[Edaily Starin, Reporter Choi Hee-jae ] “A meal review featuring a caterpillar? I gave it my all, but it seems like a lot of it was edited out, which is a shame. Haha.”

Actress Ha Ji-won made these remarks while recalling the preparation process for the film during a press conference for “Bi-gwang” held on the 24th at Megabox COEX in Gangnam-gu, Seoul.
“Bi-gwang” is a family chronicle in which Jung-gu (Ryu Seung-ryong), a former baseball player, and national actress Nam-mi (Ha Ji-won) face a marital breakdown after the sudden appearance of Jung-gu’s daughter Dong-ju (Kim Si-ah). Eight years later, they stake everything they have left to uncover the truth and save Dong-ju, who has been caught up in a shocking incident.
Ryu Seung-ryong played a star baseball player who, upon learning of his daughter’s existence, begins to live his life as a father. He also portrays a heart-wrenching side of himself as he pursues the case because of his daughter. Ryu Seung-ryong gave a passionate performance, actually putting a head of kkakdugi (cubed radish kimchi) over his head during the scene.
Regarding the “kimchi head” scene, Ryu Seung-ryong explained, “I could feel the atmosphere and emotions of that day with my whole body,” adding, “It was so difficult to reshoot once the kimchi was poured over my head that we had to reshoot the scene.”

He said, “A piece of kkakdugi landed on my head and wouldn’t fall off. The director is someone who takes even a single prop very seriously,” adding, “We filmed using real kkakdugi made with spicy red pepper powder and anchovy sauce. Since I couldn’t practice that beforehand, I knew I had to get it right in one take.”
Ryu Seung-ryong recalled the difficult shoot, saying, “The radish kimchi broth was running down my face, and I couldn’t even open my eyes,” adding, “I finally understood why marathon runners get double eyelid surgery.”
He continued, “It felt like menthol ointment was getting into my eyes and nose. I had to act with my eyes open, but I felt like I was on the brink of death while filming,” adding, “It’s a scene that really sticks in my memory.”
While Ryu Seung-ryong was covered head-to-toe in kkakdugi, Ha Ji-won played a past-her-prime national actress barely scraping by as a reporter. The film also depicted her traveling to find wild animals and being forced to eat unwanted food, such as mealworms and frogs.
She said, “There were actually dishes of mealworms and frogs right in front of me,” adding, “I really gave it my all during filming, but (watching the movie today) it seems like some of it was edited out, which is a shame.” Ha Ji-won added, “I prepared by watching a lot of eating shows,” noting, “There were many moments during filming that felt unfamiliar to me.”

In fact, in “Bi-gwang,” viewers can see Ha Ji-won’s “vivid” performance of profanity. Ha Ji-won said, “I put a lot of time and effort into it. I prepared diligently, down to every single line of dialogue.” She shared a behind-the-scenes story, saying, “Since there aren’t many people around me who swear, I asked the director to let me swear.”
She continued, “After recording the swearing lines, I practiced alone on the terrace at home because I was worried my mom might be startled,” adding, “Even so, the director wasn’t satisfied with my swearing performance,” which drew laughter.
Hearing this, Director Lee remarked, “Actress Ha Ji-won has lived such a good life for so long that the swearing just didn’t come naturally to her. I gave up,” and gave her swearing performance a score of 20 out of 100. Director Lee also added an anecdote that even Ha Ji-won didn’t know about, saying, “During post-production recording, I even swore myself and added it with my voice altered.”

Kim Si-ah took on the role of Dong-ju, the daughter at the center of the story. This marks her reunion with Director Lee following “Miss Baek.” Kim Si-ah said, “I’m grateful to the director for giving me another chance to play the character Dong-ju.”
She added, “It was fun and exciting, but the pressure was also immense. Because I wanted to show an even better performance than I did in ‘Miss Baek,’ it was sometimes very challenging on set, but it was also a lot of fun.”
Regarding her chemistry with Ryu Seung-ryong and Ha Ji-won, she said, “Just working alongside my senior actors on set taught me so much,” adding, “They created a positive atmosphere not only in terms of acting but also on set. I found myself thinking, ‘I want to become an actor like them.’”
Director Lee began working on *Bi-gwang* with the intention of making a family film. Ha Ji-won described it as “a film you can watch with your heart” and urged audiences to check it out. The film opens on the 2nd of next month.