Why Guns Feature So Prominently in 〈Hope〉: What the Cast and Director Said at the Press Preview

The film 〈Hope〉, among the most anticipated releases of 2026, finally opened domestically. Set to open on July 15, 〈Hope〉 held a press preview screening and press conference on Monday, July 6 (as reported), at Megabox COEX in Gangnam, Seoul. 〈Hope〉 follows police station chief Beom-seok (Hwang Jung-min), local youth Seong-gi (Jo In-sung) and police officer Seong-ae (Jung Ho-yeon) after a sudden incident in the small town of Hopo Port brings them face to face with a strange creature. The film marks director Na Hong-jin's return a decade after 〈The Wailing〉 and pairs Hwang Jung-min, Jo In-sung and Jung Ho-yeon. At the press conference, the cast and director discussed the film's action, the creature work and production challenges.

Director Na Hong-jin recounted an unusual behind-the-scenes story from the shoot. Portions of 〈Hope〉 were filmed on location in Romania, and the firearms intended for the production were not properly imported. Locally, the only automatic weapon available was an AK-47–type rifle, so the crew had to choose whether to use a single-shot rifle that would match the setting or, accepting a break with strict authenticity, go with the AK-47–type weapon. After discussing it with Jo In-sung, Na chose the AK-47–type weapon for Jo's character. Hwang Jung-min and Jung Ho-yeon used a single-shot M16.

〈Hope〉 opens with action and remains largely driven by it. Asked about the difficulty of the stunts, Hwang Jung-min said, "The action scenes for Jung Ho-yeon and me weren't particularly difficult. What you saw is edited together, but we actually filmed it in separate takes." He praised Jo In-sung: "The one who endured the most pain and difficulty was Seong-gi — Jo In-sung — so he can speak for that." Jo In-sung said, "The final sequence was the hardest. It was the most difficult to synchronize with the others." He added, "Personally, I think we got a great scene."

An actor wore a creature suit, but the lead actors frequently had no on-set partner to react to, which made certain scenes challenging. Hwang Jung-min said, "A scene is completed by how the other actor reacts, and that was impossible here, so I had to calculate my performance in a particular way." Jung Ho-yeon said, "There were rehearsals with an actor in a creature suit, but in many of the action scenes we had to act purely from imagination. Since it was my first time doing that, I actually enjoyed it more." Jo In-sung said he focused on maintaining the fear, the instinct to survive and the breathing and rhythm needed to carry that mood through the scene.

The film is set in the fictional Hopo Port and is presented as taking place in the 1980s, with frequent use of firearms. Na Hong-jin said, "I think 〈Hope〉 has much lower levels of violence compared with my earlier works. Guns are brutal weapons, but I felt they could be used to express a lower-intensity form of action, so we chose to use them." He added that the title "Hope" came to him first and that he then created the fictional place name "Hopo Port" based on that title.

In the film, Seong-gi rides a horse to flee the creature. One character even says, "You ride well!" — a line that reflects Jo In-sung's practice. He recalled, "I practiced once or twice a week for about three months. I did trail rides and rode on asphalt and on approved mountain paths." He cautioned, "Unlike motorcycles or cars, a horse is a living creature, so its condition can cause it to move differently than I intend. I tried to synchronize with the horse as much as possible. I realized how difficult that is, but it was a great chance to learn horseback riding." He also said on a YouTube variety show that, after knee surgery, he had worried about whether there would be many running scenes in 〈Hope〉, and director Na had reassured him there would not be — only for the film to include many horse-riding scenes.

This is Jung Ho-yeon's first film, and she said, "Working in front of everyone and building chemistry with the two veteran actors was a challenge. There were many scenes where we communicated more with our eyes than with words, which was hard to follow at first, but later I felt like I became part of the group and we shot with great chemistry." When asked how she prepared for Seong-ae's profanity-laced dialogue, she joked, "I had a master of onscreen profanity sitting right next to me, so I watched his previous works for reference." She added, "I thought Seong-ae would be the kind of subordinate who resembles Chief Beom-seok, so I used that as a reference." Director Na Hong-jin noted, "All of Seong-ae's swearing is written in the script."

One production detail that drew attention was the appearance of Hollywood actors, including the married couple Michael Fassbender and Alicia Vikander. Asked for anecdotes about working with them, Na Hong-jin said, "Because they needed to care for their child, the two of them alternated filming duties; when one was on set, the other took care of their child." He added, "Whenever Michael came to the set, we drank every day. As we talked I realized we grew up in similar environments, which made our conversations fun. I've known Alicia for a long time, and she was great and enjoyable on set."

Na Hong-jin also explained how he came to cast the three leads. He said he had originally cast Hwang Jung-min for another project nine years earlier and later switched scripts while writing. "It was a dark, scary film rated for adults only, and while I was rewriting the script I moved on," he recalled. "He didn't pressure me; he asked, 'Is it okay if I take another film?' and I felt bad about that." Regarding Jo In-sung, Na said, "Actors close to me who had worked with Jo In-sung said only good things. I remember thinking, 'What is this — is that even possible?' Then director Ryu Seung-wan (〈The Smugglers〉) also had nice things to say, so I thought, 'There must be something there,' and I felt confident he'd do well. I was grateful he agreed; as I heard, his focus on set, attitude and comprehension — all the things you need as an actor — were outstanding. We remain close friends." About Jung Ho-yeon, he said, "When I was considering casting Seong-ae, Hwang Jung-min suggested I meet her. We actually sat and talked for about two hours, and she showed me what Seong-ae could be. I was surprised at how well she matched the character and, even though she's a busy actress, I persuaded her to join."