He looks serious now, but wait until you see him getting his Beyonce on
Photos: Pamela Chow & Courtesy of Golden Village
Master is an action-packed crime film filled with serious business: An international pyramid scheme, political corruption, a global police chase (with real police involved) and scenes filmed in one of the worst slums in the world.
And then you have Kim Woo-bin dancing like Beyonce.
In his latest film, the popular actor plays Park Jang-gun, an elite programmer who faces a moral struggle between wealth, loyalty and justice. Despite his serious role, Kim appears in one scene dancing in a routine inspired by the queen of pop.
The contrast translates into real life. Sitting up and looking sharp in a suit, Kim speaks in a careful and serious tone that leaves almost no room for jesting. Yet, ask him about his off-set shenanigans with his co-actors or being inspired by Beyonce, and his reserved demeanour gives way to sheepish playfulness.
We speak to him about Master, which premieres here tomorrow (13 Jan).
Kim with co-star Gang Dong-won and director Cho Ui-seok.
You shared that you were inspired by Beyonce for the dancing scene. How did this come about?
I’m not someone who can sing or dance in front of others, and this “Beyonce scene” was filmed very early in the schedule when I hadn’t gotten close to the staff yet. I thought I wouldn’t be able to rehearse on set, so the night before, I practised in front of a camera.
I tried to channel as much Beyonce as I could, and showed the footage to the director the next morning – and he liked it. After the scene, no one could tell it was Beyonce – except for our costume designer, who told me, “I knew that was Beyonce!” That’s because she was only focused on the dancing. [Laughs]
Director Cho Ui-seok: There was no background music during that scene, so we were all staring at him with straight faces while he was dancing.
How was it like to get ‘beaten up’ in the movie by veteran actor Lee Byung-hun?
Lee Byung-hun is an experienced action movie star, so he took care of me and made sure I didn’t get injured while shooting this scene. To be honest, it’s easier to get beaten up than to hit someone.
How was the chemistry like between you and the other actors?
I was the last actor to be cast for the movie and I was busy filming a television drama then, so I didn’t really have much time to interact with them before filming started. But because of this, we had a lot to talk about while we were on set. We actually got to catch up a lot when the director wasn’t around!
Cho: Other than shooting, I had a lot of other things to work on, while the actors could grab a beer and relax when they weren’t shooting. I felt a little sad. But at least they were spending a lot of time together. [Laughs]
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