Kang Ha Neul, along with Director Jason Kim, was in Singapore on 31 August to promote their latest movie, Midnight Runners – marking Kang Ha Neul’s third visit to our sunny island.
Being one of the many rising actors in the South Korean entertainment industry, the visit was highly anticipated by hundreds of fans, some who were patiently queuing at Bugis Square to catch a glimpse of the Korean heartthrob.
During the press conference, Kang Ha Neul and Director Kim answered about Kang’s impending enlistment, his experience while filming Midnight Runner as well as Director Kim’s possible future plans of working together with Kang Ha Neul and Park Seo Joon.
Being one of the many rising actors in the South Korean entertainment industry, the visit was highly anticipated by hundreds of fans, some who were patiently queuing at Bugis Square to catch a glimpse of the Korean heartthrob.
During the press conference, Kang Ha Neul and Director Kim answered about Kang’s impending enlistment, his experience while filming Midnight Runner as well as Director Kim’s possible future plans of working together with Kang Ha Neul and Park Seo Joon.
Kang Ha Neul plays a rather nerdy guy in the movie – he mentioned that he has some “nerdiness” in him as well, and he tries to bring out his own uniqueness when he plays Kang Hee Yeol in the movie. Kang had also taken some references from the character “Sheldon” of the Big Bang Theory.
When Park Seo Joon and Kang Ha Neul were filming for a kidnapping scene, they had to reshoot various times due to technical difficulties that were caused by the rocky pavement. The movie had lots of running involved, and the rocky pavement, combined with the brutal weather during the filming of this particular scene made it difficult for the actors.
On a brighter note, the special bond that the two actors shared not only helped Director Kim in his filmmaking process, but also helped strengthen their on-screen chemistry.
Kang Ha Neul said that their relationship was more like real brothers working together on the movie. He also added that Park Seo Joon treated him like a ‘younger brother’.
“I guess that’s where most of the chemistry came from”, said Kang Ha Neul.
Kang Ha Neul and Park Seo Joon’s “bromance” contributed to the on-screen chemistry, making them a dynamic duo. It’s no wonder that Director Kim is also already planning future projects with them.
“We talked about this (future projects) after filming because we all felt that it will be really fun and interesting to work together on set [again],” Director Kim said, “I’m not sure how long it’ll take but we will definitely be back together.”
The chemistry that Kang Ha Neul and Park Seo Joon shared stretches out to Director Kim as well. “The chemistry with your co-actor and director is very important. The three of us shared a close relationship and chemistry, so it was pretty much like working on set together with your three brothers”, said Kang Ha Neul.
Director Kim also explained how Kang Ha Neul and Park Seo Joon did not just limit themselves to the role of an actor but also contributed to the filmmaking process through their spontaneous creative inputs – which helped in further developing the characters shown in the movie.
“I have to say that they are more than just actors, they are also co-writers on the scene. They are constantly improvising and coming up with spontaneous ideas for the film, so they were perfect”, said Director Kim.
Kang Ha Neul felt that the atmosphere on set is a factor that affects the direction of how the director shoots the movie and how the actors portray the characters. He also mentioned that the atmosphere on set was pure joy – Director Kim was really attentive to details, and was willing to listen to the opinions of the actors and colleagues.
Side note, Kang Ha Neul added that his ideal girl would be someone with a professional job, places her heart into what she does, plus someone that he can communicate with comfortably. Do you fall under this category?
Directed by Jason Kim, Midnight Runners revolves around two police academy recruits, Kang Hee Yeol (played by Kang Ha Neul) and Park Ki Joon (played by Park Seo Joon), who become the best of friends through as they go through tough academy training together. While undergoing training, they witnessed a woman being kidnapped and decided to investigate this occurrence on their own after the police brushed it off.
Interweaving comedic relief among the intense action scenes, the unique mix of comedy and action is sure to keep you on the edge and make your money worth!
Midnight Runners opens in cinemas islandwide on 7 September 2017.
Interweaving comedic relief among the intense action scenes, the unique mix of comedy and action is sure to keep you on the edge and make your money worth!
Midnight Runners opens in cinemas islandwide on 7 September 2017.