If you think of the movie "HOPE," this is likely the single scene that comes to mind: fishing village leader Hyun-ho (played by Seo Beom-sik) riding a horse and snatching up Sung-ki (Zo In-sung). It was a moment that captured the sense of speed from a white horse galloping through the forest, alongside the strength and agility of the rider.
The stills capturing this moment were used as a teaser poster, making a massive contribution to skyrocketing anticipation for the project during the Cannes Film Festival and early domestic promotional stages.
Regarding this scene, Zo In-sung stated, "It was one of the scenes we worked the hardest on in Romania. After filming, the production company and the director said it could even be used as a teaser poster, which is how this scene came to be presented. Since I've known senior actor Seo Beom-sik, who played Hyun-ho, for a long time, we matched our choreography well and were able to finish filming without any accidents."
When watching the movie, you can actually understand the urgent context of this scene. Sung-ki and his crew went into the forest to hunt a tiger that had attacked the village, and sensing beforehand that manpower would be short, they called in the tough "older brothers" of the fishing village. Soon after, the presence of that tiger turns out to be something much harsher, and Sung-ki and his crew begin to be chased.
Around that time, the fishing village brothers who appeared riding a Land Rover had an unmistakable aura. Unlike Sung-ki's ragged crew, they appeared in stylish vacation looks featuring leather jackets, knitwear, and even gold accessories.
The person who drew the most attention at this time was Hyun-ho. He is a character who exudes the aura of a leader despite having only a few lines. Resembling Ji Jin-hee and Kim Myung-min, with a fleeting glimpse of Hong Kong actor Tony Leung Ka-fai's face as well, this actor is Seo Beom-sik. Although his appearance and departure lasted only about five minutes, his intensity was second to none against the aliens.
Seo Beom-sik is a martial arts director and actor who has been active since the 1990s. As a founding member of the Jung Doo-hong Action School, he made a name for himself by serving as a stunt double for lead actors and as a martial arts director for various films and dramas. He caught the eye of director Lee Byung-hoon and began acting starting with "The Merchant," and also played active roles in "Dae Jang Geum," "Ballad of Seodong," and "The Great Queen Seondeok." Since then, he has consistently remained active in numerous dramas and films.
This is a casting choice where director Na Hong-jin's unique eye truly shined. His philosophy of not strictly insisting on top star casting, alongside his ability to elevate the realism and vitality of a production through completely unexpected and fresh casting even for supporting and minor roles, was fully demonstrated in "HOPE" as well.
The casting was truly 100 percent fresh, including Hopohang village residents Lee Sang-hee, Im Hyun-sik, Eum Moon-suk, Lee Yong-nyeo, and Hwang Suk-jung, as well as Yoo Jun-hong, Joo Kwang-hyun, Oh Doo-won, and Han Woo-yeol, who appeared as members of Sung-ki's crew.
In particular, the utilization of Seo Beom-sik was even better because it was not over-the-top. Rather than a flurry of meaningless solo shots, shots that heightened the horror and tension of the production effectively showed the confrontation between humans and aliens.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)
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