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).
Did you encounter any fans while filming in the Philippines?
Gang Dong-won: I didn’t have any fans. [Laughs] There were fans hiding while trying to take pictures of Woo-bin. So I went up to them and gently said, “Hey, don’t do this. That’s not nice.” [Laughs]
Kim: There were actually a lot of local fans and tourists who came to see Dong-won and take photos of him too. So maybe he didn’t know about the fans because I was stopping them for him!
Did filming in the slums impact you in any way?
It was a challenging environment to film in. Besides the hot weather, there was a slaughterhouse right beside our site. But we got used to it after a few days, and we could film, play and eat comfortably there.
We saw kids playing with innocent looks on their faces. They looked so bright, cheerful and happy. This sight made me think a lot. We were working with local actors and staff too, and it struck me how we all came from different backgrounds, but throughout the filming, I felt like we were all the same.
What was your favourite scene in the movie?
In the ending scene, our characters had to bid farewell to each other. I was on the verge of tears during this scene because, just like in the movie, we [the cast] had just met and gotten pretty close to each other over a short period.
Towards the end of the scene, I felt like the atmosphere and ambience was quite special and different from what I’ve ever felt.
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