No stunt double for Kim Rae-won in ‘Decibel’

Korean actor Kim Rae-won said he performed all the action scenes in the action thriller film “Decibel” directed by Hwang In-ho, during a press conference held at CGV Yongsan on Monday.

“I knew from reading the script that there was going to be diverse action scenes. I talked with the director and we agreed that action scenes including car chases would be performed by a stunt double. But we had the discussion again on the set and I decided to perform the scenes myself to create a better film," Kim said.

Jung Sang-hoon, who performed the car chase scene with Kim also shared his experience. Jung played a reporter character who provides an element of humor to the otherwise serious action movie.

“As Rae-won said, stunt doubles were all ready to perform as we had some dangerous car crash scene. I actually had some fears,” Jung added.

“Rae-won suggested we do the actions. Although I had fears, I performed with him because -- although it may not seem so -- I am ‘hyeong’ (an honorific Korean term meaning older brother). So I could not freak out, and did it with him," Jung added jokingly.

In his new film, former navy commander Do-young (Kim) receives a mysterious phone call from a man who says that he has set up a special bomb that reacts to the surrounding noise level in locations filled with people, including a soccer stadium.

If the noise level surpasses 100 decibels, the countdown time left on the bomb diminishes by half. The former navy commander desperately tries to stop the terrorist attacks but the caller keeps on threatening him, saying that the bomb can also hurt his wife and daughter.

The director said he came up with the special bomb to make the film more dramatic.

“A bomb that reacts to sound is different from ordinary bombs. It adds one more element that the protagonist cannot control,” the director said.

Lee Jong-suk, who played the mysterious caller, talked about what he focused on in playing a villain for the first time.

“It is a villainous character that is different from characters that I have played in the past. I think he is not just a villain because he has a deep sorrow. I tried to make him a more three-dimensional character,” Lee said.

Cha Eun-woo of K-pop boyband Astro, who played one of the Navy personnel who got on board with Do-young also shared his experience being part of the project. This was his movie debut.

“Rae-won told me that when watching a film for the first time, actors tend to focus only on their own performance and that it would be better if I could enjoy the film while looking at the big picture. I took his advice and watched the film comfortably.”

Unlike dramas, Cha said he could monitor his performance and have a discussion after each take while filming “Decibel.”

“We could check the roughly edited version on the set and everyone could make suggestions to make the scene better. It was an interesting experience,” Cha added. “When I filmed dramas, we had to rush sometimes. It was different for the movie and I could learn a lot from it.”

The K-pop singer-turned-actor also sang one of the songs in the film’s original soundtrack album.

“I sang the song while thinking about my character Tae-ryong’s point of view. Today, I heard the song as the closing music for the movie and it was touching.”

Toward the end of the conference, actor Kim briefly talked about releasing a film after the tragic crowd disaster in Itaewon.

“Because of what happened recently, I am careful to say this but the situation for theaters is difficult. So I hope that the situation can improve with our film,” Kim said.

The film will hit local theaters on Nov. 16.