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Actor Eum Moon-suk, playing the role of Yang-bae in the film HOPE, is drawing intense interest from filmmakers and audiences alike. / Courtesy of Plus M Entertainment

As the film HOPE continues to attract audiences, attention toward the supporting cast is also surging.

According to the film industry on July 27, the actor who is generating the most buzz among filmmakers and audiences following the box-office success of HOPE is Eum Moon-suk, who plays the role of Yang-bae in the movie. Yang-bae is a young villager whose sheer greed for money triggers a massive disaster, serving as a character who adds taut tension to a plot that could otherwise slacken after the midpoint.

Eum Moon-suk is a uniquely expressive actor and former dance singer who made a name for himself playing the bob-haired villain Jang Ryong in the drama The Fiery Priest and the mid-level boss Jang Ki-chul in the film The Roundabout. As reflected in his career and past works, his casting—featuring facial expressions whose inner thoughts are hard to gauge, a tone of voice that comes across as naive, and eyes that somehow radiate a lethal chill, raising suspicion—is drawing competing praise from both audiences and renowned directors alike.

Director Bong Joon-ho, in a talk with director Na Hong-jin in front of an audience, was left momentarily speechless after asking, "How did you cast him (Eum Moon-suk)? His face itself looked more alien than an alien," provoking bursts of laughter from the audience. Additionally, director Hwang Dong-hyuk of Squid Game, during a guest visit (GV) session alongside Jung Ho-yeon, who played Seong-ae in the film, sent the audience into fits of laughter as well by remarking, "I was familiar with him through dramas, but when he first appeared on screen, I didn't recognize him," and adding, "I wondered how a person could look like that. I was curious how a human mouth could move like that."

In response to these assessments, director Na offered a tip, saying, "Perhaps because he danced so well that he appeared on Dancing 9 and has practiced Muay Thai for a long time, the rhythm of his face and body muscles is remarkable. In everyday life, he is a very nice and refined person," while Jung Ho-yeon caught people's attention by adding, "He acted while wearing upper and lower dentures."

Beyond Eum Moon-suk, several supporting actors deliver performances that go above and beyond supporting roles: starting with veteran actor Im Hyun-sik in the role of Uncle Hae-sul, who recounts his first sighting of the alien in a serious voice only to leave the audience in stitches; Lee Sang-hee in the role of Uncle Nak-yeon, who partners with the protagonist Beom-seok to collaborate on a comedy routine of clever banter; and Hwang Seok-jeong in the role of the public health center director, who exhibits unexpected professional grit and unleashes madness during the autopsy scene of the alien Bamygeer.

Meanwhile, according to the Korean Film Council's integrated computer network for movie tickets on July 27, HOPE drew 737,368 viewers from July 24 to 26, holding the top spot at the weekend box office for two consecutive weeks and bringing its cumulative audience count to 3,415,711 since its release on July 15. However, as of the morning of July 27, it slipped to third place in the advance ticket sales rankings with 8.6% (74,167 viewers), falling behind Spider-Man: Brand New Day (69.5%, 599,449 viewers) and The Odyssey (12.7%, 109,625 viewers), which are scheduled for release on July 29 and August 5 respectively; furthermore, its weekend audience count dropped by nearly half compared to its first week, placing it in a situation where long-term box-office success cannot be guaranteed.

                                                                                                         Cho Seong-jun