Gang Dong-won’s character becomes a leader in ‘Uprising.’
Gang Dong-won is no stranger to action scenes. He demonstrates his skill and agility in films such as The Duelist and Kundo: The Age of Rampant, but in his new film, Uprising, he gracefully masters even more ambitious action scenes and is riveting in every battle. His scenes are all the more impressive because he prefers to work without a stunt double.
“I think this may have been the piece with the most action scenes out of all the pieces that I appeared in,” said Gang. “As I have done until now, I performed most of my action sequences without a stunt double, but since there were so many action scenes, I had to use a considerable amount of energy. I repeatedly ran, rolled over and wielded my sword while taking jumps on the set.”
Gang plays Cheon-young, a commoner who is enslaved but never relinquishes his dignity. He becomes a servant for the son of a military family, played by Park Jeong-min. The boy he serves lacks fighting skills, so Cheon-yeong is enlisted to teach him and even stand in for him.
“There were many action scenes involving swords since this character is a genius in swordsmanship,” said Gang. “Even without being taught, Cheon-yeong can absorb the swordsmanship of the counterpart and make it his own after having seen it just once. This natural talent is portrayed through diverse spectacular sword-wielding sequences throughout the entire film. He is skillful at piercing and slashing with a sword and he can wield any type of sword whether it be short or long with both his left and right hand.”
Gang Dong-won’s character returns to his master’s house, which is engulfed in flames.
Despite decades of servitude, the spirited Cheon-young still dreams of emancipation and his battle skills make him a natural leader during a Japanese invasion that prompts the royal court to flee.
“This is also the difference from my previous pieces, Duelist and Kundo: Age of the Rampant,” said Gang. “While I tried to demonstrate an icier atmosphere through restrained movements with a longsword in my previous two pieces, in Uprising, I depict a more heated atmosphere through versatile movements using several swords.”
Viewers might assume Gang used wires for scenes in which he leaps on to horses and over stone fences, but he says that’s often not the case.
“There are several scenes where I jump down from high up or climb up to elevated areas, but in truth, most scenes were shot without wire work,” said Gang, with a laugh. “I saw the still images from the set, and there were images where I even thought that I jumped up really high. I was surprised and thought, ‘Wow, did I really fly up this high?’
One particularly impressive battle scene involved Cheon-yeong and two other fighters, taking place on the beach shrouded with a thick fog. The scene took a week to film.
“As was seen in the film, sometimes two will fight and at other times three will fight in a space where it was difficult for us to see even what was ahead of us because of the fog,” said Gang. “The emotions of the three characters clash vehemently along with the swords. This is a combat scene where three men have to pour out everything they have. The formation of the action sequences was very complex, and it was an especially difficult scene as it also involved acting of ambivalent emotions — fury, affection, and hatred — at the end of the blade. As such, I remember that we had to rehearse this for a longer time. I am relieved because many viewers said in reviews that the sea fog scene was impressive.”
Cheon-yeong spends his life being beaten and betrayed but he never loses hope.
“Even while going through many hardships as a slave” said Gang. “Cheon-yeong is neither gloomy nor depressed. In contrast, he strives to be freed from slavery, and he is bright in personality and lives with the hope that his dream will come true. Before the war, his goal in life was focused on reclaiming his original status as a commoner, but after facing the war, he matures enough to think beyond himself to dream of creating a world where everyone can be free and respected.”
When reading the script Gang was already intrigued by the first lines. “Both a king and a slave…They are equal?”
“King Seonjo becomes so dumbfounded and speechless that his eyes brim with tears while reading the words written by a revolutionary of the Joseon Dynasty,” said Gang. “I believe this first line that opened the piece, Uprising, may be the message that this film is trying to convey.”
Gang was also fascinated by the story’s structure.
“It lays down a bold and weighty theme as the warp, interwoven with relentless action as the weft,” said Gang. “Also, Director Park Chan-wook, who participated as both the producer and scriptwriter, called Director Kim Sang-man, the director of Uprising, a genius. There is no reason not to participate in the project if the piece is one that is directed by a genius recognized by another genius.”
The rebellions may have happened centuries ago, but for Gang the struggle remains relevant
“Wouldn’t the viewers be able to resonate with the message that whichever era that we are in, the heroes that save a nation in crisis are the ordinary people at the lowest places and also that courage and choice that I make could lead to the right turn of history?”
But there’s another message, he said with a laugh.
“I think another message would be that if there is any misunderstanding between friends, it should be resolved right away instead of letting the grudge last for a long time.”
Gang looked back on several scenes he most enjoyed filming. One took place when the friends-turned-foes, Cheon-yeong and Jong-ryeo, fight after not seeing each other for seven years.
“The scene in which the two characters practice with their swords during their childhood is warm and cheerful whereas the scene of their adulthood where two friends get entwined with a clash of misunderstanding is heated and intense,” said Gang. “Cheon-yeong shouts out with ambivalent emotions such as anger, resentment, and affection towards his friend, and the lines that he shouts out are my favorite lines in the film. At the same time, I tried to express the complex and mournful emotion that he has inside through action moves instead of words. I really liked the intent and the performance of expressing emotions through physical movements and the end of the blade.”
He also liked the scene in which Cheon-yeong appears for the first time. It’s shocking and bloody but firmly defines his character.
“Cheon-yeong gets captured while trying to run away, and he suddenly clenches the knife pointing towards him with his mouth,” said Gang. “Many viewers said that they could instantly be immersed in the film through this scene. I exchanged a lot of opinions with Director Kim Sang-man while shooting this scene, and during the process, I could truly feel that Director Kim trusted me completely and had affection for me. I also felt confident that I would truly be able to enjoy the process of filming Uprising.”
Another scene he enjoyed is the one in which Cheon-yeong walks alone into the enemy camp holding the head of the enemy commander.
“The camera closed in on Cheon-yeong as he walked with a swagger in the darkness, and my eyes were shining with excitement,” he said with a laugh. “Cheon-yeong in the midst of war is like a fish in water because he can fully exhibit his competence and get recognition for it. But in that scene, I noticed a hint of madness, a crazed expression that went beyond confidence to enjoyment in battle. I didn’t know I had that kind of expression in me.”
Uprising, directed by Kim Sang-man, airs on Netflix. The film, which opened the Busan International Film Festival, also stars Cha Seung-won as King Seonjo, Kim Shin-rok, Jin Sun-kyu, Jung Sung-il and Jo Han-chul.
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