Fresh off a buzzed-about cameo with Hwa Sa at the 46th Blue Dragon Film Awards that had him dubbed the “nation’s ex,” actor Park Jung-min, 38, is stepping into the lead of the Korean premiere of “Life of Pi.”
On the 26th, production company S&CO unveiled character images of Park Jung-min and Park Kang-hyun as the teenage castaway Pi and the Bengal tiger Richard Parker. In the stills, the actors distill a high-stakes standoff into a single gaze as they fight to survive on a tiny lifeboat in the middle of the Pacific.
Playing Pi demands more than raw emotion; the role requires making the onstage puppets―most notably the tiger―feel startlingly real.
The creative team calls it “a role that pushes you to your physical and emotional limits,” which is why the dual casting of Park Jung-min and Park Kang-hyun has been a talking point even before opening night. How each actor charts Pi’s odyssey is one of this production’s key draws.
“Life of Pi” follows a boy who survives 227 days adrift with the tiger Richard Parker. Their bond―described as both “a companion to my pain and the force that kept me alive”―has already captivated global audiences through the bestselling novel and its hit film adaptation.
The staging leans into cinematic spectacle―raging storms, star-swept horizons―while puppeteers breathe life into Richard Parker with precision choreography. The show has already swept major awards, including three Tonys and five Oliviers.
Joining Park Jung-min and Park Kang-hyun as Pi are Seo Hyun-chul and Hwang Man-ik as the Father, Joo A and Song In-sung as the Mother, plus 27 additional performers and puppeteers handpicked by the original creative team. All eyes are on how the lauded stagecraft and powerhouse performances will translate for Korean audiences.
The Korean premiere of “Life of Pi” opens December 2 at GS Arts Center.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kang Kyung-youn)