Kim Jae-won Makes Big-Screen Debut in Mystery Film 'Final Interview'

A routine job interview turns into chaos in the new mystery film "Final Interview" (Choejong Myeonjeop). Its six young leads, Cho Yi-hyun, Kim Jae-won, Shin Seung-ho, Kwak Dong-yeon, Kang You-seok and Bae Gang-hee, carry the story inside a single room.

A press screening for the film was held on Oct. 28 at CGV Yongsan I'Park Mall in Seoul's Yongsan district. Director Kim Jung-hoon attended with Cho, Kim Jae-won, Kang and Bae Gang-hee.

The film follows six applicants who beat odds of 5,000 to 1 to reach the last round of hiring. With only the final interview left, they find mysterious envelopes in the interview room. Each one holds an applicant's secret, and the room quickly falls apart.

Kim Jung-hoon said he focused on showing how the applicants' emotions shift as they compete for the job in one closed space. He went as far as calling the actors' facial expressions the film's "mise-en-scene," the movie term for everything arranged inside a shot.

The story takes a new turn each time an envelope is opened. "Instead of worrying about how to keep these scenes from getting boring, I trusted the power of the story and talked a lot with the actors," the director said.

Cho plays Moon Hye-in, an applicant who is usually calm but speaks up strongly when it matters the most. "Because the ensemble mattered so much, we rehearsed a lot before filming started," she said. "We did it like we were rehearsing a stage play."

She added that she tried to give Hye-in a mysterious, hard-to-read expression. While the person behind the envelopes remains unknown, she wanted viewers to suspect her character as well.

Kim Jae-won plays Han Jin-woo, an idealist who keeps the mood light among the applicants. The film marks his big-screen debut.

"I felt film needed more detailed acting on a screen that big, so I practiced twice as much," he said. "The director and I built every scene through countless rehearsals and talks. We worked really hard on this film, so it means a lot to me."

Cho and Kim Jae-won share a romantic storyline in the film, and both said they were happy with how they worked together. "My chemistry with Kim Jae-won was so good," Cho said. "Even though he's younger than me, he really looked out for me."

Kim Jae-won gave it an even higher score. "Our chemistry was 200 out of 100," he said. "I was so happy. I found myself thinking I'd like to shoot a real romance with her again."

Kang plays Lee Hee-chan, a laid-back mediator who eases the awkward tension among the strangers and takes charge of the room. "It's a really immersive film, so you'll lose track of time watching it," Kang said. "It won't feel like wasted time."

Bae Gang-hee plays Cha Joo-won, a practical, cool-headed perfectionist. The role is also Bae Gang-hee's big-screen debut.

"Since it's my first film, seeing my face on a big screen felt strange and amazing," Bae Gang-hee said. "I think a lot of moviegoers still don't know me. I hope this project becomes the turning point where they start to remember me."

Shin plays Baek Seung-bin, a hands-on leader and the first applicant to have his secret revealed. "When Shin Seung-ho opened the first envelope, his energy and charisma stood out," Kim Jung-hoon said. "That energy played a key role in pushing the film to tear open the other envelopes one by one."

Kwak plays Jeon Yo-han, a man whose real thoughts are hard to read. As more secrets come out, he is pushed to his emotional limits. The director said Kwak "gave a gripping, impressive performance I never expected."

Kim Jae-won named "freshness" as the film's biggest strength. "The story is fresh, and so is the mix of the six of us," he said. "We're actors around the same age as real job seekers, so I think it will feel believable."

He also promised to go all out at stage greetings, post-screening theater events where Korean film casts meet audiences. "I'll do any pose, 'puppy ears,' 'cat ears,' whatever. Please come see us," he said.

Kang drew laughs when he added, "We're young, so we'll run around hard at the stage greetings. I'll do everything Jae-won mentioned with the energy of youth."

"Final Interview" hits theaters Nov. 4.