[Interview] Park Jung-min of 'The Ugly' Says, “In This Work, You Will See a Face of Mine That the Audience Has Never Seen Before”

The movie 〈The Ugly〉 was a new challenge for actor Park Jung-min in many ways. With this work, Park Jung-min took on the challenge of playing two roles for the first time and showcased his performance as a visually impaired character. He also stepped out of his usual acting style and performed more boldly, ultimately revealing a new side of himself. 〈The Ugly〉 has garnered attention for Park Jung-min's new challenge, his 'no guarantee' participation, and his personal narrative intertwined with his visually impaired father, but his journey with this film is solely based on his trust in the original work by director Yeon Sang-ho. His recent endeavors, including running the publishing company Muje and taking on the live stage performance 'Life of Pi', all stem from his affectionate feelings towards the works he loves. I met with Park Jung-min to discuss this work 〈The Ugly〉, the character he plays, and his recent activities.

First, I’m curious about your thoughts after watching the final completed film.

I watched it twice. Once was long before the release when I saw an edited version on the monitor at the production company's office. Even then, I felt it was okay, but after attending the Toronto International Film Festival and seeing it in a theater for the first time, I felt proud. I had expectations that it would turn out well, but I also had some concerns, and the director made it so well. And since it’s a very Korean story, I was worried about whether North American audiences would appreciate it, but they focused more than I expected, which was surprising and made me proud.

It seems you felt a lot of popularity at the Toronto International Film Festival.

At film festivals, all actors are usually popular. But when I got out of the car, people there were chanting my name. I was a bit surprised. I thought, how do these people know my name? And director Yeon Sang-ho, who saw that scene, said, “I will never ignore you again.” (laughs)

Director Yeon Sang-ho wanted to give you a guarantee, but you refused. Is there a reason for that? Was it because it was a small amount?

I thought it would be better to contribute to the group dinner expenses rather than putting it in my pocket. So I suggested that he use it for the dinner expenses and refused.

In fact, considering your position, it would be difficult to participate without a guarantee, and there must be some scrutiny from those around you. Did you feel any pressure from those perspectives?

I don’t think I thought about it at all. When I first heard about the budget, I expected they wouldn’t give much. (laughs) So I thought that being generous could be a way to work with a smile, and I didn’t care at all about how others would see it. I have participated in quite a few projects without getting paid.

Your 'no guarantee' participation has also become a topic of discussion, but you took on the challenge of playing two roles for the first time in this work. (Park Jung-min played Im Dong-hwan and the younger Im Young-kyu) You mentioned that you suggested taking on two roles first. What was the reason?

The director asked me to join in adapting 〈The Ugly〉 into a film, and since I knew the original work, I said I would understand even without a script. However, my memory was a bit hazy, so I re-read the original work and found that I preferred the role of the younger Im Young-kyu. So I called immediately to ask who would play the younger Im Young-kyu, and he seemed to read my mind and said, “I was also thinking about having one actor play both roles.” So I said, “That’s what I meant,” and it happened. (laughs)

But I thought about it this way. The father and son are connected, and they are characters that cannot be explained without each other. So I thought there would be unique emotional points when one actor plays both characters. I didn’t know exactly what it would be, but I felt it would be good, so I went for it. Fortunately, both the director and many staff members agreed that it was a good idea.

Did you try to mimic the speech of actor Kwon Hae-hyo (who plays the current Im Young-kyu) to make it look natural? I felt that Im Young-kyu and Im Dong-hwan were similar.

No, I didn’t mimic him. His voice is deeper than mine. He has a lower and deeper voice, so I just tried to match that level. I can’t do impressions. I planned to adjust my voice to that extent and physically slouched a bit to make the size difference less noticeable. I only did that, but while watching the movie, I was surprised that the two characters were emotionally connected, and their sync was quite impressive.

In fact, I didn’t discuss that part with the senior, but it seems that we both had a similar perspective on this work.

In the film, it stands out that being a vulnerable person doesn’t mean being good, and being quiet doesn’t mean lacking desire. I’m curious about why the emotions of humiliation and victim mentality had to be associated with the visually impaired character.

The Im Young-kyu character has been blind since childhood, so he has no standards of visual beauty. However, he believes that his wife must be beautiful. I think the director created that character to express such irony.

And the director mentioned this. He wanted to talk about what South Korea, which was looking at high growth in the 1970s, stood on and what it trampled on when he started writing this story. He wanted to reflect on that era of blind development, and the term 'blind' includes the meaning of going without seeing. I think there is a connection between that and Im Young-kyu's visual impairment.

As you mentioned, this film aims to reveal the hidden and forgotten faces of the 1970s and address the absurdities behind Korea's modernization. In that aspect, the reactions of Im Dong-hwan during the interview resonate with the responses of the later generations looking back at that era. I think Im Dong-hwan's expression, which cannot understand the past, is similar to the reactions of the current generation. Did you keep this thematic consciousness in mind while acting?

