[Interview] Kang Ha-neul Reveals the Secret to His Flavorful Comedy Acting in 'The First Ride'

Those teenagers who said there was no 'next' become thirty-somethings who hand out 'next' like it's a blank check. A congressional aide who is hesitant to take a vacation, a basketball player hopeful who has lost his dreams and is just relying on the hospital, a rebellious child from a Buddhist family who wants to be a tattoo artist, a younger sibling who always tags along to gatherings without knowing exactly what they do, and a friend who has gone abroad for good and hasn't been seen for a while. Now in their thirties, they decide to put aside their social facades for a moment and instead of 'next', they choose to leave 'now'. To Thailand, which they longed to visit in their teens.

〈The First Ride〉 is a comedy film that marks the return of Kang Ha-neul exactly ten years after his appearance in 〈Twenty〉 (Lee Byung-hun, 2015). It feels somewhat bittersweet that the vigorous twenty-somethings who valued 'now' have become thirty-somethings who seem to only promise 'next'. As Kang Ha-neul puts it, while 〈Twenty〉 represents a 'growing period', 〈The First Ride〉 is closer to a 'survival period'. The teenagers and young adults who grew day by day have now become thirty-somethings who must survive day by day, and they want to embark on a 'crazy trip' that will never happen again, wanting to be foolish like in the past.

〈The First Ride〉 is a work that reunites director Nam Dae-jung, who caused a box office sensation with 〈30 Days〉, and Kang Ha-neul. The unique rhythm and free-spirited offbeat comedy that director Nam Dae-jung showcased in 〈30 Days〉 is vividly present in 〈The First Ride〉, and Kang Ha-neul's flavorful 'taste of words' and his adept timing add to the film's enjoyment.

As the film 〈The First Ride〉 is set to be released on the 31st, Cineplay met with actor Kang Ha-neul, who plays the role of Tae-jung, on the afternoon of the 24th in Jongno, Seoul, to discuss the film. Although Kang Ha-neul is known for his friendly demeanor, the interview revealed that he is more critical of his own acting than anyone else.

You reunited with director Nam Dae-jung from 〈30 Days〉. I'm curious about your feelings when you were first offered 〈The First Ride〉 and your thoughts on collaborating with director Nam Dae-jung again.

The director is great. But the script is always the most important thing. When I read the script, it was really fun. The script was interesting, and the director was great too. Whenever I read a script by director Nam Dae-jung, the situations are so creative. I can expand my imagination to the universe while reading it. So, reading a script by director Nam Dae-jung makes me feel like my imagination is enriched, and I found it very enjoyable.

Director Nam Dae-jung said that you brought the acting to life in a flavorful way. He mentioned that scenes even became more interesting than the script. Did you act a bit differently from the script?

I think he said that for promotional purposes. (laughs) Rather than me doing it differently, I discussed it with the director and we made changes together. For example, in the airport scene at the end with Ok-sim (Han Sun-hwa), originally Tae-jung was just watching Ok-sim being dragged away. But I wanted it to fit my character, so I consulted with the director and created the dialogue. Originally, he was just looking at the ring and watching Ok-sim being dragged away. But I changed it so that Tae-jung calls Ok-sim back and gives her advice.

Was that dialogue created on the spot? Are you the type to suggest additional lines on set if you want to?

It took about a day. The day before shooting, I thought I wanted to change it, so I wrote the script and rearranged it with the director on set. I don't prepare it alone; I first discuss it with the director. When I talked to the director, he said, 'Then why don't you try writing it?' so I wrote it and brought it. From the moment I read the script, I thought Tae-jung is 'T', so I think that's how I created the dialogue.

From what you say, it seems like 〈The First Ride〉 was a flexible and free set.

I think the biggest strength of director Nam Dae-jung is his 'openness'. In almost every scene, the director and all the actors gather for a meeting. We discuss how we can make it more fun, what we can do. It's incredibly comfortable. As a result, the set was very enjoyable. (Kim) Young-gwang has a lot of ideas. But he doesn't speak up much. (laughs) He keeps asking me to do it. 'Hey, Ha-neul, don't you think this would be really fun?' and then I go and say it. When I always say that the script is the basic framework when I watch a work, it carries a lot of meaning. In fact, I think there are hardly any perfectly written scripts. But what's important is whether the empty spots in that script can be filled with my imagination. When I read it that way, it's actually very fun. Even if it's not a perfect script, there are scripts that fit my imagination perfectly. And if I found the script enjoyable, it can also be fun on set. When I say the script is fun, it is based on the premise that the set I participate in will be fun. I believe that the set must be enjoyable and fun. If I think it will be a very intense and sensitive set, I tend to decline.

