conference, Na Hong Jin explained that he wanted the action in the film to feel raw and old fashioned rather than modern. He said, “I wanted it to feel like a primitive film. Not modern. I wanted the action to feel traditional, like something seen a very long time ago.”
The director also shared that he wanted the actors to perform difficult action scenes themselves, even though the movie includes a CG creature. He said, “The actors needed to do very difficult performances. They also had to do dangerous action scenes. I filmed it by persuading the actors well, tricking them well, and leading them well.”
One surprising story involved Jo In Sung, who had undergone knee surgery before filming some of the running scenes. Na Hong Jin recalled that Jo In Sung told him, “I’m sorry, but I think it will be hard for me to run.” The director then replied, “I don’t think there will be any running.”
However, Jo In Sung reportedly ended up running constantly in the film, making the behind the scenes story even more surprising.
When asked about the physically demanding shoot, Jo In Sung said that the emotional side was harder than the physical side. He explained, “It may seem like a difficult shoot, but to create something new, courage is needed, so I gathered my courage.”
He added, “More than the physical difficulty, the emotional state was harder. I focused on how to deliver this fear and how to express the human desire to survive in a way that viewers could understand and feel.”
Meanwhile, the winners of this year’s Cannes Film Festival competition section will be announced at the closing ceremony on May 23. Fans are now watching to see whether Na Hong Jin’s sci fi film “Hope” will receive an award.
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