I first interviewed Choi Dong-hoon, one of South Korea’s leading directors and screenwriters, in 2015 at the BFI London Film Festival, where he was promoting his espionage action film Assassination. Choi, renowned for his consistent box-office success, spent several years developing the script for Alienoid, a sci-fi fantasy action film. After premiering Alienoid at the London Korean Film Festival in 2022, he brought its sequel, Alienoid: Return to the Future, to the 26th Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy, in 2024.
Choi ranks as one of the most successful directors in contemporary Korean cinema. His career began after graduating from the prestigious Korean Academy of Film Arts and assisting on Im Sang-soo’s Tears. He debuted as a director in 2004 with The Big Swindle, revolutionising the heist genre in Korean film. His subsequent films, Tazza: The High Rollers (2006) and Jeon Woo-chi: The Taoist Wizard (2009), further showed his knack for storytelling.
Choi Dong-hoon on Assassination – Interview
In 2012, Choi returned to the heist genre with The Thieves, which became the second highest-grossing film in Korean history at the time. His leading actress in several films. Choi’s 2015 period film Assassination was another hit, reaching over 10 million admissions and commemorating South Korea’s 70th independence anniversary.
His latest hit, Alienoid: Return to the Future, is filled with a stellar cast, including Kim Tae-ri, Kim Woo-bin, Ryu Jun-yeol and Lee Hanee, and once again offers a fun and exciting ride. Following its European premiere at FEFF 26, I caught up with Choi and producer Ahn Soo-hyun to discuss the film’s story continuity, Kim Tae-ri’s dual character, and the vital aspects of producing such high-caliber films.
View of the Arts: You said on stage yesterday that you have been waiting to make this film since you were a boy. If you could show these things to your younger self, what do you think he would say?
Choi Dong-hoon: The essence of this film lies in imagining what would happen if a young couple took on the responsibility of saving the world during an invasion, yet no one knew about their heroic deeds. This vision encapsulates my imagination for the film. As a film director with over 20 years of experience, I think as a kid I’d find this concept far more enjoyable than watching films about assassins. I would have told myself, “You are so lucky to watch a film like this” [laughs].
View of the Arts: Kim Tae-ri faces quite a challenge in the new Alienoid. Although her role wasn’t the main role in the first installment, the second film’s narrative expanded her character a lot. How did you work with Kim Tae-ri on her dual performance? First, we see her as an ordinary girl fighting for her cause, but then she transforms into a more intense character. How was it working with her on that?
Choi Dong-hoon: As you know, in the first film, Kim Tae-ri’s character doesn’t appear much; it’s more about setting up her character for the next journey. You might even think that Mureuk is the protagonist of the first film instead of Kim Tae-ri. For the second film, I wanted her to lead the story. After several edits, I wondered how I could make the audience follow the journey of Lee Ahn [Kim Tae-ri’s character], so I structured it so that all the characters end up following her journey.
View of the Arts: Looking at the first Alienoid and then the second part, the narrative is filled with twists and turns. Could you go through the process of writing the script?
Choi Dong-hoon: For the first part, it’s more about how it happens. The second one, it’s about unveiling three mysteries: where did the Thunder go, what is the identity of certain characters [we do not want to spoil much for the readers], and who did the alien end up going into. I wanted to include these twists during the writing process to make the second part enjoyable. And while I was writing the script, the staff following the process were entertained.
View of the Arts: I would like to ask producer Ahn Soo-hyun, you have been working together for a while. What made you decide to get on board with these films?
Ahn Soo-hyun: Right after finishing Assassination, I couldn’t decide on what to work on next. I spoke with Director Choi and asked him, if you were a first-time director, what would be your debut feature? What film would you make? And he said: “I would like to write a story with Korean magicians and aliens.” [So, this sounded like a good project to work on].
View of the Arts: We didn’t talk much about Madam Black and Mr. Blue. I like how these characters bring comedic relief to the narrative. How did you balance the narrative of the film?
Choi Dong-hoon: This is my third film with Yum Jung-ah [Madam Black]; we know each other pretty well. I thought of her from the very beginning when I was writing the script. She needed a partner, though; I thought a lot about who could be her partner, and Jo Woo-jin came to mind. I thought these two would go well together, with Woo-jin playing a more female role while Jung-ah played a more male kind of role. At this point, no one knew what these magician characters would mean or do, so there was limited creative potential when it came to building these characters.
When they first asked me if they should play their roles in a comedic way, I told them to be as realistic as possible. They still don’t think it was done in a comedic way; to them, it is more serious and realistic, but the audience can interpret characters differently.
Choi Dong-hoon on Alienoid Part 1 – Interview
View of the Arts: The film has been compared to Avengers: Endgame for its grand finale. Can you elaborate on your vision for the climactic scene and how you balanced the spectacle with the storytelling to create a satisfying conclusion for the audience?
Choi Dong-hoon: The hardest thing was preparing for that last scene, especially ensuring the action scenes weren’t too long. I wanted the actors to move in their own characteristic ways. Space is very important for the actors—for instance, the size of the house, the distance to the train, etc. Also, if there will be a fire, any falling objects, so we focused a lot on the settings.
I actually finished constructing the layout a year and a half before shooting began. There were two things I thought about: the action scenes can’t be boring, and after the action sequences finish, how it would all end. I wanted that ending to be like a music video, which is why there is no dialogue. Finding that balance took me a long time.
View of the Arts: Producer Ahn, what do you think is the most crucial aspect of producing a film and ensuring its success?
Ahn Soo-hyun: For Alienoid, the director’s imagination was the foundation. However, no one knew the results until it was released in cinemas. The director, cast, and crew must share the same vision for it to happen. Director Choi didn’t go to each individual to explain everything; I worked as a producer to convey that vision, as there is no original story outside of what the director creates.
As this is a major film project that took a long time to shoot, my role was more about overseeing the entire production and preemptively solving any potential problems. I also believe that the set should be like an amusement park; there are many thrilling rides, but no one should get hurt.
*** The interview took place during the 26th Far East Film Festival in Udine, Italy, held from April 24th to May 2nd, 2024.
Interview questions by Maggie Gogler and Roxy Simons
Written and interviewed by Maggie Gogler
Featured image © 2024 Alice BL Durigatto
Translator: June Kim
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