‘The King's Warden’ Park Ji-hoon ① “You must be Danjong, I decided to participate after Director Jang Hang-jun's words”

Although it is a phrase derived from the West, a king is sometimes like the sun. It signifies both the nobility of the 'bloodline' that a king receives from the heavens and the duty to spread light across the world. Therefore, Park Ji-hoon, who plays the deposed king Lee Hong-wi in 〈The King's Warden〉, also had to be like the sun. Before receiving the posthumous title 'Danjong', Lee Hong-wi, the Prince Nosan, was the legitimate heir of the royal bloodline, and his existence shone brightly in the world, making him a figure that those in power feared. Thus, Park Ji-hoon stood on screen as an unfulfilled sun.

In his commercial film debut, Park Ji-hoon is truly the sun. Just as gazing at the sun for a moment leaves an indelible afterimage, Park Ji-hoon, who portrayed Lee Hong-wi, leaves an unavoidable sadness in the audience even in that fleeting moment. If Yoo Hae-jin, who has firmly established himself as a representative actor of Korea, lives up to his name, Park Ji-hoon stands beside him, unwavering, sharing that weight. If there were a category for 'Best Duo of the Year' in film awards, I would assert that they are the strongest candidates this year. Ahead of the release on February 4, I met with Park Ji-hoon on January 23 in a certain place in Jongno, Seoul, to discuss 〈The King's Warden〉.

※ It is noted that descriptions related to the climax of 〈The King's Warden〉 are included.

Additionally, while Lee Hong-wi is referred to by his military title 'Prince Nosan' in the film, for the convenience of the interview, I will unify the notation to the posthumous title 'Danjong'.

There has been a lot of positive feedback since the film's release. Have you looked up any reviews? And how do you feel ahead of the release?

Honestly, I feel honored to have my first film released. The film market is a bit tough right now with only a few works coming out, but I feel like I created a precious memory with great seniors and an excellent director. I think we made really beautiful memories, so I am very grateful. I usually don’t search much, but the director keeps sending me messages. He keeps sending me on KakaoTalk, saying nice things about the work. So while looking at that, I think, 'Wow, another good memory has been created,' and 'A beautiful work has come to life.'

It must have been a huge burden to participate in the film. How did you decide to take part?

Honestly, I felt very heavy-hearted. After all, playing the unfortunate king Danjong, the young former king, made me feel quite sorry. I am someone who has a lot of doubts about my acting, so I thought, 'Can I really convey my face and emotions on screen?' I had a lot of concerns about that. During that time of pressure, I remember Director Jang Hang-jun saying in our fourth meeting, "Ji-hoon, you must be Danjong." Hearing that on my way home made me feel like, 'Maybe I can do this,' and 'Maybe I can trust the director and take on this challenge.' So I decided to overcome that burden and go for it.

Was there a reason why the director gave you that confidence during the fourth meeting?

I couldn’t give a definite answer right away. I had a lot of concerns about the work, and even while reading the script, I had doubts about whether I could portray such deep emotions. As I mentioned earlier, I felt quite sorry about acting out Danjong's feelings... I exchanged a lot of these thoughts with the director. I think he wanted to know me as a person first rather than just discussing the work. So instead of heavy discussions about the project, we talked about lighter topics, starting from 'How was it during Weak Hero?' and exchanged many stories.

How did the director direct you on set?

During readings and on set, he really helped me immerse myself in the moment. Rather than saying, 'Do it this way, do it that way,' he was very open and relaxed. So I had a lot of concerns, but when I asked, "Should I try it this way? Or that way?" he was someone who kept the atmosphere open for the actors to perform comfortably, and at that moment, I thought, 'Wow, he is truly an amazing director.'

I heard you lost 15kg while preparing for this film. How did you lose weight?

I told the director that my first goal was to lose weight. The script was a secondary issue. I wanted to hear the expression 'he looked emaciated' rather than just being thin. I wanted to look like someone who was 'so unfortunate, with chapped lips' and 'looked like they didn’t want to do anything.' To express that, I think I survived on just one apple a day. I didn’t eat meals. Even during filming, I think I tried to avoid drinking water as much as possible. I wanted my voice to have that dryness, so I think I avoided drinking water as much as possible. I aimed to lose weight for a little over two and a half months.

I heard the director wanted to portray Danjong as a strong character. How did you plan to act out that version of Danjong?

I felt that part a lot while reading the script. I realized that he wanted to portray emotions that were not weak. So I wanted to make sure that Danjong didn’t come off as too cowardly or end tragically. I could see that he was trying to write a page that showed that intention in the script, and I was quite surprised while reading it. As I met the townspeople and built relationships, I thought, 'Yes, this person was a king,' and as I gradually became the eyes of a tiger... Although it ends tragically, I believe this young person was not weak. He is a king with enough legitimacy. I felt that if history had changed, this young friend might not have been the unfortunate king.

