Earlier last month, some of Korea's biggest leading actors had invaded our nation in one of the largest public appearance we have ever seen. The film's abundantly talented director, Ryoo Seung Wan alongside with the main cast of 'The Battleship Island', Hwang Jung Min, So Ji Sub & Song Joong Ki, graced our shores for a 2-day promotional tour of this action blockbuster.
The actors' appearance at a public meet & greet at Pavilion Kuala Lumpur practically halted the bustling shopping area, where thousands of fans gathered to catch a glimpse of their oppa! Upon arriving on the red carpet, they were greeted by the loudest frenzied cheers from all levels of the shopping mall, much to the surprise of the actors. The main cast also made an appearance for VIPs at the gala premiere of 'The Battleship Island' at GSC Pavilion KL.
The unwavering attention continued as the cast and director spoke with the media in a press conference held at The Majestic Hotel Kuala Lumpur where they shared thoughts about the movie as well as episodes from filming process.
When asked about what they anticipated the most from the Malaysian leg, director Ryoo responded that he was looking forward to foreign audiences' reaction towards the movie especially since Malaysians share a similar background to the movie's World War 2 setting.
Hwang Jung Min also shared an episode from behind the scenes, where Kim Suan who plays his daughter in the movie would always bring candies on set. Those that were her least favourite always ended with him whereas those that were the most delicious or expensive ones would go to Joong Ki!
In 'The Battleship Island', So Ji Sub plays the role of a Korean gangster (Choi Chil Sung) that is forcefully drafted as a labourer on the island. He shared that he was thankful to avoid any serious injuries as the preparations for his fight scenes were all thoroughly planned by professional directors.
Ji Sub also mentioned that he did not know anything about his role in the movie but he immediately accepted it when he found out that he would be working with Director Ryoo whom he has always wanted to work with.
Lastly, the cast members also revealed their most memorable scene in the movie. For Joong Ki, it was the mass escape scene where the children tried to reassemble the bridge after it had collapsed. "Although we are the main actors in the movie, I personally felt like the children were the main focus instead. As children are our future and I hope that the young audience will be inspired as I was by this movie."
For So Ji Sub, it was the last scene where the camera pans towards the face of a young girl, Sohee (played by Kim Suan), which portrayed all the pain and sorrow and hope for the future that tells everything they wanted to convey.
On a lighter note, Hwang Jung Min mentioned there was one scene where all the men had to be naked. In reality, everyone would need to be forced a knife or gun point but in the movie, to me, it was touching to see that all the people were willing to undress in such a manner.
'The Battleship Island' attracted more than 2.5 million viewers in its first week of release in Korea and broke the Korean all-time opening night record! Set in the Japanese colonial era of World War 2, the film tells a courageous tale of survival where a group of men stage a daring escape from the perilous 'Battleship Island' while leading 400 fellow Korean prisoners.
'The Battleship Island' is distributed nationwide by GSC Movies and Clover Films in Malaysia.
Kpopstarz Malaysia team would like to thank the organiser GSC Cinema for the opportunity for the event coverage.