When acting, I approached it very personally. The son who discovers all these facts can’t really do anything. In the film, Im Dong-hwan is a very incompetent person. He has lived only looking at his father, and even Im Young-kyu says, “If you don’t understand me, you’ll become a parasite.” In that situation, if the father he looks up to collapses, he collapses too, both realistically and psychologically. So I think it was an unavoidable choice.

It’s not that it’s right. It’s not a supportive choice, but from that person’s perspective, I think there was definitely nothing he could do, and I approached it that way. As you mentioned, after watching the film, I also felt that it resonates with the times. It seems to question what we can do in the present era, and I think those points are part of the film's charm.

During the 〈The Ugly〉 press conference, director Yeon Sang-ho said, “I like movies that complain about society.” Which aspects of this work do you think align with that?

I think it’s everything. The director has talked about Im Young-kyu's obsession with success. Im Young-kyu has a twisted inner self due to this obsession, and the director also has a side that reflects on himself, which led him to write those lines. I think those points resonated with me significantly. How far can a person go to succeed? How far can society condone to showcase success? I think it was an opportunity to reflect on that.

So, have you thought about how far you have gone to succeed?

I always think about it. I’ve never done anything bad, but I always hide my emotions. I live with false emotions like Im Young-kyu. And that adaptation becomes a habit, and it’s scary to think that I might confuse that with my true feelings.

At your publishing company Muje, you also produce books for visually impaired readers, and as you mentioned, your father has a visual impairment. Did this movie hold a more personal significance for you?

Actually, that’s not why I chose it. When I decided to do this work, I didn’t think about it at all. At that time, the manuscript for that book had just arrived. I didn’t choose it with any special feelings, but I think I learned a lot during the preparation process after choosing this work.

Anyway, because I have such a family, I think I started to think about what discomfort my father experienced, and while searching for videos to prepare for the role, I found many points that non-visually impaired people do not know. For example, there are yellow tactile paving blocks on the streets. They are very inconvenient when dragging a suitcase, and I didn’t know why they existed before. But I learned that they are devices for visually impaired people, and I discovered many small points like that. So, it became a work that taught me a lot.

As mentioned earlier, you are balancing your work as an actor and the representative of the publishing company Muje, and I think they influence each other. Since both require interpreting works, has it affected your acting?

I haven’t acted since then, so I’m not sure. (Park Jung-min has not started filming any new projects since working as a publishing company representative.) But I think there is some influence. I think I’ve developed a habit of reading more deeply. I have to make sure not to miss anything. Especially with the books from our publishing company, there’s a process of discovering things I hadn’t seen after reading them multiple times, so I’ve gained that trust. I believe that if I receive a script later and keep reading it, I will discover new points. So I think I should look at it a bit more next time.

Besides being a publishing company representative, fans have a few requests for you, Park Jung-min, regarding 'side projects'. First, they hope you write something. You also directed a short film 〈Class Election〉, and they hope you direct again. Do you have any related plans?

Yes. I have a contract for a book that I need to write. As for directing, I have no thoughts at all. I can’t say for sure, but I’m gradually realizing that directing is too difficult. I think it would be too heavy a responsibility to be responsible for so many people. If I have something I really want to say, I might change my mind, but for now, I have no thoughts.

You must be busy preparing for the performance 'Life of Pi'. Please tell us a bit about that. Have you seen the original work?

Yes, I saw it a long time ago. I read the book and watched the movie. It’s a work I really love. In fact, I didn’t have much desire for stage acting, and I was so scared that I even thought I didn’t want to do it. But 'Life of Pi' drew me in.

Has your senior, actor Hwang Jung-min (who is in the same agency as Park Jung-min), given you any advice?

It wasn’t advice, but he said, “If you don’t do it, I will.” That’s about it. (laughs)

Personally, I think you act very well when you make special appearances, bringing the characters to life. Recently, you appeared in 〈The History of Confession〉 and the character 'Ddo-ri Abum' in 〈You and I〉 was impressive. Do you have any secrets to bringing characters to life?

Secrets? I think it’s just because I do it my way. Since it’s a special appearance, directors don’t usually give much direction. I think special appearances are cast because they need your personal touch or your face. So I just go and do it my way, and since I’m a person too, I want to do well in the scenes I’m in, so I put in effort, which leads to the results you mentioned.

You’ve played a wide variety of roles. However, are there any characters you haven’t played yet and would like to?

There are so many I haven’t played. But I don’t have anything specific I want to do. When I think I want to do something, the heavens don’t seem to gift me that role. So it’s been a long time since I’ve desired anything.

I’m not sure what I want to do, but I saw a new film by director Yoon Ga-eun called 〈The Master of the World〉 at the Toronto International Film Festival, and I would like to work with her. I think you can look forward to that film. I always tell people to definitely watch 〈The Master of the World〉 because it’s such a wonderful film.

Finally, I’m curious if you have encountered a new face of yourself after finishing 〈The Ugly〉.

I have a habit of overthinking while acting, but this time, especially when playing the younger Im Young-kyu, I think I let go of that mindset. I felt that it would be acceptable to be a bit bolder in this role. Watching the movie, I saw a face I had never seen before, and the audience will also see a face they have never seen before. It was a meaningful project for me in many ways.