“Pan Baji’s name”… ‘Deadman’ Jin-woong Cho x Hee-ae Kim x Soo-kyung Lee Crime Orchestra (Comprehensive) [Oh!Sensen Scene]

[OSEN=Reporter Kim Bo-ra] Director Ha Jun-won said, “The three characters have one name and move according to their own interests. “It’s a story about three people running toward each other’s goals over the same name.”

At the production briefing session for ‘Deadman’ held at Megabox Seongsu in Seongsu-dong, Seoul on the 19th, Director Ha said, “When I designed the story of the play, I thought of it as an orchestra. “I composed the play with Lee Man-jae as the instrument that amplifies emotions, Ms. Shim as the conductor, and Gong Hee-ju as the audience member watching from an objective standpoint,” he said.

‘Deadman’ (directed by Ha Jun-won, provided by Content Wave Co., Ltd., produced by Palette Pictures Co., Ltd. and Saram Entertainment Co., Ltd.) is about an ace in the world of ‘pants boss’, who makes money based on his name, but ends up living as a ‘dead man’ after being falsely accused of embezzling 100 billion won. This is a story about a group of people who are intertwined with just one name and then go on a chase to get back the lives that were stolen from them.

The production briefing session on this day was attended by director Ha Jun-won and actors including Cho Jin-woong, Kim Hee-ae, and Lee Soo-kyung.

Ha Jun-won is a former scripter for director Bong Joon-ho’s film ‘The Host’ (2006), and after serving as a producer for the independent short films ‘Mother Never Dies’ (2007) and ‘992′ (2012), he made his directing debut with ‘Deadman’.

On this day, Director Ha said about President Baji, “President Baji refers to a person who only lends the name and does not participate in the management of the company. “In the movie, Lee Man-jae lends and sells his name to people and is framed for embezzlement of 100 billion won,” he explained.

He confessed that it was not easy to cover the topic of Boss Baji as it was his first time using it in a movie. “When reporting while making a crime movie, there are many cases where the reporter cannot be exposed. I can’t go into detail because it feels burdensome to mention it. It was difficult to cover the story because the names (of the owners) were not revealed. As the coverage became longer, it took 5 years. “I tried to make an interesting movie with the vast amount of data I had accumulated.”

Director Ha, who wrote the screenplay himself, said, “There are people who use their own name when signing autographs or selling seals, but they cannot live up to that name. I wanted to tell this story as a human being and as a director while seeing people selling their names or dealing with certain events in the name of an agent. I wanted to tell it as a popular story, so I was thinking about it, and ‘Pants Boss’ came to mind. “I thought it would be a very harmonious combination when combined with the topic of selling names,” he explained the process of selecting the material.

Cho Jin-woong played the role of Lee Man-jae, the ace of the pantsuit company. “The character changes very rapidly. So, I wanted to throw myself 100% into that situation and face it. “I wanted to express the various emotions I felt in the situation in a raw way,” he said, adding that he wanted to capture the emotions he felt on set rather than acting prepared in advance.

Jo Jin-woong continued, “(Lee Man-jae) wakes up in a coffin, and that situation made the character even more desperate. “I think the emotions I felt in that situation made the character more sticky,” he added. He said, “(The Baji boss world) seems like an unknown world because the director said it was difficult to cover. I think Bajisajang is a vague word. When I first encountered the scenario, I thought it was a well-concocted story. Since I heard about it on the news, it seems like it could have actually happened. I think it must be so widespread in our society that it appears on current affairs reporting programs. “I think I need to come to my senses,” he added.

Kim Hee-ae played the role of Ms. Shim, a top political consultant with a reputation for making a name for herself through her natural resourcefulness. “When she first read the script, she was blown away,” she said. There was a lot of very technical talk, like watching a documentary. It is said that the director personally visited and investigated the story, but it is still dramatic. As it moves between reality and fiction, it becomes confusing as to what is real and what is fake. “She was a lot of fun,” she said of her reason for appearing.

“Director Ha said he had a relationship with director Bong Joon-ho, so he showed him the script. After reading the script, Director Bong said, ‘I can’t think of which female actress should play Ms. Shim in Woori Nari.’ That’s how attractive Ms. Shim is. If she were an actress, this would be a very coveted role for her. I’m not saying I’m like that, but Ms. Sim is really mysterious and attractive. She has great power. When they say she has power, she means ‘money.’ Ms. Shim also has an airplane in her car. (Laughs)”

Kim Hee-ae, who made a big change in her visuals, said, “I have played many different roles, but I wanted to look different on the outside as well. “As an actor, I was happy because it was the most exciting and fun task to look different from previous characters,” she said.

Kim Hee-ae said about Cho Jin-woong, “Cho Jin-woong has done a lot of good works so far, but this time, he leads the way from beginning to end, and I think he will show a different side of himself through ‘Deadman.’” Cho Jin-woong also said, “Senior Kim Hee-ae is a very strong actress. She and Lee Soo-kyung are juniors who are good at acting, so she was good to work with in acting.”

Lee Soo-kyung plays the role of Gong Hee-joo, the operator of the ‘Lee Man-jae is alive’ channel who follows the whereabouts of Lee Man-jae (Cho Jin-woong). “I came across the word Bajisajang on a current affairs program. When she read the script, she said, “It was fun to see the three characters working together like cogs.”

However, it is said that a lot of research was done on the fact that Gong Hee-joo’s actual personality and Gong Hee-joo’s personality are different. “I tried to figure out how to improve my usually lukewarm personality. “I wanted to raise the temperature,” he said. “It helped me a lot to play this character by putting on more makeup than I expected.”

Cho Jin-woong, Kim Hee-ae, and Lee Soo-kyung, who are known for their good acting, met for the first time through ‘Deadman,’ but their acting synergy is maximized, raising expectations. Attention is rising to see whether it will become a crime drama that families can watch together during this Lunar New Year holiday.

‘Deadman’ opens in theaters on February 7th.

/ purplish@osen.co.kr