"Thank you for the question."
Every time actor Byun Yo-han takes a question at a press conference following a media screening, he begins his answer with those words.
His manner, which I first encountered at the event for "Gyeongju Travelogue," left a strong impression. At the press conference for "Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub," Byun again opened each answer with "Thank you for the question." He appears to do this at every press event. Meeting each questioner with the same modest posture, regardless of who is asking, is what stays with you.
Byun appeared in "Gyeongju Travelogue" without a fee. Playing the villain Baek Sang-hyun, he set aside his good looks, as the saying goes, and immersed himself in the character, drawing favorable reviews. Critics said the charisma he brought to the film's climactic confrontation with veteran actor Lee Jung-eun broadened his range as a performer.
Looking back at that press conference, when Byun was asked about his drastic visual transformation, including yellowed teeth, he again said "Thank you for the question," then drew laughter by sharing that the director had told him he hoped Byun would "throw away the handsome."
When all the participants, including Lee Jung-eun, Gong Hyo-jin, Park So-dam and Lee Yeon, were asked how closely they matched their characters, Byun answered flatly: "None. There couldn't be." He added, "If I met someone like that, I think I would kill them. Such a person should not exist in this world, in the universe, anywhere living things dwell." Throughout the event, Byun shared questions with younger colleagues who had received fewer of them.
The actor who played that worst of villains now takes a starring turn this Chuseok holiday in "Tazza: The Song of Beelzebub," the finale of the "Tazza" series. He plays Park Tae-young, a young man who excels at his studies and is showered with affection, and who is inseparable from a friend with the same given name, Jang Tae-young. But Jang envies Park the way Salieri envied Mozart, and the resentment drives him to ruin. Jang, a successful young businessman, takes everything from Park, who had taken him in when he had nowhere to go.
Huh Young-man, who wrote the original comic, has said this installment boasts the strongest narrative of the series. Poker replaces hwatu cards, and the gambling moves beyond Korea to Vietnam, Japan and China, tracing friendship, betrayal and human ambition at a brisk pace. Despite the handicap of an adults-only rating, the film drew 830,000 admissions over the Chuseok holiday, ranking second behind "Assassin(s)," which opened the same day.
Because every installment except the first had disappointed at the box office, some called the surge unexpected. But after watching the film at the screening, it seemed clear there was enough here to appeal not only to "Tazza" fans but to younger audiences. Byun, Noh Jae-won and director Choi Guk-hee all showed quiet confidence at the press conference that followed.
Byun again bowed politely and said "Thank you for the question" each time, delivering smart and witty answers. Somehow, confidence came through. Asked how he felt about appearing in the "Tazza" finale, he said, "Our film could be made because there were three previous installments," adding that he felt a sense of relief.
A high school student with a brilliant mind. A self-assured "young and rich" entrepreneur whose instincts and nerve built a successful online casino business. His fall after a friend's betrayal, abandoned in Vietnam, and his rebirth as a tazza, or card sharp, along with a brief but intense romance in between. It is no exaggeration, critics say, that Byun performed every genre a single film can hold, from coming-of-age to melodrama, noir and straight drama. Because the film sets out to be entertainment for adults, the action and nudity are explicit. Byun said he gave everything to the role, and disclosed his diet regimen.
"I weighed more than 80 kilograms at the time and lost more than 10. Once I hit 70 kilograms, I stopped weighing myself. I spent a lot of time on weight training and managing my diet, and for the bed scene I kept off alcohol and stayed on the diet until filming wrapped."
In the film, Byun handles Korean, English and Japanese with skill.
"I prepared in several ways depending on the scene. In the English dialogue during the scene resting on the boat, I wanted to show Jang Tae-young's growth. Rather than fluency, I pushed ahead with rough energy."
"Tazza 4" is the finale of the series and the start of something new, and a film in which audiences can see the full range of Byun Yo-han's appeal.
Yeon Seung's Entertainment Talk
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