[HanCinema's News] Director Kwak Jae-yong Talks About "A Year-End Medley"

On December 28th director Kwak Jae-yong was interviewed about his upcoming film "A Year-End Medley" which will be released in movie theaters and the streaming platform TVing on December 29th. The famed director is best known for his aughts-era romance "My Sassy Girl", "The Classic", and "Daisy" among others. But unlike those past films, "A Year-End Medley" is a romantic omnibus featuring a large number of interconnected characters.

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One of these storylines is a bromance between Seo Kang-joon and Lee Kwang-soo. In regards to this storyline, Kwak Jae-yong mentioned the deliberate use of understatement. To keep the two from overacting, Kwak Jae-yong told them to work with minimal overt expression, using meaningful eye movements over dialog to convey subtext. Seo Kang-joon's approach was likened to that of a handsome Cha Tae-hyun, based on an idea inspired by the actor on set.

Lee Kwang-soo, by contrast, expressed his character's nonverbal feelings through costuming. Kwak Jae-yong said that Lee Kwang-soo exceeded expectations in that regard. Kwak Jae-yong also had strong praise for Kang Ha-neul. In a kiss scene where young actor Cho Jun-young was having trouble, Kang Ha-neul came out and calmed the situation, putting everyone at ease. Kwak Jae-yong described Kang Ha-neul as an excellent professional, friendly with staff and full of great ideas.

Written by William Schwartz