Actors Lee Je-hoon, left, and Koo Kyo-hwan play the lead characters in the new film "Escape." Courtesy of Plus M Entertainment

Actors Lee Je-hoon and Koo Kyo-hwan joined hands for the first time to co-star in the new film “Escape,” an intense cat-and-mouse thriller.

Actor Lee Je-hoon / Courtesy of Plus M Entertainment

The two co-stars expressed that they have been keeping a keen interest in each other's works, waiting for a chance to work together.

"When I saw Koo in his various roles, I felt that he was immensely charming. I've had a strong desire to work with him, so I was very excited to finally meet him," Lee said during an interview with The Korea Times, held at a cafe in Jongno District, Seoul, Thursday.

"In reality, he was even more charming than I'd imagined. Even though he's older, I would often find myself amazed, thinking, 'How can he be so pure like a child?' and 'How can he have such imagination when acting?'"

The action-thriller film, set to release July 3, revolves around a North Korean sergeant, Im Gyu-nam (Lee Je-hoon), who is stationed at a unit near the demilitarized zone between the two Koreas. As he is about to complete his decade-long mandatory military service, he makes the daring choice to defect to the South, where he has a chance to live his dream.

With state security officer Ri Hyun-sang (Koo Kyo-hwan), who has known Im since childhood, going after him, Im makes his life-threatening run to cross the border and finally takes control of his own destiny.

The film is led by filmmaker Lee Jong-pil, who previously directed the 2015 historical film "The Sound of a Flower" and the 2020 comedy film "Samjin Company English Class."

Koo plays the ruthless officer who gave up his dream of being a pianist to settle for reality. The actor shared he's been a big fan of the director and Lee Je-hoon, which was the biggest reason he decided to join the cast.

A scene from the film “Escape" / Courtesy of Plus M Entertainment

“Although we've never worked together, I've always admired director Lee's work for a long time. I thought he was incredibly charming in person, too. And the same goes for actor Lee Je-hoon. I've been considering him as the lead when writing my scripts for many years. So being able to create scenes with such an actor made me happy,” he said.

Actor Koo Kyo-hwan / Courtesy of Plus M Entertainment

"Since I've followed (Lee Je-hoon's work) for a long time, there was no awkwardness in creating scenes together. Gyu-nam and Hyun-sang are friends who spent time together when they were young. So in building that relationship, all I had to do was bring the affection and fondness I've had for Lee Je-hoon into the character of Hyun-sang, which wasn't so difficult."

He added he felt the character of Hyun-sang was strangely intriguing, saying the core of creating the character was interpreting his true intention of such a determined pursuit.

"(I had to ask) why he is so determined to stop Gyu-nam. There are many aspects, but in one scene, he says, 'You're not fit to be a soldier,' and I think he was talking to himself. I think he needed to stop Gyu-nam to hold himself together," he said.

"When you see someone running toward their goal or passionately in love with something, you feel a healthy sense of motivation and envy … but Hyun-sang went even further and tried to put an end to it."

Lee Je-hoon shared that he reflected himself in the character, risking his life to fight for his dream.

"When looking at his life in the North, there's nothing he can do but accept his fate. But even if doing so will feed him and keep him alive, is that what he truly wants? I don't think so. I believe it's a fundamental human desire to live in a place with opportunities to do what you want," he said.

"When I first started acting, I, too, really put my life on the line. My family wasn't well-off, and they had expectations of me. But despite that, I chose a profession with great uncertainty and no guarantee of a stable living. So, when I portrayed Gyu-nam, I couldn't help but reflect on my own life as Lee Je-hoon in the character."

The actor went to great lengths, like losing weight, to portray a malnourished soldier of 10 years, put in a life-or-death situation to escape across a minefield and muddy lake while dodging bullets.

"I mostly just drank protein shakes every day. When I used up all my energy during filming and felt dizzy, I had to consume some sugar and water, but every time I questioned, 'Is it OK?' because Gyu-nam didn't have anything to eat," he said.

"I felt I should push myself further to put myself in the situation Gyu-nam was facing when acting. For running scenes, I threw myself into completely constantly thinking, 'If I get caught here, it's over.' Looking back, I've never had any projects that pushed me to my limits as much as this movie did."