"The scenario was incredibly fresh. It wasn't a complete transformation, but I was excited about discovering a new side of myself. During the months of practice, I felt like an idol."
Gang Dong-won, star of the film "Wild Thing," met with Seoul Economic Daily at a cafe in Jongno-gu on the 19th, saying, "It wasn't a role I could have played when I was younger, so I thought it would fit me perfectly now." Opening December 3, "Wild Thing" is a comedy depicting the story of Triangle, a mixed-gender group that swept the K-pop scene in the 2000s, returning to the stage after 20 years. Disbanded due to an unexpected incident and living separate lives, the members reunite and face numerous twists and turns on their way back to performing. The film is directed by Son Jae-gon, who created "My Scary Girl" (2006) and "Villain and Widow" (2010). Gang plays Hyun-woo, the group's leader and "dance machine." Although he says it isn't a transformation, the actor's cross-generational comedic performance is being hailed as "the transformation of his career."
While Gang has expanded his acting spectrum across various genres, this is his first role to showcase dancing and singing skills front and center. Yet he embodied the "dance machine" Hyun-woo with remarkable fit. The process, of course, was not easy. He practiced four hours daily, starting from walking with rhythm to advanced moves like the headspin (a move where the body rotates while balanced upside down on the head). He even injured his ribs while practicing the windmill (a move where the body spins with arms and torso on the floor). "After clinging to practice for months like that, when the day came to film the Triangle stage, I really felt like an idol," he recalled.
Thanks to his all-out commitment to learning the choreography, the music video released ahead of the film's opening surpassed 2.24 million views in 14 days, generating significant buzz. "An acquaintance who watched the video even joked, 'Are you running out of money these days?'" he said. "I think those reactions came because I practiced with everything I had."
Gang actively contributed ideas on styling and other elements to recreate the 2000s atmosphere. His insistence on doing the headspin, as well as Hyun-woo's late-90s-style hairdo from Triangle's second album, were all his suggestions. The "radical transformation" in the second album, contrasting with the first album "Love Is," draws particular laughs from audiences. "I said I wanted to do my hair in the late-90s style that senior artists wore back then," he said. "I wore a wig that was as similar as possible, and it was so much fun. I was completely satisfied."
