Choi Min-sik on 〈The Intern〉: I Tried to 'Be Water' With Younger Colleagues

Actor Choi Min-sik spoke about the key to the teamwork in 〈The Intern〉.

Ahead of the film's Sept. 16 release, Choi Min-sik sat down with Cineplay on the afternoon of Sept. 7 at an undisclosed location in Seoul's Jongno District. 〈The Intern〉 tells the story of office life that cuts across generations and rank after Gi-ho (Choi Min-sik), a 'silver intern' with 37 years of experience, joins the company of Sun-woo (Han So-hee), whose business emerged as a dark horse in the fashion industry three years after its launch. The film is based on the Hollywood movie of the same name.

Working alongside much younger MZ-generation employees, Choi said, "These days, when I go on set, nine out of ten projects have more younger colleagues. On a production like this one, where teamwork is crucial, I tried to be 'water' — not doing anything grand, but letting myself soak in and blend with the younger colleagues." He added that, anticipating younger colleagues might feel awkward if he kept his distance, he made the first move by joking around and even learning MZ-generation slang to communicate across generations.

Asked about the flagship party scene in which the staff all dance together, Choi said, "Once they played music on set, it instantly turned into a club. It wasn't a pre-planned blocking; the scene came together spontaneously, with everyone moving to their own rhythm," describing the set as warm and convivial.

The film 〈The Intern〉 opens Sept. 16.