There are several scenes where Lee Hong-wi shouts or expresses emotions intensely. What aspects did you want to emphasize?

After sending a letter to Prince Geumseong, when he feels, 'I don’t want to lose the people I love because of me anymore,' and sees Taesan (Kim Min) lying down, I think that moment must have been very unpleasant for him. Ultimately, when he faced the reality of losing his loved ones because of himself, I paid a lot of attention to how that king would have shouted... We tried several takes during filming. I shouted like a child, or I imagined how a king with such legitimacy would have shouted with a strong voice... I thought the latter was correct. So even after trying several takes, I remember both Yoo Hae-jin and Director Jang Hang-jun saying that the latter was better, so I shouted in that direction. (laughs)

Your eye acting is impressive in this work as well. You received a lot of compliments for your eyes while playing Yang Si-eun in 〈Weak Hero〉. How did you plan to differentiate your performance in this work? You always seem to have moist eyes in your works. Do you use eye drops for that?

I don’t think I consciously tried to create a difference. I think I depicted the process of capturing the emotion of sadness in more detail while reading the script. While 〈Weak Hero〉 had the image of a socially isolated young friend, I thought the character of Danjong needed to have something within that sadness. So I thought about the feelings of being truly alone, having no family, and having to leave with Maehwa (Jeon Mi-do)... Even though he is young, I felt it was right to express that he should be a bit more immersed in sadness. While 〈Weak Hero〉 was about the emptiness of saying, 'I won’t make friends anymore, I just want to be alone,' Lee Hong-wi needed to be more disconnected, more powerless, and deeper in that sadness. I focused on capturing those details. I did not use eye drops. (laughs)

Historically, Lee Hong-wi was younger than you, Park Ji-hoon. Did you consider this aspect?

I didn’t pay attention to that. However, there is a scene at the end where he plays by the stream. In fact, I was sitting by the stream washing my hands, and senior Hae-jin suggested, "Let’s shoot that scene too," so it ended up in the film. Watching that, I could understand that at 17, he should be at an age where he plays with friends, but he is alone in exile... I felt a pang in my heart thinking, 'Didn’t he want to play like the townspeople?' 'Before being a king, he is a teenager, a young boy...' I think I was mindful of that aspect while filming the scene.

Is there a scene you acted in that you felt turned out well?

I remember the scene where I put on a blanket and wore a hat, and my face was close-up while lightning struck. I think that was a turning point for Hong-wi as he began to change. Senior Han Myung-hoe and Yoo Ji-tae said, "Now his gaze has changed, he has the eyes of a tiger." I was constantly mindful of that point, that he was no longer the weak Hong-wi but 'something has changed,' 'he has gained some strength.' However, I didn’t think to myself, 'I expressed it well' or 'I did well.' I knew that the parts I thought about and filmed came out like that.

How was the filming location in Yeongwol?

The filming location was Yeongwol, just like in history, and I felt very comfortable and good throughout the journey to the set. What I still miss is that when I arrived at the set in the morning, all I could hear was the sound of birds chirping. Those moments were so... I was sitting in a corner of a room, and even while sitting there, I could only hear the sound of birds chirping outside, and as I walked towards the river, I could only hear the sound of water... The set was so quiet, and the atmosphere was 'clean.' Is it strange to say that? Anyway, I felt that the air around there was very clean. I have my own behind-the-scenes story.

I heard you cried a lot at the premiere. What part made you particularly emotional?

It was really emotionally difficult while filming. I saw the film for the first time at the premiere. But the last scene we shot is very memorable. When I said, 'I don’t want to die for them anymore, I would rather die by your hand,' and sensed the end... The set was incredibly quiet that day. Knowing it was an important scene, everyone on set, including the staff and the director, was very quiet. It was actually a night shoot. But that day, senior Yoo Hae-jin didn’t look at me. I immediately sensed it. 'If he sees me, his emotions will break,' I felt, so I tried to greet him from a distance and waited for the scene... When the door opened and he walked in, wow, even during rehearsal, I cried so much. It felt like seeing a father after a long time.

(Tears) were welling up... I think it was the best moment I have ever felt. 'I can share this breath with my senior,' and that overwhelming feeling, it felt like seeing a father after a long time. While filming, I had to capture my face, but I was crying so much... I cried to the point of it being painful. That day was probably the best day I will never feel again... The energy I received from my senior emotionally was also the best day.

▶ 〈The King's Warden〉 Interview with Actor Park Ji-hoon continues in Part 2.