Two Friends to Co-Star in New Movie

By Kim Tae-jong
Staff Reporter

Kim Soo-ro and Kam Woo-seong, two veteran actors, worked together on the upcoming comedy film "Ssonda" ("Shooting)". Close friends in real life, they are confident that their combination will produce some laughs.

"I was able to focus all my energy on the film without having to use some of it to get to know unfamiliar co-stars", Kim said Friday during a news conference at Lafesta Mall in Ilsan, Kyonggi Province. "Working with people I know definitely helps me to make more commercially successful films".

The friendship between the two 36-year-old men began when they co-starred in the 2005 comedy "A Bold Family" ("Super Family"), in which they played brothers with contrasting personalities but the same goal: their father's fortune.

In the new film, directed by Park Jeong-woo, the actors play men with totally different personalities who accidentally meet at a police station and spend the night together. The movie depicts their struggles in getting to know each other.

In the movie, Kam plays Park Man-su, who leads a life full of strict rules. He applies them to everything he does, including collecting garbage on the street and never jaywalking.

Kim takes on the role of Yang Chul-gon. Jobless with 15 previous convictions, Yang always finds himself at the center of problems.

Their roles seem perfect given the two actor's previous roles, but the actors said the delegation of roles was not as simple as it sounded.

"Before shooting the film, we talked about our roles", Kam said. "I suggested that we switch them. If we had done so, it would have been a risky art film. So in the end, we just chose to make a commercial film".

Kam expressed his hope to break away from his typical role. "It could have been more fun for me to create a new character and discover my different sides by playing Yang", he said.

Kam had his debut in a 1990 television drama "Paradise of Our Own", and he has played mainly modern and urban upper-middle class men in TV dramas and movies. Yet has taken on some more challenging roles. The most challenging part he played was the starring role in the historical "The King and the Clown", the second most-viewed Korean-made film. Kam played a street clown who became a court jester.

In his debut, Kim had a three-minute role as a gate guard for a police station in the 1993 comedy "Two Cops". Kim has played minor and supporting roles in such films as "The Foul King" (1999), "Fun Movie" (2002) and "S Diary" (2004).

He parlayed his supporting roles into indispensable ones, producing hilarious jokes in those films and eventually leading to leading roles this year in "Vampire Cop Ricky", "Educating Kidnappers" and "Ssonda". The sequel to "Vampire Cop Ricky" will soon begin production.

The filming of "Ssonda" is complete, and it is now in post-production. Its official release is scheduled for February.