[Dispatchㅣ Cannes (France)=Reporter Jung Tae-yoon] "I wanted to stand dignified."

The 79th Cannes Film Festival competition section red carpet. It was his first time entering Cannes. However, Jo In-sung showed no intimidation. Among photographers from around the world, he stood before Korean journalists first and longest.

"I was just standing there feeling grateful. I don't know what the result will be, but it's such an honor. I wanted to show our work as confidently and beautifully as possible."

The day after the world premiere of the film 'Hope' (director Na Hong-jin), Dispatch met actor Jo In-sung in Cannes.

Jo In-sung watched the completed film for the first time in Cannes. He said, "When you're inside it, you can't see the whole thing, so I tried to feel the movie by looking at it from the beginning like sightseeing at a neighbor's place."

The culture of presenting a film and receiving applause was new to him. He said, "I was thinking, how long should they keep clapping, when should I put my hands down."

The character 'Seong-gi,' played by Jo In-sung, is a pathetic young man from the village who passes time hunting and fishing. He heads into the mountains pursuing the beast that brutally killed an old man named Ko's fighting ox.

In this work, he moved between deep forests and expansive highways. He performed difficult horse-riding action sequences himself. He said, "Our film has no dummies. We all actually mounted horses to film it."

"Horses are really sensitive animals. If something appears nearby, they immediately change direction. I did it with the mindset that if there's an accident, it's over. The camera team also filmed realistically while riding horses or running on motorcycles."

Director Na Hong-jin also directed in a state of high tension. He recalled, "The 45-minute section connecting the final forest to the highway was filmed over several months. I think it was the director's courage to do something new. We filmed while supporting each other."

Jo In-sung didn't just ride horses. In one hand he held a rifle and in the other the reins. He laughed, "Originally you can't hold a rifle with one hand. It would be easy with a prop gun, but if the director was going to use a prop gun, he wouldn't have put me on a horse."

"These days people make images with AI. It's the traditional method the director chose amid such industry changes. In an era where what's real becomes new, it's now become something worth watching."

Jo In-sung also had to act using only imagination without an alien present. He confessed, "With no target, having to connect all that narrative through the actor's face alone was terrifying."

He continued, "If that mood didn't come out, we kept doing take after take. With no target, we maintained the fear. The director kept saying 'walk with more tension.' We repeated take after take until it worked."

"The director is really tough. If there's something that must be achieved, he doesn't give up. Still, it felt good to have done it to the end. If you don't do it because it's hard, you're actually anxious. I really did my best so there wouldn't be any lingering doubts."

Looking at Jo In-sung's recent filmography, it's remarkable. Director Ryu Seung-wan's 'HUMINT', director Na Hong-jin's 'Hope', and his next project director Lee Chang-dong's 'Possible Love'. Master directors have sought him out in succession.

Jo In-sung said, "An actor is a matter of usage, and ultimately you should be used. Showing new sides," and added, "Of course there's pain in having to take new things to extremes. But there's no reason to refuse, right?"

In particular, 'Hope' is the work that can most clearly express his new face. Thick beard and a worn-down hat. Even his character is jobless, a pathetic neighborhood youth.

He added, "There's a typical image people have when they think of Jo In-sung. Since this isn't a role where I have to show off handsome parts, I think it's really good that I can show new sides even at this point in my career."

"I was truly grateful to be in the competition section and to have stood on the red carpet like this. Since the situation is better than last year, it seems I can do interviews like this in Cannes. Let's see how it turns out to the end!"

'Hope' awards results will be announced on the 24th.

<Photos provided by Plus M Entertainment>