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Ma Dong-seok, who plays the powerful demon hunter "Bau" in the occult action film "Holy Night: Demon Hunters" set to premiere on April 30, speaks during an interview with reporters at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno District, Seoul. / Source: Lotte Entertainment

In the hit film The Outlaws 2, actor Choi Gwi-hwa’s character Jeon Il-man jokingly scolds his friend and subordinate detective Ma Seok-do, saying, "When you show up, it’s an investigation! If you go on a blind date, that’s an investigation too!"

The public often views Ma Dong-seok, both actor and producer, in a similar light. Regardless of the role or genre, many audiences see only "Ma Dong-seok"—much like the invincible action hero Ma Seok-do he created.

Meeting with reporters at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno District, Seoul, to promote his latest film Holy Night: Demon Hunters, Ma addressed this perception. "It’s the result of designing characters that reflect my real personality," he explained calmly. "But it’s not like I can suddenly start doing high kicks to change it." He added, "In the same way, I love how Jackie Chan, no matter what profession he portrays, always feels like Jackie Chan."

Set to premiere on April 30, Holy Night: Demon Hunters is an occult action film in which Ma Dong-seok plays "Bau," a demon hunter with superhuman strength. Together with exorcist "Sharon" (played by Seohyun) and "Kim Gun" (Lee Da-wit), they form the team "Holy Night" to save "Eun-seo" (Jung Ji-so), who has been possessed by a demon.

Unlike Ma’s previous leading roles, this film places female characters at the forefront. "In The Outlaws series, which is based on real events, it was hard to give female characters major roles like villains. But in a fantasy genre like an occult action film, we could fully explore that," Ma said. "We wanted to create characters the audience could empathize with. Watching Jung Ji-so's character, you naturally want to save her. But if I were the one possessed, who would feel sorry for me?" he joked.

Although he remains committed to action films as long as his body allows, Ma’s taste in genres shifts frequently, inspiring his move into occult action with this film and the development of a new script centered on a heavy metal band. Even as he often plays variations of "Ma Dong-seok the character," he strives for enough variation to avoid audience fatigue. His efforts to cast fellow actors like Yoon Kye-sang, Son Suk-ku, Lee Jun-hyuk, and Kim Mu-yeol as villains in The Outlaws sequels reflect his dislike for repetition and his constant pursuit of freshness.

Ma is also preparing to break further into Hollywood with Pig Village, an action film he is producing, co-writing, and starring in, alongside Guardians of the Galaxy actor Michael Rooker.

Regarding his hit franchise, Ma shared, "The Outlaws 5 through 8 are all being developed separately. Whichever script is completed first will become The Outlaws 5, and we plan to start filming next year." Reflecting on the franchise's rare triple-10-million ticket achievement during a time of industry downturn, he added humbly, "In today’s tough market, just reaching the break-even point for any film feels like a blessing."