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| Actors Gong Yoo, left, and Park Bo-gum in a scene from sci-fi action film "Seobok" Courtesy of CJ Entertainment |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
The sci-fi action film "Seobok," featuring Gong Yoo and Park Bo-gum, is the story of a growing relationship between a former intelligence agent who is terminally ill and the world's first human clone who possesses the secret to eternal life.
It has been garnering much attention as one of the long-awaited projects of 2020 because the two heartthrob actors are starring together in a film for the first time.
In "Seobok," Ki-heon (Gong) is given one final mission to discreetly transport Seobok (Park) to a safe place, but they find themselves in a number of life-threatening situations as other forces seek to take possession of Seobok.
Returning to the big screen a year after "Kim Ji-young, Born in 1982," Gong said he was drawn to the script, which raises philosophical questions about the future of humanity and conveys the message that humans shouldn't be overly ambitious.
"Whenever I decide to join a project, I choose one that's either inspirational or thought-provoking. If I can feel that much thought has been put into the screenplay, I'm more attracted to it," Gong said during an online press conference, Tuesday.
Describing "Seobok" as a road movie of two characters, he said, "It'll be interesting to watch the little changes in the relationship, the tiny signs, sometimes unspoken, that both are learning something."
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| From left, actor Gong Yoo, director Lee Yong-ju and actors Jang Young-nam and Jo Woo-jin pose during an online press event for the film "Seobok." / Courtesy of CJ Entertainment |
Park didn't attend the press conference as he is currently serving his military duty in the Navy.
On behalf of Park, director Lee Yong-ju explained that "Seobok" allows us to think about the dignity of humanity and the advancement of life science technologies. Lee is well-known for the award-winning romance drama "Architecture 101."
"Seobok's character is 10 years old, but he looks much older than that because the human clone ages faster than original human being. Although Seobok lives forever, his clock runs faster than real people's," Lee said.
Jo Woo-jin stars as Ki-heon's former boss Ahn at the intelligence agency. "Ahn appears as a villain in the film. I was a bit worried that my character would be similar to the roles I've played before, but I tried to avoid cliches and relied on Lee's directing," he said.
Jang Young-nam, who left a strong impression on audiences with her psychopathic role in tvN's "It's Okay Not to Be Okay" (2020), said it was challenging to play the mysterious scientist Se-eun who creates human clone Seobok.
"It was hard to play Se-eun because she's a secretive character whose information is kept under wraps. I was unable to express my thoughts or emotions freely," she said.
"Seobok" will hit local theaters in December.
