Actor Gang Dong-won shared the incredible effort he put into transforming into an idol singer for the movie ‘Wild Thing’.
During an interview in Samcheong-dong, Seoul on the 19th to celebrate the release of ‘Wild Thing’, Gang Dong-won revealed the behind-the-scenes story of his casting. “Actually, I received this script a few years ago. At the time, I thought the story was interesting, but it felt too early. When I read it again recently, the story had become even more engaging. I believe everything has its timing, and I felt now was the right time for this movie to be made.”
In the film, Gang Dong-won plays Hwang Hyun-woo, the leader of ‘Triangle’, a group that once hit number one on music programs but has since fallen from grace. Since the movie depicts everything from Triangle’s peak to their comeback stage, the performance of ‘dancing machine’ Hwang Hyun-woo was crucial. To prepare, Gang Dong-won stayed in the US and began practicing dance under the guidance of an authentic hip-hop dance team.
Gang Dong-won explained, “The songs ‘Love is’ (Triangle’s debut track) and ‘Shout it out’ (the title track of their second album) were released around January and February of last year. Filming started in March, so I began dance practice in early January. I learned from the leader of a famous hip-hop team there.”
In ‘Wild Thing’, Gang Dong-won opens the film with a windmill and reaches a dramatic peak with a headspin in the ending. While stunt doubles were used for some scenes, he performed most of the moves himself.
“Triangle is a talented group that even took first place on music shows. I practiced incredibly hard, four to five hours every day, and even after filming, I continued practicing at home, because I wanted the audience to go from laughing in disbelief to wondering, ‘Wait, why is he actually so good?'”
The movie builds toward Triangle’s comeback stage, creating laughter through various twists and turns. Regarding the tension and anxiety viewers might feel wondering if the comeback stage will actually happen, he said, “That’s the charm of our movie. We actually filmed that stage toward the end of the production. Since we hadn’t practiced on an actual stage before, we did a rehearsal the day before, but the real stage felt different. It felt like the performance was complete. The dance had become second nature, so the lines and choreography details really stood out.”
‘Wild Thing’ is a comedy about ‘Triangle’, a three-member co-ed dance group that once swept the music industry but disbanded overnight due to an unexpected incident. The film follows their reckless challenge to seize a comeback opportunity that arrives 20 years later. It opens on June 3.
