"A Bromance in <Uprising>? I Worked Hard with Gang Dongwon to Stay on the Line"

"A Bromance in <Uprising>? 

I Worked Hard with Gang Dongwon to Stay on the Line"

 

disclaimer : this is a fan translation by forjeongmin. might contain inaccuracies. images and articles copyright belong to the rightful owner. Please do not take this translation out of context.

link to the interview : https://m.blog.naver.com/PostView.naver?blogId=cine_play&logNo=223621376860&navType=by

 

 

Park Jeongmin's face constantly transforms. In the recently released Netflix film <Uprising>, released on the 11th, he takes on his first historical drama, joking that "historical dramas are tough," but then quickly delves into weighty reflections, asking, "Is there complete equality in human society?" His candid and flexible responses hint at someone who prioritizes sincere introspection. It seems this arduous self-exploration has shaped the Park Jeongmin we see today.

 

 

Q: The response to <Uprising> are positive. How do you feel about that?

Park Jeongmin: The most memorable response was, "It seems like it’s a movie that this generation needs" That was very reassuring. I was also surprised when I watched the movie, to the point where I thought, "Is this the movie that I took a part in?" Seeing the completed version with the music and CGI included made me realize, "The director really had planned out everything." I was very satisfied (with the movie).

 

Q: What made you decide to take on this role?

Park Jeongmin: I like scripts that have a clear message to convey as it allows me to build a blueprint for my performance and have precise discussions with the director. In that sense, the script for <Uprising> was appealing. Furthermore, the character I play, Jongryeo who is a nobleman but he also shows behavior of not the usual nobleman would do. He undergoes significant change throughout the movie, and I found that aspect challenging and worth exploring.

 

Q: What do you think is the message <Uprising> wants to convey?

Park Jeongmin: I believe it's a story about living together in harmony. When I studied history about a society that had classes such as noblemen and slaves at school when I was young, I thought it only happened in old days. However, once I entered society, I realized that this issue may not be confined to history. It was around when I had that kind of thought that I received the script for <Uprising>.

 

Q: At what point did you start thinking this way?

Park Jeongmin: Nowadays, many people are aware of and advocating the values like freedom, equality, and rights, but I sometimes wonder whether perfect equality can ever exist in the society. Economic and political power form groups, and within those groups, hierarchies emerge, which can change the direction in which those groups move. I once read in a book that "the value of equality can never be fully sustained." As a result, I find myself constantly think about the issue of class.

 

Q: Were you cast as Jongryeo from the beginning? What was the most important aspect you focused on when playing Jongryeo?

Park Jeongmin: Yes I was. As I acted the character “Jongryeo” I thought it was important for the audience to be able to understand the emotional changes of the character. While it’s important that I personally feel the emotions, I believe it’s even more important to convey something beyond that to the audience. That’s why I deeply analyzed and delved into Jongryeo’s emotions.

 

Q: How did you understand and portray Jongryeo and his emotional changes?

Park Jeongmin: I came to realize, "This guy is still, after all, a nobleman." He clearly has friendship and affection for Cheonyoung, but I saw his kindness as something that unconscious (he does it naturally). Jongryeo likely carried a sense of class consciousness within him. He extended kindness to someone beneath him, but when things didn’t turn out as he expected, I felt it was only natural from Jongryeo’s perspective to curse in frustration.

 

Q: There are many action scenes involving swords. How did you prepare for them?

Park Jeongmin: I trained for two to three months at an action school. Since my sword was large, long, and heavy, it was challenging to handle. I also learned something new during this process—there’s an association that studies medieval swordsmanship. The head of the association, who was younger than me, came to teach me about swordsmanship from the medieval era. In the past, I would just follow the choreography as directed, but this time, I contributed my own ideas. Instead of just focusing on making the scenes look cool, I worked to highlight the differences and relationship between Jongryeo and Cheonyoung.

 

Q: Gang Dongwon’s action scenes have also been getting a lot of attention.

Park Jeongmin: (Gang) Dongwon is a real master. He can do it just by listening to the direction. Meanwhile, if the sequence changed, I had to go to the corner and keep practicing to catch up with him. (laughs)

 

Q: This is your first time as the lead in a historical drama.

Park Jeongmin: Yes, it was a personal challenge for me. I realized I couldn’t just act freely as I had in the past. For example, in Jo Hyunchul’s <The Dream Songs>, I acted however I wanted, moving freely while the camera followed me. But in <Uprising>, I tried to perform more formally within the frame. I wanted to appear more solid and composed.

