Producer and "actor" Ma Dong-seok shared the behind-the-scenes of "Holy Night."
On the 24th, an interview with the lead actor Ma Dong-seok of the film "Holy Night: Demon Hunters" (screenplay and direction by Lim Dae-hee, distributed by Lotte Entertainment, produced by Big Punch Pictures and Nova Film) took place at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul.
"Holy Night: Demon Hunters" is an occult action film where team members 'Holy Night' Ba'u (played by Ma Dong-seok), Sharon (played by Seo-hyun), and Kim-gun (played by Lee Da-wit) fight against a horde of evil in a city thrown into chaos by a group that worships evil.
With the success of achieving a triple ten million with films like "The Outlaws 2" (12.69 million viewers) in May 2022, "The Outlaws 3" (10.69 million viewers) in May 2023, and "The Outlaws 4" (11.5 million viewers) in April 2024, Ma Dong-seok's new work has burst with significant box office potential every spring. He achieved a record of 'six ten million films' and participated in planning, production, and starring, gaining attention as his first occult action film as well.
On that day, Ma Dong-seok noted his feelings about returning to theaters with a new film rather than the "Outlaws" series, stating, "It has been about three years since 'The Outlaws' was released, and this time I'm excited to see how audiences will react to a different genre, although it has been released in spring. There were other films in between 'The Outlaws.' We were very lucky to achieve ten million, but even now, it's an unbelievable score. I don't know if anything else will happen, but I don't think it will. The audience isn't coming to theaters much, and we hope that all the production team's wishes and hopes surpass the break-even point to work on other projects. I feel the same way. My goal is for this project to surpass the break-even point; even achieving that would be a blessing, allowing us to prepare for other genres as well."
Ma Dong-seok, who is taking on the occult genre for the first time, explained, "It's not that I suddenly became interested in it; I have been interested for a long time. Before the first film of 'The Outlaws' came out, I had a period of working on a screenplay, and since I engaged with many reality-based stories, I wanted to try creating something with fantasy elements or cinematic imagination. That's one aspect. Like a dark hero as well. In Hollywood, they spend a lot of money to create big fantasy; I wondered if we could make it smaller. I thought about how I could blend the two together and decided to give it a try."
He also spoke about the two female characters, Seo-hyun and Jung Ji-so, who played vital roles in the film. Ma Dong-seok mentioned, "The main structure of this film revolves around the conflict between Jung Ji-so, who has been possessed by a demon, and Sharon. I was more like a bodyguard appearing to block the evil spirits trying to disturb them. So, this film focused on the actors Seo-hyun and Jung Ji-so. Although I came out first with a recognizable name, the world was built around those two characters."
He added, "With the 'Outlaws' series, since I have worked on many incidents, most of the villains that appeared were male, making it challenging to highlight female characters. I hope the characters like the shaman or the exorcist, or Jung Ji-so's character will evoke feelings from the audience like, 'That person was kind and cute; I want to save them.' However, if I were possessed, wouldn't it be too scary? Instead of thinking about saving them, wouldn't I think about avoiding them? So, I wanted to show the variety of characteristics that a slender female character like Ji-so could portray." He smiled, adding, "As for Seo-hyun's character, I hoped it would have special abilities rather than giving the impression that a man would solve problems with force."
Ma Dong-seok also shared, "When creating the universe initially, I envisioned it slightly like a comic, with characters related to Joseph or phenomena happening on a large scale. I had created many references to explore fantasy. The film we made is a fragment of that, and the preceding story is currently serialized as a webtoon like a prequel. In the future, if there are opportunities to discuss such stories through novels, webtoons, movies, or animations, I have a desire to show more of them," hinting at the possibility of sequels for 'Holy Night.'
He also shared concerns he had while preparing for the work. He mentioned, "Reality-based films can sometimes feel more cinematic than reality. So, we can't embellish too much or just show it as it is because that could make it less interesting from a filmmaking perspective. Conversely, fantasy is often so vast that it can be hard to determine what to select that would feel more understandable to audiences. I wondered how we could make it less like a lie while being fantastical. Finding that balance was challenging." He added, "While writing the screenplay, I genuinely couldn't sleep. To gather references, I watched many short horror films to feature-length ones daily. Sometimes, I would fall asleep, hit pause, and wake up in the early morning while staring at scary faces."
Furthermore, he said, "Since there have been many good occult films before, I aimed to avoid similarities with those as much as possible. However, while doing so, I felt that if it strayed too far, it might not be considered occult anymore. So, I thought about following certain sequences to some extent. The director even researched ancient languages and explained them to me, saying that trust must be built in the meaning of those words." He chuckled, adding, "Regardless, I worked very hard on it. Films in genres like this often divide opinions right from the script state. It's not an art film, so we worked to make it a little more entertaining while trying to achieve that."
