‘Paradise Lost’ Marks Bae Hyun-sung’s First Leading Film Role as Yeon Sang-ho Chooses a New Face After Park Jung-min

Bae Hyun-sung, who has won audiences over with his clear, transparent image in television dramas, will show a completely different side in the role of Ryu Sun-woo in the film 〈Paradise Lost〉. After Park Jung-min in his previous film 〈The Face〉, director Yeon Sang-ho has chosen Bae Hyun-sung as his latest new face. Their connection began on the set of [Hell] Season 2. Although they spent only a brief time together, roughly one episode, the director remembered the impression Bae made and cast him in his first leading film role.

Yeon Sang-ho explained his casting decision, saying, "We met for about one episode, but his ability to immerse himself was outstanding, and his attitude toward working with the staff and other actors also left an impression on me." He added, "Ryu Sun-woo had to be a mysterious character who possessed both an innocent side and a chilling side. I thought Bae Hyun-sung could show those contradictory qualities."

Ryu Sun-woo, played by Bae Hyun-sung, is the sole survivor of the Camping School bus disappearance that shook the country and the son who returns to his mother nine years later. But there is no trace of the innocent child his mother remembers in the Sun-woo who comes back, and what he experienced and where he lived during the nine-year gap remain shrouded in mystery until the end. Bae Hyun-sung described his interpretation of the character, saying, "I was drawn to the chill of not knowing what Sun-woo is thinking. Rather than making him overtly frightening, I wanted the chill to seep through his restrained demeanor." Yeon Sang-ho also praised him after he tackled one of the most difficult scenes from the very first day of filming, calling him "an actor whose focus surprised me and whose performance could transform him into a chilling figure in an instant."

The newly released stills capture the mystery surrounding Sun-woo at contrasting emotional temperatures. In the first still, he quietly stares at his reflection in a mirror, his expression so blank that it is impossible to tell what he is thinking. In the second, he stands before a fence in the middle of the night. His worn clothing and chilling gaze directed straight ahead raise questions about why he is there and heighten the tension. Expectations are growing for Bae Hyun-sung’s performance as he drives the film’s suspense through a character whose true intentions remain unknowable until the end. 〈Paradise Lost〉 will meet audiences in theaters on Oct. 21.