"With the Heart of Making a Move Toward Film"... Koo Kyo-hwan Reveals Winning the Popular Star Award and His Independent Film Days

Actor Koo Kyo-hwan revealed the public interest gained from recently winning the Popular Star Award at the Blue Dragon Film Awards and the long-standing expertise lying behind it.

"A Reply Sent to Film"... Winning the Popular Star Award and First Variety Show Appearance

Actor Koo Kyo-hwan appeared on the tvN variety program 'You Quiz on the Block' to share his recent status. This appearance drew attention as it was his first variety show appearance not intended for the promotion of a specific work. Regarding his feelings on receiving the Popular Star Award at the recent Blue Dragon Film Awards, Koo Kyo-hwan expressed his thoughts, saying, "When I make a movie, I make it with the thought that I am constantly making a move toward the film," and "I made the film with the feeling of sending a letter, and it feels like I received a reply."

Recently, he has increased his public recognition by appearing in numerous works, including military genres such as 'Bandol', 'Escape from Mogadishu', 'Kingdom', 'Kingdom: Ashin of the North', and 'D.P.'. The host in the video highlighted his popularity, mentioning that the works Koo Kyo-hwan appears in are achieving consecutive hits. Koo Kyo-hwan also spoke about his bond with fans, mentioning the reaction 'Gumyeodeureotda' (fell for him) given by fans, as well as his nickname 'Scarlet Kyohwans' and the fan club name 'Receipt'.

Retaking the Entrance Exam, Seoul Institute of the Arts Film Department, and 20 Independent Films Built as a Director

Koo Kyo-hwan's acting career is read not as a sudden phenomenon, but as a result of long-accumulated efforts. He revealed his history of entering the Seoul Institute of the Arts film department as a member of the class of '03 after retaking the entrance exam twice. At that time, he began studying with the goal of directing, explaining his learning at the time by saying, "I learned overall things because I realized that film does not belong only to actors." He mentioned that since his school days, he had a desire to convey emotions to people, so he liked climbing trees and had experiences making people laugh or cry.

He is a figure who has been active in the independent film scene, producing, directing, and editing about 20 works. Stating, "I wanted to be the owner of the story and show the stories I wanted to see to the audience," he revealed that even if it wasn't on a massive scale, he had been filming movies tirelessly with his colleagues in an era where one can make a movie with just a single smartphone. These efforts also led to awards. He previously won the Busan Cinephile Award at the Busan International Short Film Festival and the King of Comedy Best Film Award at the 13th Mise-en-scène Short Film Festival for the short film 'A Lie'. He recalled that checking the faces of the audience during his first film festival felt like going on a blind date, adding that the desire to hear the audience's impressions is the ultimate reason for making films.

"The Difficulty of the Process of Decorating the Voice"... Identity as an Actor

The hardships in the acting process were also mentioned. Koo Kyo-hwan confessed that he experienced difficulty in the process of artificially decorating his voice when he first learned acting. He said, "It was very hard regarding making sounds," and later added, "When I tried acting with just my voice, it fit perfectly," suggesting that his current unique acting tone stems from his natural, original self. He shared his early acting concerns while mentioning listening to his own voice during the post-recording process.

Additionally, he named actor Bill Murray as his role model. He added, "I like actors who have their own signature," and expressed attraction to the characteristics of actors who imbue characters with narratives. He revealed that his MBTI is INFP and expressed affection for actors who possess their own unique colors.