Jung Hae-in says he felt no pressure to match ‘Veteran’ performance in ‘I, the Executioner’

Jung Hae-in of “I, the Executioner” said he didn’t feel under pressure to match up to Yoo Ah-in’s portrayal of ruthless villain Jo Tae-oh in the film’s prequel “Veteran,” despite the huge buzz Jo created in the 2015 original.

Filmmaker Ryoo Seung-wan’s upcoming action blockbuster -- also known as “Veteran 2” -- picks up the story of veteran detective Seo Do-chul (Hwang Jung-min) nine years after the first installment, as he is joined by Park Sun-woo (Jung) a rookie officer who’s passion and sense of justice lead him down a dark path.

Yoo’s portrayal of a rude young man from a wealthy family in the first installment created a lot of memes and even a sense of solidarity among the audience against the haughty chaebol attitudes depicted in the movie.

Ryoo said the sequel distances itself from the first installment in terms of the structure of good versus evil -- it is rather about the justice of society versus one’s own convictions.

Jung said this relieved the pressure on him as the nature of his role would be different to Yoo’s.

“Since I joined the franchise as a rookie, I did feel pressure about that, but not because I had to become a more vicious villain than the one in ‘Veteran.’ I have never thought about showing a new side of myself either,” Jung told reporters during a press conference following the press screening in Seoul on Monday.

“Instead, I focused on portraying Sun-woo who is held captive by his beliefs and value system. Not only was the shooting physically tiring due to the action sequences, I also had some psychologically challenging moments because I had to understand why Sun-woo was that way and had done (what he did). But my solution was to act without having to find a clear answer,” the 36-year-old actor told reporters.

“I, the Executioner,” which was invited to the 77th Cannes Film Festival for the Midnight Screening section and the 49th Toronto International Film Festival, hits local theaters Sept.