〈The First Ride〉 features many unique settings. In particular, the setting where the character Yeon-min (Cha Eun-woo) always carries a doll during the Thailand trip is the most unique. While working on such a unique film, what was the part you paid the most attention to?

When I thought about how to break through these unique settings, I thought I should push through with 'momentum'. And the existence of the doll was the part I pondered the most in this work. The setting of the doll was interesting and stimulated my imagination. I thought the character Tae-jung should represent the audience's perspective. So when the doll suddenly appeared, Tae-jung had to express the feeling of 'Huh, what is this?'. Without that acting, accepting the doll would be left to the audience. So I added a lot of acting that wasn't there before. The reaction when the doll appeared at the airport, the acting of hitting the doll at the Thai airport, those were originally not in the script, but I felt I had to express the feelings of the audience.

The five friends in 〈The First Ride〉 are all strong characters. Among them, Tae-jung is a hardworking workaholic who excels in studying, fighting, and working. What do you think of the character Tae-jung?

I think the character Tae-jung plays the role of a mediator. I see him as a standard character who balances the unique characters. And I believe that in this work and in all works, there is a total amount of energy in every scene. If someone takes this much energy, the rest has to match the remaining total.

In 〈The First Ride〉, actor Cha Eun-woo, who is currently serving in the military, appears. How was the chemistry with Cha Eun-woo?

Actually, if he looks like that, he might have a bad personality. (laughs) But he is very easygoing, humble, and has a great personality. It feels a bit presumptuous to talk about his strengths, but I'm really grateful for him being such a nice person, and we were able to become friends easily. Even during breaks, we joke around, and I think that shows well in the film. When you go to the military, the only way to watch movies is to pay for them, so when you go to the military, you become part of the state, and as an audience, you have to pay to watch 〈The First Ride〉. (laughs)

Especially, it must have been an interesting experience to work with actress Han Sun-hwa, who is known for her comedic acting in the film 〈Pilot〉 and the drama 〈Women of the City Drinking〉. What was your impression of Han Sun-hwa?

I was very grateful and even respected her. I am someone who has only acted, while (Han) Sun-hwa came from a different path to acting. However, she has truly gone all in on acting and has put in an incredible amount of effort. She comes with multiple versions of a scene. I am very grateful and respectful of that.

〈The First Ride〉 also reminds me of the film 〈Twenty〉 that you starred in ten years ago. I think you must have had thoughts about that while filming.

Since it was such an old film, I didn't think about it while filming, but while watching 〈The First Ride〉, I did think of 〈Twenty〉 a little. So I thought about rewatching 〈Twenty〉 for the first time in a while. I usually don't rewatch my films. I only saw 〈Twenty〉 once during a screening, and I haven't watched it again, but now I feel like it might be time to watch it again. While 〈Twenty〉 was a coming-of-age story of naive friends, 〈The First Ride〉 feels like a survival story.

Like 〈30 Days〉, 〈The First Ride〉 showcases Kang Ha-neul's unique 'taste of words'. If you have a secret to your comedic acting, what would it be?

I really can't talk about myself... Since I was young, I have been more interested in the set than in acting. Even when no one knew me, I would go to the filming team to look at the cameras and lenses. I would watch the editors and think, 'Oh, they cut that scene like this and put it together like that, and if I do this, my dialogue will be heard without my face being seen.' I had a lot of interest in those technical aspects. So when I watch works, I tend to focus on the technical aspects. Therefore, when I act, I don't see it from my first-person perspective as Kang Ha-neul, but rather from the audience's perspective watching this scene. So if I am faithful to the emotions in this scene, the dialogue becomes slow. But if the audience is sitting in their seats watching this movie, I think about whether making the dialogue slow in this scene would be boring or convincing. I consider those things and try to speed up the dialogue or give more impact to the following situation. So rather than thinking about my tone of acting, I tend to think about the people who will be listening to the dialogue first.

Then, is there a part of your dialogue or scene that you like the most? Or if it's not your scene, could you point out the funniest scene in 〈The First Ride〉?