While filming, I couldn’t help but wonder, "Why did nobles in the past dress so uncomfortably?" I understand that it was part of their formality, but it was really uncomfortable. The costumes and makeup in historical dramas are tough, but they give you a certain power once you put them on.

 

Q: Exactly. That’s the charm of historical dramas.

Park Jeongmin: The decorations, clothes, and swords are all beautiful. I felt the sense of pride when I hold it upon camera. But while filming, I thought, "I shouldn’t be doing another historical drama for a while, it’s just too tough!" (laughs)

 

Q: Cha Seungwon portrayed King Seonjo in a very unique way. How was it working with him?

Park Jeongmin: When I first saw his portrayal of King Seonjo, I realized I had to prepare Jongryeo again (in a different way). Originally, I thought Jongryeo would be a strong, dignified companion standing next to the king. But when I saw King Seonjo’s unpredictable character, I realized Jongryeo had to be more subservient. I ended up revising my approach during filming.

There’s a scene where King Seonjo looks at the burned-down palace and says, “Why my people?” I have a similar line later, and I thought it would be a mirrored response, so I planned to follow the king’s lead. But King Seonjo didn’t perform the way I expected, which made me reconsider my delivery. Watching Cha Seungwon prepare was quite fascinating.

 

Q: I heard that director Park Chanwook, who wrote the script, came to the set and gave directions. Gang Dongwon mentioned something about the rhythm and tone of certain words.

Park Jeongmin: I had already received direction on rhythm and tone from Park Chanwook when filming <Life is But a Dream>. But when Director Park Chanwook started talking to Dongwon about long and short sounds, I thought, "I guess I need to pay attention to this in this work, too." So on my way home, I looked it up on Naver Dictionary.

 

Q: Many of <Uprising> fans have been talking about the bromance between Cheonyoung and Jongryeo. Was that intentional during filming?

Park Jeongmin: Since we filmed the scenes of Cheonyoung and Jongryeo’s childhood friendship early on, their relationship developed naturally. Even so, I thought “I need to maintain a clear boundary”, so I discussed it with the director to avoid leaving room for over-interpretation.

 

Q: Could it be that (bromance thing) is even stronger because Gang Dongwon is so handsome?

Park Jeongmin: That’s definitely part of it.

 

Q: The duel scene in the thick fog near the end is impressive. It’s a fierce fight in a mist so dense you can’t see an inch ahead, revealing Jong-ryeo’s turbulent emotions in full. Were there any challenges during filming?

Park Jeongmin: That scene took about four to five sessions, filmed over a week. We shot it in a set filled with fog, so it really felt like we were fighting in thick mist. It was a tough scene for me. During the script reading, I didn’t fully grasp Jongryeo’s emotions in that moment. So, I went into the scene without any emotional preparation, thinking, "I’ll just try and see what happens."

Once filming started, and Dong-won sincerely cried during his performance, my emotions started to flow. The line “I’m sorry” to Cheonyoung wasn’t originally in the script. But when I saw his face, it just came out naturally. Everyone on set responded well to it, so we kept it in.

 

 

Q: It’s been 13 years since your debut in the 2011 with the film <Bleak Night>. You’ve consistently acted in around 46 projects. Do you still have a desire for something new?

Park Jeongmin: Now that I’ve gained some experience, I think there’s an image or persona that audiences associate with me, and I feel a need to break away from that and show them something different.

But honestly, I’ve started to feel like, "There’s nothing more I can do." That’s why I’ve been telling people that I plan to take a break next year. Right now, I’m declining projects that come my way. I want to take time to observe myself in my personal life. I’m hoping to find something I can approach with more excitement.

 

Q: If you take a break next year, what’s the first thing you want to do?

Park Jeongmin: I’d like to focus on my work with the publishing company. I’ve wanted to make books for a long time. Even when I was running my bookstore, I had the desire to create books, but it didn’t really work out. (Park Jeongmin runs a one-person publishing company called “Muze.” In 2019, he opened a bookstore called “Books Night and Day” near Hongdae, which closed in 2021.)

 

I have a few books coming out soon. The purpose behind starting and running the publishing company is to focus on those who are overlooked or marginalized. The upcoming books are written by authors who align with that mission. Of course, as the publisher, I don’t necessarily agree with everything the writers say, but I believe my role is to give them a platform to share the stories they want to tell.