“No guarantee appearance? I just want to look good. Haha”
Actor Park Jung-min is once again surprising audiences in his own way. In the new film ‘Face’ (directed by Yeon Sang-ho), he challenges himself with a ‘dual role’ by playing both a son and his father at a young age, showcasing his unique presence.
‘Face’, invited to the ‘Special Presentation’ section of the 50th Toronto International Film Festival, tells the story of Dong-hwan, the son of visually impaired engraving master Lim Young-kyu, who uncovers the truth after discovering the bones of his mother, who was thought to have been missing for 40 years.
The original work is a graphic novel of the same name by director Yeon Sang-ho. Kwon Hae-hyo plays the elderly master Lim Young-kyu, while Shin Hyun-bin portrays the mother Jeong Young-hee, who cannot even show her face.
He said, “At first, I wanted to play the father’s role, but I thought ‘dual role’ would be more efficient. The director was also considering it,” adding, “I thought it would be interesting for the son to play the young father. Although the preparation period was only two weeks, I focused more on the atmosphere and feeling rather than forcing the character.”
His acting is also infused with personal experience. He confessed, “My father actually lost his sight in an accident. When I was acting as the son, the moments when I usually offered my elbow naturally came to mind,” and added, “While preparing for the father’s role, the fact that I wanted to show him but he couldn’t see complicated my feelings.”
“As always, during the selection process, I didn’t have any particular thoughts (about my father). Rather, I ended up thinking a lot about my father during the preparation process.”
The production cost was 200 million won. It’s a low-budget film, but the quality of the work was by no means small. Amid the dedication and passion of many, Park Jung-min chose to appear without a guarantee.
He said, “I thought it would be better to use the appearance fee for a dinner party. Since I was helping anyway, I wanted to help generously. I wanted to look good,” and laughed, “I promised only a running guarantee with the mindset that if it succeeds, we would share it together.”
The filming site reminded him of his early days in independent films. “There were staff members I worked with on ‘The Guard’. It was nostalgic to shoot with about twenty people,” he said.
Meanwhile, he is currently on a ‘sabbatical’. He has temporarily paused his activities as an actor and is actively running an independent publishing company called ‘Muje’ as its representative.
He explained the reason for declaring a break, saying, “I felt like I was going to the filming site too much, and I wondered if that was good for me as Park Jung-min. If I keep getting caught up in a glamorous schedule, a person can’t work hard every day.”
Ironically, however, he is busier than ever. He explained, “As someone responsible for the results of the writers, I didn’t want to just sit in the back room,” adding, “I gained a lot of new perspectives while directly handling the branding and promotion of the publishing company.”
His experience as a publishing company representative has provided Park Jung-min with another lesson. “When I worked as an actor, I was always supported by someone. But after becoming a representative, I found myself in a position where I had to protect my employees from getting hurt. I’ve come to understand a bit of the feelings of those who supported me all this time,” he said.
Fortunately, the first-year performance of the publishing company was profitable. He expressed satisfaction, saying, “It’s not an enormous profit, but I earned enough to hire one more employee and invest more in books.”
Just as he shifts between the two faces of a son and a father in the film, in reality, he is navigating between being an actor and a representative, expanding his world. Although the titles may change, the attitude that runs through Park Jung-min remains the same. A sincere desire to look good and to do well. The film ‘Face’ clearly shows where that sincerity is directed.
“I try not to use shortcuts. I feel the happiest when I hear the words ‘You’re doing it right.’ I do exhibitions and produce audiobooks, but the market size is small, so I don’t make a lot of profit. However, I want to gather strength for the authenticity that books possess. Isn’t our film also a work completed with such a heart? That’s why I was truly happy. (Laughs)”
