[Yetterview] Director Kwak Kyung-taek said, "Kwak Do-won controversy, I feel like I'm in a swamp..."Firefighter" that made me humble.

Director Kwak Kyung-taek, who is about to release the new movie "Firefighter," expressed his complicated feelings by referring to actor Kwak Do-won, who was excluded from the promotional process of the movie due to a drunk driving scandal.

Director Kwak Kyung-taek met YTN at an interview commemorating the release of the movie "Firefighter" at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, this afternoon (28th). "Firefighter" is a film reconstructed by adding cinematic imagination based on the true story of the Hongje-dong fire disaster in 2001.

It is a new film directed by Kwak Kyung-taek, a great director of Chungmuro who showed the movie "Friend," "Top Secret Investigation" and "Jangsa-ri: Forgotten Heroes," which gained popularity in 2001, and it was highly anticipated in that it was made using his talent, which has been well received in reality-based works.

However, since filming in 2020, the release date has not been set in the aftermath of COVID-19, but the movie has been postponed indefinitely in 2022 when Kwak Do-won was found to be driving under the influence of alcohol. It was released after four years of production. Director Kwak confessed his complicated feelings without any addition or subtraction.

When asked about his feelings ahead of the release of his first new movie in four years, director Kwak said, "I was embarrassed because of the (Kwak Do-won) incident after Corona. If such an issue breaks out, OTT doesn't buy it, so I was wondering what to do, and I was really grateful to meet a new investment distributor."

He then said, "I'm relieved to open it, but I felt like I had to keep exiting the swamp and reach my destination," and added, "I talked to Kwak Do-won on the phone and said I'll exclude him from public relations." I still feel that way," he said, revealing his troubles.

Kwak Do-won played the role of "Jin-seop," the rescue team leader of the Western Fire Station, one of the key figures in "Firefighter." Jin-seop is a rescue team leader with a lot of field experience and responsibility. Although excluded from the film's promotional schedule, it is not edited in the film and appears as one of the main actors.

Director Kwak said, "There is a heavy weight that Kwak Do-won has. "I thought the tone of my voice, physique, and acting style were basically similar to the 'Jin-seop' I had in my head, so I only offered to actor Kwak Do-won, and I started filming because I said I would."

Director Kwak praised actors Joo Won, Yoo Jae-myung, Lee Yoo-young, Kim Min-jae, Oh Dae-hwan, Lee Joon-hyuk, and Jang Young-nam, who played leading roles along with Kwak Do-won. The lineup was made up of actors who are unlikely to show off their form and actors who feel like real firefighters.

Director Kwak said, "Ju-won is famous for his good character in his age, and Dae-hwan and Min-jae are always energetic and sincere friends in the field. Jae-myung said, "Thank you for taking care of what the coach missed no matter how hard he worked on the calculation, and he was so good."

In particular, regarding Jang Young-nam, he said, "Whenever I work, I'm the number one casting choice. He has never disappointed me, and he is a very trusting actor. I had to do a deep emotional scene from the first shooting this time, but I did it because I trusted the actor, and I did it well," he continued to praise.

He added that he also had a lot of enlightenment as he released the movie after many twists and turns. Director Kwak taught me, "Not all works go as you think." I thought it would end like this, but I met a new relationship and it was released. It was a work that made me humble," he said.

Compared to before COVID-19, the total number of audiences visiting the theater decreased, and while doing this work, he suffered from unexpected difficulties, but director Kwak said the scene is still good and there are many things he wants to do.

He said, "The scene is interesting. I'm happy when I go to the site and watch the monitor. It's a pleasure to create with excitement. I plan to focus on real-life motifs, humanism, and noir movies that I can do well, and I want to tell a story that allows me to meet a wide audience," he said.

"Firefighter" depicts the situation of firefighters who were deployed with a single goal of extinguishing fire and saving power even in poor environment during the 2001 Hongje-dong fire disaster. It opens in theaters on December 4.

[Photo source = BY4M Studio]

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