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| yna@yna.co.kr 2023-01-30 17:57:24
SEOUL, Jan. 30 (Yonhap) -- South Korean director Kang Yoon-sung, known as the director of the smash-hit film “The Outlaws,” has dropped a realistic Disney+’s original crime drama series, titled “Big Bet.”
During an interview held at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on Monday, Director Kang said, “I wanted everyone who watches our drama series to feel like we have put a hidden camera in a space called ‘Big Bet.’”
“Big Bet,” with the last episode of the first season recently released, depicts the story of Cha Moo-sik – played by Choi Min-sik –, a man who became a legendary figure in a casino in the Phillippines and gets tangled in a murder case. A total of 16 episodes will be released in two seasons, and season 2 of this drama series (episodes 9 to 16) will be available from Feb. 15.
The drama series shows in detail the process of Cha Moo-sik going through childhood difficulties due to poverty, then setting up and operating a casino bar in Busan, and eventually moving to the Phillippines to become the godfather of the dark world. “Big Bet” did receive some negative remarks as it weighed more heavily on the background story of the characters than on the dramatic events that took place in the casino.
“I did spot some negative comments in the beginning; however, I heard that positive reviews did eventually show up as we got on track toward the second half,” the Director said. “The reason why we shared more background stories of the characters in the beginning was to have the viewers not merely chase after the characters but to understand that these were not a series of unpredictable accidents.”
“I wanted the viewers to have the opportunity to indirectly experience how our characters accept the challenge of life and live through those challenges,” he said. “The drama is the story of fire moths flying towards a lantern called the ‘casino’ to pursue their desires and are eventually burned to death.”
“In the second season, Oh Seung-hoon – played by Son Seok-goo – will be making interventions in the story. You can look forward to Choi Moo-sik being arrested as a murder suspect,” Director Kang said.
Director Kang then explained, “Choi Moo-sik is an attractive character who lives as if there is no tomorrow; although he is the main protagonist, he is neither a good person nor a bad one. I did not have any lessons or messages to send via Cha Moo-sik. I just wanted viewers to follow through this character’s life.”
There are also several other eye-catching characters that captivate viewers with different charms other than Cha Moo-sik; Director Kang said that he actively accepted the opinions of the actors who starred in the drama series while building the characters.
Oh Seung-hoon – a police officer dispatched from Korea played by Son Seok-goo – or Jung-pal – Cha Moo-sik’s right-hand man played by Lee Dong-hwi – both initially had strong personalities according to the original scenario; however, the actors exchanged their opinions with Director Kang and added more colors to their personalities.
Director Kang said, “I wrote the script and directed it; however, I do think that changes can be made to the script while shooting,” adding, “Actors changing the lines to one’s own language makes the script even better, and Son Suk-gu did bring changes to the English lines himself.”
“There are 170 characters that appear in the drama series, which means that there are more than 10 people appearing in each episode,” he said. “When I wrote the script, I tried to give a name even to a minor role or supporting role if possible. Only then can actors can really get prepared and act it while feeling attached to the character.”
“Big Bet” also garnered attention by having Choi Min-sik appearing in a drama for the first time in 25 years.
Director Kang said that he initially was preparing for the Korean remake of the American film “Intern” (2015) with Actor Choi but the film got canceled, which brought Actor Choi to join the cast of “Big Bet.”
Director Kang said, “Actor Choi said that it would be better to focus on the emotional aspects and changes of the character rather than on the action scenes, which was something that made our drama even better.” As he expressed respect for the great actor, the Director added, “There is something different in the way the Actor looks and analyzes the work.”
(This article is translated from Korean to English by Ha eun Lee)
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