As I mentioned earlier, when I watch my acting, I always think, 'I should have done it like that.' It's hard for me to view my acting objectively, or maybe I'm too objective. I think that way in almost every scene. If the camera was capturing it from there, I would have done it like this, and I always have that feeling. So I can't really focus on my films. The funniest part was the ending. (Choi) Gwi-hwa made the scene where the congressman talks while lying in bed very funny. I don't really like humor that is primitive, but strangely, that scene was very funny.

Do you also tend to focus on technical aspects when watching other films?

I mostly watch them that way. The downside is that it makes it hard for me to emotionally immerse myself in the film. A film that I can emotionally get lost in without thinking about the tempo or editing points is a really good work for me. I like 〈About Time〉 and 〈Forrest Gump〉, and when I watch those, I don't see the points I mentioned earlier; I just see the film itself.

Then, based on that standard, what recent film did you enjoy watching?

I really liked the Netflix film 〈Athena〉. It's a one-take film, and it's really good. Also, 〈Demon Slayer: Kimetsu No Yaiba The Movie: Infinity Castle〉. (laughs)

This time, you also sang the OST. You performed 'THE FIRST RIDE' with Kim Young-gwang, Kang Young-seok, and Han Sun-hwa during the ending credits. It must have been a new experience.

I had done OSTs for the film 〈DONGJU; The Portrait of A Poet〉 and the drama 〈Angel Eyes〉, but I sang alone then. This time, doing it together was a unique experience. It felt like we were creating memories with this film. Although the music is something we present to everyone, in a way, it felt like a song that created memories for us.

Recently, you appeared on 〈Radio Star〉 with actress Kang Ji-young and revealed that you had Japanese lessons with her. Why and how did you start studying Japanese?

I am currently studying both English and Japanese. I originally studied only through apps, but I heard from people that to learn a language quickly, you need to converse with someone, so I looked for a teacher on 'Soomgo'. I actually found a teacher on 'Soomgo' and met at a cafe to learn English and Japanese. However, since my schedule is flexible, it was hard to keep it up. But when I met (Kang) Ji-young on set, she said she speaks Japanese at a native level. So I asked her if she could correct a text I send her when she has time, even though I can't pay her for lessons, and she said of course, so I did it, but I ended up running away. It wasn't easy. She can text so comfortably, but I have to struggle for 20 minutes every time I send a text, so now I'm too exhausted to continue. So now I'm just using apps for both English and Japanese. I'm using 'Duolingo', 'Drops', and 'Speak'. It's not for acting at all. It's because all the works I love are in English or Japanese, so I think it would be better if I could understand them without subtitles.

This year, it could be said that it's 'Monthly Kang Ha-neul', as many works featuring Kang Ha-neul have been released, including the film 〈Streaming〉, 〈Opposition〉, 〈84 Square Meters〉, the Netflix series 〈Squid Game〉 Season 3, and the drama 〈Your Taste〉. Despite this, Kang Ha-neul's image does not seem to be exhausted and feels fresh every time.

If you think that, I appreciate it. But I don't worry about that; I don't think about whether doing many works will make me stale or exhausted. Once I start thinking that way, I really become exhausted and stale. There are definitely people who are starting to find me stale now. Nevertheless, I believe that not thinking that way is actually beneficial for me.

With 〈The First Ride〉, the relay of works featuring Kang Ha-neul this year comes to an end. Do you feel relieved? And what mindset do you plan to have for acting next year?

I do feel relieved. Since 〈The First Ride〉 is the end of the year. An actor doesn't move proactively; they can only move if someone chooses them. So, I want to show the best version of myself to the person who chooses me, and that mindset doesn't change much. If someone chooses me next year, I will work hard to be able to do what they want me to do.

Finally, I'm curious about your own experience of 'The First Ride'.

I went to a high school that has a sisterhood with the Shanghai Drama Academy, so I had been there before, but the trip I consider my 'official first trip' is the trip to Osaka, Japan, I took with a friend when I was a freshman in college at the age of twenty. Even though it was 17 years ago, I still think about it sometimes while sitting at home. It was my first overseas trip, so I thought I could manage with about 100,000 to 150,000 won for a week, including accommodation, and I took 150,000 won with me. My friend scolded me for being out of my mind. At that time, we both didn't speak the language and walked everywhere. We walked a distance that would take 30 minutes by subway. But that memory is still vivid.