K-culture has achieved another extraordinary success. The pure domestic animated film 'King of Kings' (directed by Jang Seong-ho), inspired by Charles Dickens' novel 'The Life of Our Lord', has created a sensation by ranking second in the all-time Asian animation score in North America and first in the all-time box office for Korean films.
'King of Kings' tells the story of the great British author Charles Dickens narrating the tale of the true king 'Jesus' to his youngest son, Walter, embarking on a time travel journey to the moment Jesus was born 2,000 years ago.
In particular, 'King of Kings' features a large number of Hollywood stars, including Kenneth Branagh, Oscar Isaac, Uma Thurman, and Pierce Brosnan, surprising both Korea and the United States.
On the 14th, ahead of its domestic release, director Jang Seong-ho met with reporters at a café in Jongno, Seoul, and credited casting director Jamie Thomasin, who worked at Disney for 16 years, for the remarkable local casting.
“I noticed that most people trying to break into Hollywood go through brokers, and often the work doesn’t materialize. Since I had previously worked in Hollywood, I was able to connect directly with Jamie Thomasin through staff I knew. Fortunately, he liked my project and said, ‘I will use my one card in my life for this movie.’”
While the casting was smooth due to working with the reputable Jamie Thomasin, the actors also showed deep affection for the script. In particular, Kenneth Branagh, who is both an actor and a writer/director and has won an Oscar, commented, “Even if I had written a script on this subject, it wouldn’t have been this easy.” Jamie Thomasin used Branagh's recommendation when making casting proposals to other actors.
There were also stories about Oscar Isaac, who plays the role of 'Jesus'. There were difficulties in casting the character of Jesus, which was the last puzzle piece after all other casting was completed. There were even cases where it almost reached a final contract but failed.
“While watching the movie 'Dune', I saw Oscar Isaac and thought he had the image of 'Jesus'. I found out he is a Methodist and has a record of receiving thorough Christian education from his grandparents, so I thought, ‘I have nothing to lose’ and made the offer. However, I received a response just five days after sending the script package. In Korea, it’s already considered very fast for an actor to respond in a month, but in Hollywood, it’s almost unheard of.”
In particular, during the recording, Oscar Isaac told the director, “Usually, when I take on a role, I analyze the character very thoroughly, but I didn’t do any of that for this project.” He mentioned that since he had received Christian education from his grandparents since childhood, the character of Jesus was already in his mind.
“However, Oscar Isaac expressed that he wanted to portray a very modern Jesus. I thought it was a good idea and encouraged him to go for it, but a very laid-back Jesus came out. I wondered if it was a bit too much, but the response in America was very positive and good.”
As much as Hollywood, the domestic voice casting is also impressive. The lineup includes Lee Byung-hun, Jin Seon-kyu, Lee Ha-nee, Yang Dong-geun, Cha In-pyo, Kwon Oh-jung, Jang Kwang, and Choi Ha-ri. However, Lee Byung-hun is known as a non-Christian and a Buddhist. What was the reason for casting him?
“The representative of 'The Outlaws', Jang Won-seok, suggested that it would be good to have a 'strong actor'. Since it’s Christian content, animation, and seems like a minor work, the intention was to attract general public interest. There was a question of whether Lee Byung-hun would take the role, but I heard that if it’s a good project, he would respond.”
Given that Lee Byung-hun's wife, actress Lee Min-jung, comes from a devout Christian family, that influence might have played a role as well. Additionally, director Jang mentioned, “Lee Byung-hun had a desire to be part of a film that could be watched with his child,” and “It didn’t take long to get an okay to the proposal.” (Continued in [Interview ②])
[Kim Mi-ji, Star Today Reporter]
