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| ▲ This photo of South Korean actor Ahn Bo-hyun is provided by CJ ENM. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap) |
SEOUL, Aug. 8 (Yonhap) -- “I cried a lot while filming a scene in the latter half of the shoot. My eyes swelled up so much that we had to take a break and reshoot it later,” actor Ahn Bo-hyun recalled, speaking about a moment during the filming of “Pretty Crazy,” the new film by director Lee Sang-geun of “Exit” (2019), his first work in six years.
The scene he referred to is not one where his character, Gil-gu, displays intense emotions, but Ahn said he became overwhelmed while immersed in the relationships between the characters.
Meeting with Yonhap News at a café in Samcheong-dong, central Seoul, on Thursday, Ahn said, “I still feel the lingering emotions from watching the completed version for the first time at the premiere yesterday. I hope audiences feel healed after watching it.”
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| ▲ This photo of South Korean actor Ahn Bo-hyun is provided by CJ ENM. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE)(Yonhap) |
In the film, Gil-gu is a young man who quits his job after failing to endure office life and struggles to find his footing. He takes a part-time job protecting Seon-ji (Lim Yoon-a), who has moved into the apartment below his. Though he has no particular strengths to boast of, he is portrayed as inherently kind and “harmless.”
For Ahn, who was a boxer until his final year of high school and showcased intense action acting last year in the film “Veteran 2,” playing the awkward and gentle Gil-gu was a refreshing transformation.
“It was a character that contrasted sharply with the strong roles I’ve played so far, so I approached it as a challenge,” he said. “Although he’s an unemployed man who’s lost his way for a while, I liked that he’s a character who can make someone feel valued.”
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| ▲ This still of "Pretty Crazy" is provided by CJ ENM and filmmaker R&K. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap) |
Expanding his acting spectrum was also a significant achievement for him as an actor. “The biggest thing I gained from this project was confidence,” Ahn said. “It made me feel that I don’t have to be afraid of trying different genres in the future.”
Gil-gu’s signature surprised-and-bewildered “oh” expression was inspired by a face demonstrated by director Lee himself. “Gil-gu’s way of speaking, his expressions, the rise and fall of his tone—all of these reflect a lot of director Lee,” Ahn said. “It really helped that he personally demonstrated expressions for me.”
Ahn said that even two years after filming ended, he and the director still talk frequently. Although filming wrapped two years ago, the movie will finally be released on Aug. 13 after time-consuming post-production and editing.
He described the director as “someone with a harmlessness that makes you forget he’s a director, like an easygoing older brother in the neighborhood.”
Speaking about his co-star Lim Yoon-a, he said, “When you hear ‘Girls’ Generation’s Yoon-a,’ you might think she has an unapproachable aura, but in reality, she’s very down-to-earth and warm.”
“It’s deeply moving just to have a film we worked on so hard and joyfully finally playing in theaters. I hope as many people as possible come and fully experience its ‘healing elements.’”
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