There was also a discussion about action. When Ma Dong-seok was asked about the unique action style of 'Holy Night' that differentiates from the 'Outlaws' series, he replied, "It consists of very small elements, and when they come together, it will appear differently. Most of the characters I portray now are projections of 'Ma Dong-seok.' Rather than suddenly doing a 360-degree kick, everyone wants to create a character that reflects Ma Dong-seok. For instance, Jackie Chan plays both a cop and a villain, but he's still Jackie Chan. I love that about him." He elaborated, "So, the action reflects my background in boxing; that's what I try to emphasize. In reality, it may seem similar between 'The Outlaws' and this work, but they are subtly different. 'The Outlaws' does not show lower body angles but uses many steps. I strive for reactions during fights to be as close to reality as possible. On the other hand, in 'Holy Night,' when someone gets hit, they fly away; that seems unrealistic. Since it's a superhero-type narrative, it's exaggerated and designed to look explosive. Therefore, if the actual boxing in 'The Outlaws' is grounded, I aimed for exaggerated action in 'Holy Night.'"
'Holy Night' is also the debut feature commercial film of director Lim Dae-hee. Additionally, Ma Dong-seok has been discovering 'new directors' through his works. Regarding this, he recalled, "I was introduced to Director Lim by the production company representative. At that time, I had an original horror film idea I was working on separately, and the representative mentioned that there was a senior who specialized in horror films and wanted to meet me. So, we arranged a meeting where he sent me the script beforehand. Some directors usually dislike writing scripts and only enjoy directing, but this director genuinely loves writing scripts. If he likes it, we would connect well, so we started discussing occult narratives. Then he offered to summarize the synopsis; originally, it was meant to be a low-budget horror film, but we began considering making it a commercial film."
He continued, "I also write, but whenever I show my work to someone, they always prefer discussing the negatives rather than praise. In reality, all script meetings feel like going in for a beating over the written work. After being beaten up, we revise things. However, this friend has no sense of impact; if someone says something is bad, he agrees with it, saying, 'You're right; that isn't good!' So writing was very easy with him. I consider that part of his character. I was very fond of that part, thinking I'd really like to see this director debut even if it’s not through me, and I wanted to open up this path for his directorial debut."
He also shared thoughts about the co-stars he worked with. Ma Dong-seok discussed casting Seo-hyun, an actress from Girls' Generation, saying, "I had previously worked with Su-yeon in a film. While I've never worked with Seo-hyun, I often heard discussions about her. She doesn’t eat poorly and is quite the upright person. I thought that when such a person transforms, they must have some strength; I imagined it to be like how Son Suk-ku did in 'The Outlaws 2.' I thought that someone who didn't display a dark side previously could give off more energy. I grew closer to Seo-hyun while working together; she's a really good person and actress. I’m looking forward to seeing her different sides. The same goes for Da-wit and Kyung Soo-jin; they're all excellent actors," expressing his affection.
Ma Dong-seok had previously demonstrated significant foresight in casting actors such as Yoon Kye-sang and Lee Joon-hyuk before they became known as 'box office stars' through 'The Outlaws.' Reflecting on his 'insight into casting,' Ma Dong-seok shared, "I don’t know. When casting, I think there is a tendency to search for different styles. Most often, roles are cast based on images. I try to avoid that. Actors, myself included, strive to fully engage when taking on roles of villains or others. I believe all actors have that ability. So, I think I'm looking for something new."
He also mentioned, "I research various aspects of the actors before casting. I watch performances, view their works, and hear about their traits from close friends. That way, I can guess what this person might like," adding, "I believe good people ultimately create good work." He continued, "If someone is somewhat talented but creates trouble, it can be tough. Filming is already challenging, and actors often have enough to worry about with their performances, but if they also have to deal with interpersonal issues on set, it can lead to too much stress. So, I prefer to work with those who are considered 'good people' to ensure a positive atmosphere on set. Everyone is tense and sensitive, so mutual consideration would be beneficial."
Currently, Ma Dong-seok is simultaneously working on sequels 5, 6, 7, and 8 of the 'Outlaws' series. He said, "Filming for the fifth installment is scheduled for next year. It seems the release will come after that." He revealed, "Honestly, considering my age, it’s not easy to keep doing this. Since I’ve lived due to sports for a long time, I can still perform action. I’m still running a gym and teaching young athletes or actors. On days when I don’t have shoots, I’m often at the gym to avoid getting rusty. I have no specific age limit for stopping, but if my body becomes too strained, I might stop. I probably can't continue as long as Sylvester Stallone. However, I plan to keep going for a few more years," expressing his aspirations.
[Photo] Provided by Lotte Entertainment
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