Interview: Director Shin Yeon-Shick of “Rough Play” and “The Russian Novel” Talks About His Most Passionate Student, Sandara Park

[Cine interview] Shin Yeon-shick, director of Jeonju Digital Project 2014 : the Aviamkind

“This time, it is about identity”
By Song Soon-jin, Cine21 reporter
Shin Yeon-shick, who has recently been in the news for the low-budget independent films The Russian Novel and Rough Play (co-produced by KIM Ki-duk) is set to meet audiences again this spring as part of the Jeonju Digital Project 2014, funded by the Jeonju International Film Festival. The title of his feature, The Aviamkind, comes from one of the fictional novels in The Russian Novel, which features an actor playing several roles.

– Your film is low-budget but the actors are young and glamorous. How did you get them on board?

Well, the main character is actually not that young (laughs). KIM Jeong-seok, who played in The Russian Novel and Rough Play, plays the main role of a novelist in this film who is looking for his missing wife. KIM has been working with me for a long time and I promised to have him play a main role one day. That promise finally came true with this film. Kang Shin-hyo, who was the main character in The Russian Novel and played the manager in Rough Play, took a supporting role this time. I deeply appreciate the actors who helped me out in times of difficulty, and I want to keep every promise if I can. So I have a long list of movies to make (laughs). Others are mostly rookies and my students.

By chance I started teaching acting, and I became kind of famous, as some of my students are K-pop stars. I’ll tell you something funny. Who do you think is the most passionate actor among my students? It is none other than Sandara Park from 2NE1. She calls me day and night whenever she has any questions about acting. She discusses with me over the phone about her characters and their feelings whenever she is stuck. Lee Joon from Rough Play is also very hard working, but not as much as Sandara (laughs). I have to make a movie one day with Sandara in the main role. (laughs)

*Omitted some parts. Read the full interview here!

Credits:

Source: Korean Film