Actor Zo In-sung shared that he put an immense amount of effort into preliminary preparations to portray his character in the film "Possible Love".
Attending an interview for the film "Possible Love" held in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, on the afternoon of November 10, Zo In-sung discussed what he had to learn to play Sang-woo, a capitalist who has everything: "I balanced clarinet lessons, English tutoring, and working out by organizing a weekly schedule." He particularly shared that because he discovered the scene where he plays the clarinet late in the process, he dedicated significant time and effort to lessons.
Zo In-sung explained the situation at the time, saying, "Even though I had clearly read it in the script, I think I skipped over that part because I had so much actor homework to solve. One day, (Cho) Yeo-jeong noona asked me, 'Are you preparing well for the clarinet?' Startled, I asked my manager, 'Did you know I had to play the clarinet?' When I read the script again, the very last line of the karaoke scene had a single stage direction reading, 'Sang-woo is playing the clarinet.' Realizing I was in trouble, I asked around to find a place to take clarinet lessons."
Regarding those lessons, he said, "To save time, I wanted to do everything in my neighborhood. Because Sang-woo appears as a flawless figure in the film, I also had to take private English tutoring and balance fitness workouts. I learned the clarinet intensively for three to four months. The director checked my skills from time to time. The director used to be a professor at Korea National University of Arts. I felt like an examinee taking a test. The director told me, 'My intention is to help you pass, so do not feel pressured.' (laughs) We shot the karaoke scene near the very end of filming, which I believe was the director's consideration to buy me time to learn the instrument."
Zo In-sung shows off fluent English skills in the movie. Although it is a short phone call scene, his natural English pronunciation makes it evident that he spent considerable time refining it. Regarding this, he explained, "I received help from a junior colleague who speaks English well," adding, "I think I did an hour of phone English every day. Moving forward line by line was not easy, but eventually, I simply memorized those lines inside and out."
He also had to devote immense care to managing his physique. Zo In-sung shared, "I didn't want to build up my body, but it felt embarrassing to present an unworked body to the public. I consistently went to the gym, and I ran 5 kilometers every day before heading to the set."
Sang-woo, played by Zo In-sung, inherited vast wealth passed down through generations from his grandfather, who accumulated riches during the Japanese colonial era. In the present day, he appears as a successful entrepreneur achieving a different level of wealth through M&A, becoming intertwined with the married couple Ho-seok and Mi-ok. Playing the clarinet, speaking fluent English, and maintaining a toned physique serve as vital foundations that define the character of Sang-woo.
"Possible Love" tells the story of a laid-off worker and his wife, alongside a documentary director and her husband, as the two couples meet to produce a documentary and confront their different lives and hidden desires. It is director Lee Chang-dong's first new release in eight years. The film was released worldwide through Netflix on November 6.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)