Director and actor Ha Jung-woo of the movie 'Lobby' revealed his current situation following an emergency appendectomy.
On the 2nd, Ha Jung-woo conducted an interview at the SHOWBOX office located in Nonhyeon-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. At this occasion, he met with domestic reporters and discussed the movie 'Lobby' (directed by Ha Jung-woo, produced by Workhouse Company and Film Momentum, provided by Michigan Venture Capital and WYSIWYG STUDIOS, distributed by SHOWBOX), which premiered that day.
'Lobby' depicts the story of a startup CEO, Chang-wook (Ha Jung-woo), who only knew research, beginning his first lobbying golf game to win a $4 trillion national project. This film marks Ha Jung-woo's third directorial attempt, following 'Roller Coaster' and 'The Attorney,' with Ha Jung-woo playing both the director and lead role.
Despite being prepared for an ambitious schedule to coincide with the film's release, Ha Jung-woo underwent emergency surgery for appendicitis on the 25th. Consequently, he could not attend the press screening held that day. Looking healthy during the interview, Ha Jung-woo remarked, "I'm recovering well." He then joked, "My appendix burst, so I made sure to rest properly."
He mentioned, "I was discharged on the 28th. That day, I naively invited Ms. Um Ji-yoon for the GV (guest visit), so I couldn’t miss it. I also had a hard time inviting Ms. Lee Soo-ji for the evening of the press screening, and I regretted missing that. The hospital told me to stay until Sunday, but I left two days early."
Regarding the reactions after the screening, he said, "During the GV, many fans of the actors attended, and they seemed to look at it positively. Since I took a strong painkiller, I was somewhat dazed and couldn’t fully grasp it." However, he expressed, "I felt good seeing positive reviews from the VIP screening and the articles that came out."
It is understandable that he is unveiling 'Lobby' as his third directorial work in 10 years since 'The Attorney' in 2015. Ha Jung-woo stated, "I had written for 'Seoul Times,' and while looking at the script, I couldn’t say for sure if it was a work I could genuinely excel in. I thought to wait until I felt certain, and then I came across 'Lobby.'"
Additionally, he explained, "This was a project I began envisioning in my mind since 2021," adding, "So it might have taken a little bit of time. The theme of 'Lobby' emerged strongly while I was learning golf and going onto the field during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. I thought it would be good to connect the background, the environment, and the people mentioned in the project into a cohesive story. Thus, that led to preparation and the release of the film."
(Continued in the interview②)
[Photo] Provided by SHOWBOX.
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