“I ran until I died, and I ran again”… Im Siwan, the passion of ‘1947 Boston’

[Dispatch=Reporter Jeong Tae-yoon] The story of a marathoner who competed in an international competition for the first time after liberation. Isn’t it a so-called ‘gukppong’ movie? But when I opened the lid, it was different. It was a human drama about marathoner Seo Yun-bok (played by Im Si-wan).

When Yunbok was young, he ran up Mt. Inwang and Muakjae Hill for his sick mother. It made me fully feel the reason why he had no choice but to play well and why he ran with all his might.

The person who was 120% possessed by Seo Yun-bok was Im Si-wan.

The movie runs non-stop from the middle to the end. It didn’t end with just running. I had to run with the story of Seo Yun-bok (played by Im Si-wan). I could feel his story coming from his tightly closed mouth.

“From the moment I prepared for filming to the moment it ended, I worked with the mindset that I would act with the Taegeuk symbol. I ran with the thought that after this moment, it would never come again.” (Im Siwan)

Im Si-wan attended the press screening of ‘1947 Boston’ held at the Lotte Cinema Konkuk University entrance branch in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul on the 11th. Ha Jung-woo, Kim Sang-ho, and director Kang Je-gyu also participated.

‘1947 Boston’ (directed by Kang Je-gyu) is based on a touching true story. At the 1936 Berlin Olympics, marathon gold medalist Son Ki-jeong (played by Ha Jung-woo) set a new world record. He begins his journey to regain the glory that belonged to Japan after liberation.

Im Si-wan takes on the role of Seo Yun-bok, a marathoner who dreams of becoming the next Son Ki-jeong. Yun-bok receives an offer from Son Ki-jeong himself to participate in the 1947 Boston Marathon. After much thought, he decided to become the first player to wear the Taegeuk symbol.

Seo Yun-bok is a real person. He became the first Asian to win the Boston Marathon in 1947. He also achieved a new world record of 2 hours, 25 minutes and 39 seconds.

Im Si-wan said, “As I was playing a real person, I approached the work with a sense of responsibility. While working on the work, I prepared the character with the mindset that I would wear the Taegeuk symbol and represent the country.”

Marathoner role. I had to build my body and stamina. Although he is small in stature like Seo Yun-bok, he has solid muscles and has prepared by taking on the training load of actual players. He even participated in a real marathon.

Im Si-wan confessed, “I received professional training 2-3 months before filming began. I maintained a diet and exercised every day,”and added, “I ended up with 6% body fat.”

It wasn’t just about running for a long time. He explained, “In the case of hill courses, the way of running was different. There were detailed techniques. I ran based on the posture I had learned to suit each situation.”

Ha Jung-woo praised him, saying, “(Im Si-wan) prepared really hard. I got emotional naturally because I watched the time he spent preparing for the movie,”and added, “I think teacher Seo Yun-bok will be very happy because he did an excellent job.”

The highlight is the marathon race scene. It took a long time from the middle to the end of the movie. Still, she was the most nervous. As Yunbok began to beat the other players one by one, I felt a burning sense of pleasure.

The same was true for Im Siwan. He recalled, “Isn’t it thrilling to even imagine overtaking athletes who are physically superior to me?” and “Even though it was a fictional situation, I felt a thrill while running.”

Above all, the marathon scene shines because it tells the story of Yunbok. Muakjae Hill, where he ran thousands of times for his mother. Thanks to this, Yunbok can easily run up Boston Heartbreaker Hill.

Director Kang said, “It’s not just a movie about running. I wanted to convey the mindset that Yunbok runs with. I hope his drama resonates well with the audience.”

This is also the reason why Director Kang returned to historical works. He said, “If you look at Hollywood movies, there are a lot of science fiction films that express the future,” and “But I think predicting the future means looking back at the past.”

“There are so many precious stories in our history. I believe that watching our movie will be a time to check for yourself, ‘Am I living a good life?’ Sometimes looking back at the past gives me strength and courage.” (Director Kang Je-gyu)

Lastly, Im Si-wan said, “I waited for 3 years due to COVID-19. I am happy that the release date has been announced and I can meet the audience. I hope many people will feel that it is a ‘good movie.’”

‘1947 Boston’ opens to audiences on the 27th.

<Photo = Reporter Song Hyo-jin>