Actor Yoo Ji-tae pulled back the curtain on how he tackled Han Myeong-hoe―often labeled one of the most notorious power brokers in Joseon history―in his new period drama.
Speaking at a press screening and Q&A for the film "The King's Warden" on Jan. 21 at Megabox in Seoul’s Samseong-dong, Yoo said, “When I first read the script, there was something essential Han Myeong-hoe had to carry for this movie. The antagonist needed to function like the backbone of the story, and I wanted to draw that out.”
He continued, “When director Jang Hang-jun handed me the script, he asked for a ‘new Han Myeong-hoe’―one with real force, different from what audiences might expect. Because Han stands apart from the villagers, there were instinctive choices he had to make. Playing a real historical figure comes with pressure, so I kept asking myself, ‘If I were Han Myeong-hoe, what would I do?’ I focused less on the mechanics of a villain and more on building layers of emotion.”
Yoo leans into a fresh take on the character, arriving with towering physicality and an imposing presence, speaking in a deeper register than usual. He also appears to have deliberately put on weight to inhabit the role.
Set in 1457 in Cheongnyeongpo, "The King's Warden" follows a village chief who volunteers for exile to revive his community and a young monarch expelled from the throne―the deposed King Danjong. Blending historical record with imagination, the film traces Danjong’s exile and the tragedy surrounding his death.
"The King's Warden" opens Feb. 4.
(SBS Entertainment News | Kim Ji-hye)
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