“Like a real national team member” Ha Jung-woo

It is a meeting between a director and actors who trust and watch. The movie ‘1947 Boston’ brings the glorious day of 1947 to life on the screen.

On the afternoon of the 1st, a preview and meeting of ‘1947 Boston’ was held at the Lotte Cinema Konkuk University entrance in Gwangjin-gu, Seoul. Actors Ha Jung-woo, Im Si-wan, and director Kang Je-gyu attended the scene.

‘1947 Boston’ is a story about the challenges and thrilling journey of marathon runners to participate in international competitions wearing the Taegeuk symbol for the first time after liberation in 1947. The great challenge of Korean marathon legend Son Ki-jeong (Ha Jung-woo), who won the gold medal at the 1936 Berlin Olympics by setting a new world record of 2 hours, 29 minutes and 19 seconds, and Seo Yun-bok (Im Si-wan), another hero not well known to the public, who competed in the Boston Marathon. It contains a process.

Ha Jung-woo played the role of coach Son Ki-jeong, a gold medalist at the 1936 Berlin Olympics and a trainee of juniors. Ha Jeong-woo said, “I think Teacher Son Ki-jeong took responsibility as a senior for running without the Taegeukgi in Berlin. “This time, I decided to compete with the Taegeukgi,” he said. “As an actor, I also went into filming with the same mindset as Mr. Son Ki-jeong.”

He continued, “When I played Teacher Son Ki-jeong, I talked a lot with the director. He went into filming thinking, ‘What would teacher Son Ki-jeong have felt like?’ and ‘What emotions did he have?’ As those feelings were accumulating one by one, I couldn’t easily tear myself away from the first scene, the Berlin Olympics awards ceremony scene. My heart was heavy during the filming because it felt like I was experiencing it for real. “He also felt a solemnity that he had never felt before.”

Ha Jung-woo did not spare praise for Im Si-wan. He said, “Looking at Siwan, I felt like he was an athlete. He said, “I think I naturally got emotional when filming the competition scenes because I watched the time Siwan spent preparing.” He continued, “I really wanted to support you. “Most of the competition was filmed near Melbourne, and it happened to be the second half of the movie being filmed at the time,” he said, adding, “I saw the finished version for the first time today, and I think teacher Seo Yun-bok will like it because Im Si-wan expressed it so well.”

Im Si-wan plays the role of Seo Yun-bok, a marathoner who dreams of becoming the next Son Ki-jeong. Im Si-wan said, “I thought that the very fact that there was a real person was a task that should not be used by that person. “I tried to approach the work with a sense of responsibility,” he said. “Seo Yun-bok is the first athlete to enter an international competition wearing the Taegeuk symbol.” “Although I play a certain character in this work, I was determined to represent the country at least while I was working on it,” he said.

He continued, “I had to show myself running professionally, so I learned professionally two or three months ago. “He learned and received training from the coach in between filming until the end of the work,” he explained.

Im Si-wan also revealed the efforts he made for Seo Yun-bok’s character. He said, “I spent the most time on diet and exercise. He said, “From preparation to the end of filming, I lived on chicken breast and salad,” and “I worked out from time to time to keep my muscles looking toned.”

Kim Sang-ho played the role of a financial guarantor helping the national team in Boston. Sang-ho Kim said, “When I received the script, there were parts that I felt would be fun. “Although Baek Nam-hyun helped director Son Ki-jeong and Seo Yun-bok, he did not help them blindly,” he said, adding, “I felt attracted to this part.”

Lastly, director Kang Je-gyu shared his special thoughts ahead of the release. He said, “It’s been three years since filming ended. As the release schedule was postponed due to the coronavirus, my heart ached and ached. I was also jealous while watching other movies being released. Still, I think the few years were valuable and precious times to refine our film. Korean films are lagging behind in recovery compared to other countries. “I hope the audience will support and encourage me,” he said.

The movie ‘1947 Boston’ will be released on the 27th.

Reporter Rosa Park terarosa@edaily.co.kr