(Continuing from interview③) Actor Kang Ha-neul, who gave a brilliant performance in the movie 'The Opposition', shared his thoughts about working with Yoo Hae-jin, Park Hae-joon, and Chae Won-bin.

Kang Ha-neul conducted an interview on the morning of the 8th at a cafe in Seocho-dong, Gangnam-gu, Seoul. At this meeting, he talked with domestic reporters about the upcoming release of the movie 'The Opposition' (director Hwang Byeong-kuk, provided/distributed by Plus M Entertainment, produced by HYBE Media Corp) and his recent activities.

'The Opposition' is a crime action movie that unfolds as broker The Opposition (Kang Ha-neul), an investigator (Yoo Hae-jin) aspiring to rise higher, and a detective (Park Hae-joon) who is committed to eradicating drug crime intertwine with different objectives. It is the new work of HYBE Media Corp, praised as a well-made social critique crime film with 'Inside Men'. It is also the first new work in 14 years since 'Special Investigation Unit' by director Hwang Byeong-kuk, who has showcased his talent in multiple works including 'Inside Men' and 'Spring of Seoul'. In the midst of this, Kang Ha-neul played the role of broker 'The Opposition'.

What was the chemistry like with his fellow actors? Kang Ha-neul said, "I was wondering how to express the closeness with senior Yoo Hae-jin, and having experienced social life, I have younger ones who like me and those who truly appeal to my heart, so I wanted to appear as someone they would follow like 'Oh, hyung!'."

He further emphasized, "Senior Yoo Hae-jin is the opposite of the investigator character he portrays. He takes care of us so well and is very 'sweet'. By 'sweet', I don't mean 'Did you eat?' but rather it carries a heavy resonance in a Chungcheong-do style. I was very grateful for those things. What I appreciated the most on set was that he saw me not just as a junior but genuinely as a colleague on set. That was really appreciated."

What kind of junior was he? Kang Ha-neul laughed and said, "I think I was not a bad junior." He added, "But during the filming, I stuck around too much. He is a senior I really admire. There were times when we were deeply focused on set. Feeling that he wanted to concentrate alone, I kept some distance. So, as things dramatically escalated at the end, I tried to stay as far away as possible."

On the other hand, when asked what kind of senior Yoo Hae-jin was, he stated, "When I was younger and went to the basketball court, there was a really cool senior who was great at it, and he would give me an occasional word among many juniors. He was a very admirable senior to me, and it was incredibly touching when he would say something to me."

What was it like to reunite after 11 years with Park Hae-joon, who co-starred in 'Misaeng'? Kang Ha-neul laughed and said, "Honestly, during 'Misaeng', I couldn't meet him much since I was shooting only with the steel team. At one point, there was someone from the sales team I didn't know, and I thought, 'Oh, that person is in that role', but we didn't talk much because filming was busy by team. Since it's been 11 years, we didn't discuss 'Misaeng' too much either. It was just like, 'I didn't see you much back then, but here we are.'"

He mentioned, "Senior Yoo Hae-jin is someone I truly respect and love a lot, but I've really become close to senior Park Hae-joon. Hae-joon is very similar to me. In a good way, he seems very laid-back and relaxed, just like me. On set, we greet each other with 'Oh, Oh!' as if we've known each other for a long time. While I was quietly getting my makeup done, he would say, 'Let's go sit over there.' 'Yes, hyung,' so we ended up becoming friends in a laid-back manner, feeling very comfortable together."

When it comes to exchanging numbers, I said that I don't contact people often. Hae-joon said that he doesn't contact me frequently either, so let's just message each other when we think of one another. I liked that very much. During 'Misaeng', I didn't know his contact information. But we've never sent anything to each other."

Regarding the newcomer Chae Won-bin, he said, "I didn't know Won-bin well before the shoot. However, I saw the director watching a test shoot with Won-bin. Seeing that, I asked the director, 'What movie is this?' At first, I thought it was a foreign film. I assumed Won-bin was filming another piece abroad. But then I found out that it was a test shoot for our project," he expressed with surprise.

He continued, "At that moment, I thought that when Won-bin is silent in a scene, he has a strange charm that draws people in front of the camera. Among the sayings of seniors, there’s a saying that some people have faces that seem to speak even when they are quietly present. It's true. When I first saw Won-bin, I was puzzled, but during the test shoot, I commented on how amazing the feeling was," he laughed.

Kang Ha-neul also remarked, "I still can't forget that scene. Every time I see Won-bin during the filming, that test shoot flashes into my mind. It's also featured in the movie, in the scene where we take a small boat to the yacht. I was a bit surprised at that moment. It felt like a scene from an old Hong Kong movie I used to love. It felt like 'Chungking Express'. That seems to be the greatest strength of actor Won-bin."

'The Opposition' will premiere in theaters nationwide on the 16th.

(Continued in interview⑤.)

[Photo] Provided by Plus M Entertainment.

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