Kang Dong Won held an interview ahead of the release of Hirokazu Kore-eda‘s award-winning movie ‘Broker‘.
“When I first met director Koreeda, he didn’t have a synopsis,” the actor shared. “He gave me the synopsis after the meeting, and I said I’d do it on the spot. I’ve always wanted to work with director Kore-eda. I thought it was going to be fun.” He added, “I liked his movie Shoplifters. And I especially like his movie I Wish. I loved it. I think it captured the innocence of young friends and their brightness and innocence. There are very few movies like that.”
Broker follows the unexpected and special journey of those intertwined over a baby box. In the movie, Kang Dong Won plays Dong Soo. “Dong Soo was raised in an orphanage, but I wanted to portray him as someone who grew up to be bright despite his deficiency. I didn’t want him to look gloomy,” Kang Dong Won explained. “I have a friend who was raised in an orphanage, and he was a cheerful person who wanted to become a chef. Of course, when he was young, he caused lots of trouble and rebelled a lot. I thought Dong Soo would be just like him. So I wanted to express Dong Soo as someone who comfortably does his job.”
The actor reunited with Song Kang Ho more than ten years after the movie Secret Reunion. “I’ve filmed more than 20 films now, so I felt more comfortable on the set than before,” he recalled. “I have this similar rhythm as Song Kang Ho. So I particularly loved working with him.” Kang Dong Won also praised IU, “She did an amazing job. I wish we could team up again on another good project. As everyone knows, she’s a wonderful friend who’s a great singer and a great actress.”
Recently, the fact that BTS’s V has returned home from the States early to attend the VIP premiere of Broker has made headlines. “I didn’t know that he came for me,” Kang Dong Won said. “I was just grateful. He’s such a good, cute friend.”
To the question asking how they got to be friends, he answered, “I’m good friends with singer Park Hyo Shin, and V stopped by when I was with him. V is from Geochang and I went to high school in Geochang, so I heard that he wanted to meet me. And we became good friends.”
Kang Dong Won is well known for his friendships with people in various fields. “I have a good personality,” the actor jokingly commented. “I’m just kidding. I love listening to various people’s stories. My job is all about expressing people, so I try to have a good time so that I don’t get trapped within myself. I’m not an extrovert, but as I get older, I try harder not to lock myself within me.”
