At the Busan International Film Festival, director Kim Jong-hoon explained why he cast No Jeong-ui and Sho Kasamatsu in the psychological horror film Razor.

Director Kim Jong-hoon revealed why he cast Kasamatsu Sho and No Jeong-ui in the film "Razor" (working title). On the 9th, a press conference for "Razor," an entry in the 31st Busan International Film Festival, was held in the area around the Busan Haeundae District's Cinema Center. Director Kim Jong-hoon, No Jeong-ui, and Kasamatsu Sho attended the venue. Byun Yo-han and ITZY's Ryujin could not participate due to scheduling conflicts. This work is a psychological horror thriller film that unfolds as Su-yeong (No Jeong-ui), a horror novelist carrying wounds from the past, spends time in a secluded mansion with her lover Shinji (Kasamatsu Sho), who comes to visit during the holiday. It is director Kim Jong-hoon's second work, presented 13 years after his debut film "The Wild Dog." Director Kim Jong-hoon explained, "When I first received the scenario, the point I felt as the biggest attraction was that it was a composite genre. I worried about how to make it diverse and new while not losing unity. I tried to follow the emotional line of the protagonist Su-yeong." He then revealed the reasons for casting No Jeong-ui and Kasamatsu Sho. He said, "No Jeong-ui appeared as a child actor in the 2016 film 'Detective Hong Gil-dong: Disappearing Village.' From the time she came to the audition and while watching the process until the film was completed, I felt that she was an attractive actress. After that, I saw her appearing in various works and thought she was growing well. While reading the scenario, I thought that in this role, No Jeong-ui might be able to show a strong side she had not been able to show until now." He also said, "I first saw Kasamatsu Sho in the work 'TOKYO VICE' by a director I respect. I thought he was charming, and then I was surprised to see him also appear in 'Good News.' Also, if it was set up as a long-distance couple, I thought it might be better to make him a foreigner. When the boyfriend suddenly changes, I thought that if Korean and Japanese were mixed together, it might create a sense of strangeness, so I came to propose it." No Jeong-ui, who played Su-yeong, a writer of horror novels, said, "I tried a new genre and action for the first time. The beginning of anything is exciting and fun, isn't it? So I always approached filming with enjoyment." She continued, "Sho and I filmed while taking care of each other. We talked a lot so that the situations and elements of each character would be seen well." She added, "I really had fun and approached it with a spirit of challenge. It became a good memory," expressing satisfaction. Su-yeong is reminded of her past wounds by the suddenly changed appearance of her lover Shinji. No Jeong-ui said, "In order to depict the process of the person I trusted and loved most changing into the person I could trust least, and moving from happiness to a nightmare, a lot of dialogue was necessary." She added, "I think that was one of the film's pleasures. It was exhilarating in itself that Su-yeong breaks through her trauma and remakes her future and life. I also tried a lot of ad-libs and worked to enrich even the small parts of the film." Kasamatsu Sho played Shinji, Su-yeong's lover. He is a person who changes completely from the moment he is injured using a razor. He is drawing attention by playing a mysterious character in two languages, Korean and Japanese. Kasamatsu Sho said, "It was a big challenge. When the head of the production company first gave me the scenario for this work, I was told it was a romance genre. I am not an actor who has done a lot of romance; I was a yakuza, or in 'Good News' a revolutionary who hijacked a passenger plane. When I finished all the filming and met the director and Jeong-ui again, I felt it was a deeper romance." He also revealed his feelings about appearing in a Korean production. "Since I was young, I learned acting by watching Korean works. It felt like a dream to be appearing in a Korean work in Korean," he said. "The scenario was all in Korean, but I memorized it, studied it, and acted with all my effort. There were many difficult points with pronunciation and intonation, but the director helped me a lot in post-production," he said, expressing gratitude. Finally, Director Kim Jong-hoon said, "When I read the scenario, there is a scene and a line that attracted me the most. Looking at that scene, I hope it will become a film that greatly helps people with wounds and trauma to overcome and get past them." The 31st Busan International Film Festival is being held from the 6th to the 15th around the Cinema Center in Busan. The film "Razor" is scheduled to be released this year. ・[PHOTO] Kasamatsu Sho and No Jeong-ui attend the press conference for the film "Razor" ・Kasamatsu Sho talks fluently in Korean! He also hoped for a warm welcome from local fans, but it fell flat? "Everyone went to IVE's Yujin"