‘Troll Factory’ Actor Hong Kyung ‘Sent Director a Two-Page Character Analysis’

▲ A profile photo of actor Hong Kyung, provided by mmm Management. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, March 26 (Yonhap) -- In the upcoming film "Troll Factory," directed by Ahn Gooc-jin and set to release on the 27th of this month, actor Hong Kyung (28) plays the role of 'Faptek,' a member of the comment manipulation brigade 'Team Alep' that operates behind the scenes.

 

The members of Team Alep include 'Jjingbeoking' (played by Kim Seong-cheol), 'Chat Tatkat' (played by Kim Dong-hwi), and Faptek, who spend most of their time in cyberspace, being referred to by their online IDs rather than their real names.

 

Initially engaging in commenting on social networking services (SNS) and online communities as a joke, they gradually become involved in criminal activities as they learn how to manipulate public opinion. Especially Faptek, driven by greed, becomes entrenched in online manipulation and clashes with his colleagues.

 

In a meeting at a café in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, on the 25th, Hong Kyung expressed his thoughts on Faptek, saying, "I thought of him as a very lonely person" and described him as someone who "wants recognition somewhere for his existence but doesn't get it easily."

 

▲ A still photo of film "Troll Factory," provided by Acemaker Movienetworks, shows actor Hong Kyung (C). (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Having won the Best New Actor award at the 57th Baeksang Arts Awards for his portrayal of a young man with intellectual disabilities in the movie "Innocence" (2020), Hong Kyung is known for his serious approach to acting.

 

He delved deeply into the character of Faptek this time as well, analyzing the script to understand how to make the character come alive.

 

"I thought about how to make this friend (Faptek) a living character. I summarized my thoughts on what kind of character he is, both externally and internally, in a two-page document and sent it to the director."

 

He actively shared his opinions with Director Ahn about the relationships among Faptek and the other members of Team Alep.

 

"All three of them have distinct personalities and different aspects, so I believed that there should be intense conflicts and ruptures among them for the story to have power, and I told the director that."

 

▲ A still photo of film "Troll Factory," provided by Acemaker Movienetworks, shows actor Hong Kyung. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

"Troll Factory" unfolds as the protagonist, Sang-jin (played by Son Suk-ku), a journalist from a newspaper's social department, uncovers the identity of Team Alep based on a tip-off. There are no scenes where Sang-jin and Faptek appear together, so Kim Dong-hwi didn't directly interact with Son Suk-ku.

 

"Senior Son Suk-ku led the ship along with Director Ahn, and I followed along to lend support as much as I could. It was a valuable experience. I would be very happy if there's an opportunity in the future for us to work together closely."

 

He confessed to Son Suk-ku that he was a fanboy and reminisced about learning a lot about acting by asking questions whenever there was a chance on set.

 

Working with Director Ahn was also a valuable experience for him.

 

"While I only saw the trees in front of me, the director saw the whole forest. So when the director said, 'Let's jump this way,' I followed along saying, 'I don't know, let's jump,' and as a result, moments unfolded that I hadn't even thought of, and I realized, 'Ah, this is a movie.'"

 

Hong Kyung takes great pride in the resulting film, "Troll Factory."

 

"I feel like our film has captured both narrative and visual aspects well. I'm proud to have contributed to a meaningful work in my 20s."

 

 

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