[Dispatch=Reporter Jung Tae-yun] "There are about 100 versions per number."

Director Na Hong-jin is the embodiment of persistence. 'Hope' was completed over the course of seven years. Even after its release, he did not stop. After its first screening at Cannes, he went through revisions repeatedly.

"I did my best, and today I'm still contemplating whether to continue working until the very end. I have no lingering regrets or regrets. It feels like I've seen this film thousands of times, and I hope the day comes when I won't watch it again." (Na Hong-jin)

The film 'Hope' held a media screening and press conference on the 6th at Megabox COEX in Samseong-dong, Seoul. Director Na Hong-jin, as well as Hwang Jung-min, Cho In-sung, and Jongho Yeon attended.

'Hope' depicts a story that unfolds when Bum-seok (played by Hwang Jung-min), the head of a branch office at Hopohang Port located in the Demilitarized Zone, hears from youths that a tiger has appeared, and the entire village goes on alert.

It is director Na Hong-jin's first new film in 10 years. He reunites with Hwang Jung-min after 'The Wailing.' Director Na revealed that "Eight years ago, I tried to make a dark and frightening film, but it fell through, and now I've switched to this screenplay."

He continued, "After finishing the screenplay, I reached out five years later. While writing the screenplay, I thought of senior Hwang Jung-min for the role of Bum-seok. It was an inevitable casting."

For Hwang Jung-min, this film was a challenge. For good reason—he had to battle against aliens. He could not make eye contact with his scene partner and had to coordinate his acting with empty space.

He said, "It was my first time acting through imagination alone. I think I pondered what kind of acting could be maximized through imagination," and added, "Normally a scene is completed based on the other actor's reaction, but this time I acted with thoroughly calculated movements."

Cho In-sung played Sung-gi, a young man from Hopohang. He performed unprecedented action sequences. He had to ride a horse while shooting, cling to a moving vehicle, and perform life-or-death action.

He revealed, "I trained two to three times a week for three months. I went horseback riding and practiced running on actual asphalt and climbing mountains. I tried to get a feel for it, but it was really difficult."

The most challenging scene was the final action sequence. He said, "It was a scene where Hoyeon and senior Jung-min also had a hard time coordinating," and added, "Because it was filmed with such difficulty, I'm proud that a great scene came out."

Cho In-sung also had to express extreme fear in a state without a scene partner. He said, "Acting in a state with nothing was not easy."

He continued, "What I couldn't miss was the energy of survival. While watching the film, you might have felt it, but I focused on the breathing to maintain that mood," he emphasized.

Jongho is making his screen debut. Jongho played Sung-ae, a police officer at Hopohang. She is a character with clear moral standards who does her job no matter the situation.

Regarding Jongho's casting, Na Hong-jin recalled, "When I was pondering that role, senior Hwang Jung-min suggested I definitely meet Jongho."

He said, "When we first met, we talked for about two hours and it was so interesting. It seemed like she naturally possessed the image of the character I had envisioned. I wondered how such a perfect match could happen," he said.

What was it like on set? Jongho said, "Coordinating with distinguished seniors and staff was an enormous challenge. Communication happened through eye contact rather than words, and it was difficult to keep up with that speed."

She continued, "Later, it felt like we became one body through excellent chemistry," and added, "For the profanity acting scenes, I had senior Hwang Jung-min, a master of profanity acting, beside me, so I referenced his previous works. So there will be some parts resembling the branch chief."

Hollywood actors Michael Fassbender, Alicia Vikander, and Taylor Russell participated in the alien roles. Director Na Hong-jin spent over three years on creature design alone.

He explained, "It started from an alien image from a magazine that looked like someone you might have encountered on the street in the middle of the night, and it came here through several processes."

Regarding why the alien appeared late, he said, "I really wanted to include the part where Mr. Im Hyun-sik (playing Hae-sol) tells the story about the alien. Even at the screenplay stage, I couldn't let go of that scene."

He continued, "That scene is so dear and precious to me that I kept it," and said, "Because that scene got longer, the alien also appeared late. Without that, there would be no reason for the alien to appear late."

A mega blockbuster is about to open. Hwang Jung-min said, "Following the domestic release, North America opens in September. I hope the day comes when everyone can be happy smiling after success with the whole world."

Cho In-sung wished, "I didn't appear in the film with a grand cause. Whether audiences remember the film is up to them. I hope they judge it as a meaningful film in Korean cinema."

Director Na Hong-jin said, "I did my best, and today I'm still contemplating whether to work more. I have no lingering regrets or regrets. It feels like I've seen it thousands of times, and I hope the day comes when I won't watch it again," he joked.

He added, "I'm anxious about how you all viewed it, and as a director, this is the moment I most dislike experiencing in life. Until the day of release, I will do what I can."

'Hope' opens on the 15th.

<Photo by Lee Ho-jun, Reporter>