Actor Park Sung-woong. Provided by CGV Pictures
“I will not hurt you.”
As he stepped into the interview room, actor Park Sung-woong tossed out his first line with playful nonchalance. A face so intense it evokes noir even when he does nothing becomes an even more powerful weapon when he turns to comedy. Park knew better than anyone how big the laughs born of that reversal can be. The film ‘Okay Madam 2’ is a work where his comedic ambitions are on full display.
Meeting Sports Kyunghyang at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the morning of the 4th, Park greeted the return of ‘Okay Madam 2’ after six years more warmly than anyone.
Film ‘Okay Madam 2’ poster.
The film ‘Okay Madam 2’ is a comic action movie about the family of Lee Mi-young (Uhm Jung-hwa), who set out on a luxury cruise trip and become embroiled in an unexpected incident. Following the previous installment, Uhm Jung-hwa, Park Sung-woong, Lee Sang-yoon, and Bae Jung-nam reunite, with Park Jin-joo, Ryeoun, and Choi Soo-young newly joining.
The first installment, released in 2020, remains a project that left particularly deep regret. Right after it opened, COVID-19 spread and theaters effectively ground to a halt, and the actors could not continue stage greetings properly. Recalling that time, Park laughed and said, “We were unlucky,” but inside was a strong sense of disappointment.
Film ‘Okay Madam 2’ still.
“After the release, we did a stage greeting on the first Saturday, and from Sunday we could not do anything. Over a meal with Jung-hwa, we cried our eyes out. We had worked so hard that it felt terribly empty.”
Making the sequel was by no means easy either. The budget was not ample, and because it is set on a luxury cruise, the shooting conditions were tight. But cast and crew alike endured with the mindset, “Let us make it this time, no matter what.”
“Because this absolutely had to be made, we cut everything. Key staff also took less pay. For three months we shot without rest, shuttling between the sea, a cruise ship, and caves. Jung-hwa was truly a one-woman army.”
Film ‘Okay Madam 2’ still.
In this film, Park lets himself go even more than in the previous one. Seok-hwan, who steps up for his family but repeatedly reveals a bumbling side, stands at the center of full-body comedy. He even went along with fart CGI to deliver laughs.
“I did not know they would even put in fart CGI. (laughs) I tried to look as pathetic as possible. By contrast, Jung-hwa is fighting all the villains while I am just farting, so I felt a bit sorry.”
Park actively added ad-libs in this project as well. The director, too, said he trusted Park for his sense of comedy and let him take the reins on set. Park also shared his own philosophy of comedy.
“It is funnier when someone who looks scary like me does comedy. If someone who is just funny does it, that is expected, but when someone like me does it, there is a twist. Be it noir or comedy, different faces come out. I am simply grateful to look the way I do.”
Film ‘Okay Madam 2’ still.
He was also the mood-maker on set. Dad jokes flowed nonstop, and the biggest casualty, so to speak, was Park Jin-joo, who worked alongside him.
“Jin-joo really had a hard time because of my dad jokes. I kept doing ones like ‘If Rain performs in Los Angeles, that is LA galbi’, ‘The manager of Rain is obesity management’, and ‘If rain falls for an hour, it is Pursuit 60 Minutes’. Fans even give me the book ‘500 Dad Jokes’ as a gift.”
Unexpectedly, his dad jokes became a habit after the film ‘New World’. Because of his intense villain image, he often heard that he seemed scary in real life, and he chose joking as a way to approach people first.
Actor Park Sung-woong. Provided by CGV Pictures
“After ‘New World’, people actually found me scary. So I started to show ‘I am not that scary’, but I have come too far. (laughs)”
Now in his 29th year as an actor, Park is often called a symbol of noir, but his goal is not to remain in a single genre.
“I believe you have to be good at comedy to be considered a good actor. It is not that I am trying to break away from ‘New World’; I want to be an actor who can do both noir and comedy.”
Even at the end of the interview, his eyes were already on what comes next. He hopes ‘Okay Madam’ will take root as a long-loved series.
“I hope we do well with 2 and make it to 3, and if 3 does well, to 4. I want to keep doing this together for as long as Jung-hwa is physically able.”
The film ‘Okay Madam 2’ opens on the 12th.
