From wearing bras to learning Cantonese, stars of 'The Desperate Chase' go the extra mile

Actor Park Sung-woong confessed that he recently tried on a woman’s bra — not out of curiosity, but for his latest role in a new comedy film, "The Desperate Chase."

From left, actor Yoon Kyung-ho, director Kim Jae-hoon, actors Park Sung-woong and Kwak Si-yang pose at a press conference held in Yongsan District, central Seoul, on Tuesday. [YONHAP]

Actor Park Sung-woong confessed that he recently tried on a woman’s bra — not out of curiosity, but for his latest role in a new comedy film, "The Desperate Chase."

“Though my body was battered, the film turned out to shine,” Park said at a press conference on Tuesday in Yongsan District, central Seoul, before the movie's release on Aug. 21.

The action comedy film, directed by Kim Jae-hoon, revolves around a chase between a con artist, a detective with anger management issues and a mob boss, each of whom came to Jeju for different reasons.

The film features actors Park, who plays con artist Kim In-hae, Kwak Si-yang, who plays detective Cho Su-gwang, and Yoon Kyung-ho, who plays mob boss Zhu Lin-fang.

As a con artist, Park had to pull off seven disguises, ranging from a haenyeo — Jeju's iconic female divers — to an old man.

A still from upcoming comedy film ″The Desperate Chase″ [THE CONTENTS ON]

“My role was like a chameleon,” Park said. “There was a shoot that lasted only an hour, but the makeup for the shoot took five hours.”

“For the first time in my life, I dressed as a woman and even wore a bra for the first time,” Park added, adding that he felt “suffocated” when wearing the undergarment.

Park also revealed that he injured his hamstring during the shoot, causing him to limp. This ended up changing a part of a scene, which initially had him running away, to him being stabbed with a knife, according to the director.

“The modification better conveyed the character’s desperate emotions,” director Kim said. “I thought the scene turned out better than originally planned.”

However, Park was not the only one trying something new. Yoon, who played a Taiwanese gangster, had to learn Cantonese for his role, which was a big challenge for the actor.

A still from upcoming comedy film ″The Desperate Chase″ [THE CONTENTS ON]

“When I first received the script, I believed that an actual Cantonese speaker should play the role, not a Korean,” Yoon said.

Kwak, who plays a detective unable to control his temper, admitted that although his role allowed him to express his feelings ruthlessly by screaming, he felt more stress than relief.

The resort island of Jeju is known for its picturesque scenery, but director Kim wanted to showcase lesser-known stories about its struggles.

“In 2017, I stayed on Jeju Island for a month, and during my stay, I learned that the island was suffering from many underlying issues,” Kim said. “I’ve witnessed and heard stories of Jeju’s natural environment being destroyed by reckless development, leading to conflicts between Jeju residents.”

“So I thought that someday I would like to make this into a film and share the story with the audience,” he added.

A still from upcoming comedy film ″The Desperate Chase″ [THE CONTENTS ON]

Park described the film as a “gift set,” showing his confidence in the film. “The film is touching while also having action and comedy. The audience will experience various genres while watching the film.”

Director Kim hopes the audience will feel like they are on a trip to Jeju, as he tried to capture the island's beautiful environment in the film.

BY KIM JI-YE [kim.jiye@joongang.co.kr]