Kang Ha-neul, 'The First Ride' Scenario: "Laughter Never Stopped"

Actor Kang Ha-neul shared his impressions when he first encountered the script of 〈The First Ride〉. At a production report held on the 25th at CGV Yongsan I-Park Mall in Seoul, he said, "When I read the script, I usually visualize the scenes in my head, but 〈The First Ride〉 was funny every time a scene was visualized," adding, "It was a script where laughter never stopped."

〈The First Ride〉 is a comedy film that humorously depicts the process of friends who have known each other for 24 years going on their first overseas trip. It features five characters: Tae-jung (Kang Ha-neul), the one who sees the end, Do-jin (Kim Young-kwang), the cheerful one, Yeon-min (Cha Eun-woo), the handsome one, Geum-bok (Kang Young-seok), the one who sleeps with his eyes open, and Ok-sim (Han Sun-hwa), the lovely one.

Kang Ha-neul reported that he acted joyfully with the other actors on set like long-time friends. He stated, "When you are with an old friend, it doesn't matter what position you hold at work; it becomes fun and silly, and that was the feeling this time. At first, I tried to hold back my laughter, but there were so many precious moments in each scene that I just laughed out loud."

This work is Kang Ha-neul's second project with director Nam Dae-jung in two years, following the film 〈Love Reset〉. Both works are in the comedy genre, and Kang Ha-neul remarked, "I don't think I've ever met a director again so soon after such a short time. We knew each other's styles, so there was no need for long discussions."

Kang Ha-neul, who played a lawyer in 〈Love Reset〉, takes on the role of a congressional aide this time. Regarding taking on intelligent roles consecutively, he laughed, saying, "It feels like the directors are teasing me, thinking, 'This role would be fun to give him.' But I'm not really an intelligent person."

Director Nam Dae-jung expressed satisfaction with Kang Ha-neul. He said, "I felt that Kang Ha-neul is the actor who can express the works I write and direct in the most flavorful way," adding, "This time, he did even better than I expected. I was so satisfied that I told Kang Ha-neul on set, 'I would be happy to work with you alone.'"

Director Nam also evaluated the casting of Kim Young-kwang, Kang Young-seok, Han Sun-hwa, and Cha Eun-woo as perfect. He stated, "After watching the edited version, it was proven that choosing Han Sun-hwa was the right decision," adding, "The character Yeon-min, played by Cha Eun-woo, was one that wouldn't make sense without him, and coincidentally, Cha Eun-woo also wanted to try comedy acting, so our needs matched. It was a blessing from our ancestors."

The actors unanimously agreed that the chemistry in the script and on set was great. Han Sun-hwa shared, "The script was so fun that I read it three times in a row in one sitting," and added, "The chemistry with Kang Ha-neul, Kim Young-kwang, Kang Young-seok, and Cha Eun-woo was so precious that I wanted to keep it to myself."

Han Sun-hwa shared a story about a text message she received from Kang Ha-neul after filming, shedding tears at the production report. She said, "I relied a lot on actor Kang Ha-neul for acting, and he left me good words regarding that," adding, "Thanks to his words, I thought I should work hard when filming next time."

Cha Eun-woo, who could not attend the production report due to military service, sent a video message saying, "It seems like a work where I can feel the memories and nostalgia of my school days once again," and added, "I hope you enjoy the scenes that share those moments together in the theater."

The movie 〈The First Ride〉 is scheduled to be released on the 29th of next month.