OFF SCRIPT
Friday, June 12
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Hey,
Choi Hyun-wook's new drama — Notes from the Last Row. The invitation from the boy in the last row has a date on it: June 26th. I'm ready to sink into whatever muddy water lies between reality and delusion.
Table of Contents
Director Kim Gyu-tae — the man behind the lens of Notes from the Last Row — said this about Hyun-wook:
"Among actors of his generation, he is one of the most gifted. The explosive focus and power he brought to set is what made Lee Kang so compelling."
Explosive focus and power. From the same guy who walked into that audition room sweating. That tracks.
Park Ji-hoon, in his own words
Ji-hoon recently sat down with a room of sixty journalists. Over 16 million people watched his face on the big screen in Korea alone — landing The King's Warden at number two in Korean box office history. Of course they asked how it felt.
This young actor — who until recently wore the mask of the saddest king in Korean cinema — answered with his usual steadiness:
"I personally find it deeply unpleasant — almost repulsive — to see someone who's done well start swaggering around like they made it all happen alone."
You have to wonder — growing up inside the Korean entertainment industry, how many people did he watch do exactly that?
And the journalists would have softened it a little in the edit — which means the original was even sharper. For someone who usually cushions everything he says, "repulsive" is a strong word.
He traced it back to his parents. His dad won third place in the lottery once — and quietly told the kids he'd buy them each one gift. No announcement, no celebration. Just — here's something for you.
Ji-hoon said he thinks he inherited that from them. That steady, unshowy way of carrying things.
And then — you know what he said next? He said even imagining himself swaggering around like that was "horrifying." Not just unpleasant. Horrifying.
Very Ji-hoon, honestly.
And then there's this other side of him that our longtime subscriber Asuka described perfectly in the comments a while back:
"He's really such a boy at heart. He loves shooting games, he likes looking at military weaponry, gun data, tank data, military unit data... This is probably why he's really set on entering Korean Marine Recon — about as terrifying a thing I've ever heard him say, given that he has struggles dealing with chopped onion fumes and opening spam cans."
The kanu trio — one on one with the veterans
Weak Hero directors Han Jun-hee and Yoo Su-min said it publicly, and they meant it — these three are going to lead Korean cinema.
Following the career moves of talented twenty-somethings who show up and do the work — it's genuinely a joy. In Korea, we say they work like oxen. 소처럼 일한다.
Sul Kyung-gu — one of the veterans Hong Kyung went one on one with in Good News — said this about him after filming: "He doesn't drink, he doesn't smoke. He only ever thinks about the work."
소처럼 일한다. You feel that, don't you.
For the full breakdown of all three — the previous issue is here:
→
Ten years from now — Ji-hoon, Hyun-wook, and Hong Kyung in the same project again. I don't want to jinx it. But if it happens, it'll be something people talk about for a long time.
📖 Free Ebook — Behind the K-Drama Subtitles: Weak Hero
Okay but — have you seen Colony?
I went in on the fence. I walked out satisfied. Go watch it.
And if you've already seen it — you know the scene I'm talking about.
Hyeon-seok has been fighting the entire film to keep his sister alive. And then Yeong-cheol takes her — after she's turned — props her upright on two feet, right in front of him. And says:
"Want me to grant your wish?"
Koo Kyo-hwan said at a post-screening Q&A that he loved how Yeong-cheol's intention in that moment stays completely unreadable — is he genuinely trying to give Hyeon-seok what he wanted, or is he trying to destroy him? In his own twisted logic, in that moment, Yeong-cheol actually was a god.
Colony is in theatres now. US release August 28th.
(The boy in the last row is sending out his invitation. June 26th — and I, for one, am ready to walk into whatever muddy water he's made.)
Love catching cultural layers subtitles miss? You're exactly who I write for.
— Jennie 🍪
P.S.
If you've been following the fan analysis and epistolary letters Asuka and I have been writing together — we've moved. Come find us at the new home.
If you've been following along — come find us. Restoring fast.
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