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| From left, actors Go Chang-suk, Oh Na-ra, Sung Yoo-bin, Jang Dong-ju and Jin Sun-kyu pose during a press conference for the film "Count" in Seoul, Monday. Courtesy of CJ ENM |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Jin Sun-kyu, who toiled in obscurity for 13 years before his breakthrough as a villain in the 2017 film "The Outlaws," is set to play his first lead role in a feature film titled "Count."
The film tells the story of former Olympic boxing gold medalist-turned-school teacher Si-heon who lives in Jinhae, South Gyeongsang Province, and inspires his rebellious students through boxing. It is a story about family, friendship and most of all, making the most out of life.
Jin revealed that the script felt like it was written specifically for him.
"When I read the script, I thought it was written for me. My hometown is Jinhae and my childhood dream was to be a physical education teacher. I love boxing and movie themes about hope, family and friendship. After reading it, I begged director Kwon Hyeok-jae not to show the script to other actors," he said during a press conference for the film, Monday.
The actor said he felt a strong sense of responsibility and ownership for "Count" since it is his first leading role in a feature film. He has played key supporting roles in many hit films including "Extreme Job" (2019), "Space Sweepers" (2021) and "Confidential Assignment: International" (2022).
"I hadn't given much thought to how I would lead the entire cast. When we were shooting, there were so many co-stars on set whom I could depend on. But I was definitely under pressure to carry the entire storyline," he said.
Oh Na-ra, who stars as Si-heon's wife in the film, heaped praise on her co-star Jin.
"I'm so happy for him. We actually performed on stage together 20 years ago. We were obscure actors back then, but we promised to star in a film one day and luckily, that became a reality. The script reminded me of the 1990s and it was smart, warm and very funny," she said.
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| A poster for the film, 'Count' / Courtesy of CJ ENM |
Go Chang-suk, who appears as the school principal in the film, added that he has mixed emotions seeing Jin on the big screen.
"It's been a while since I felt truly happy reading lines together. I have known Jin for over 20 years and I'm really glad that he became a big star. He's become more handsome," he laughed.
Sung Yoo-bin, who plays the role of rebellious student Yun-woo, said he physically transformed through this film.
"It was a challenge to be part of a sports drama film because there were a lot of action scenes. I had to practice sparring drills every single day while we were filming. When I wasn't training, I was watching boxing videos. However, I found it to be an opportunity to show off my masculine energy." he said.
Jin, who appears as a boxing coach, said the role required him to practice sparring. "I practiced mitt drills in the gym and took boxing lessons for months before we started filming. I had fun with it because I love boxing," he said.
The film wrapped up in June 2020 but its release was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Count" will hit local theaters in February.
