Hwang Jeong-min Walks the Cannes Red Carpet... 'Nth Wave Prime' Amid Flood of Love Calls

‘Veteran 2’ Walks the Red Carpet at the 77th Cannes Film Festival
Comedy ‘Cross’ and Play ‘Macbeth’ Appearances
Focusing on Stage After Filming Global Project ‘Hope’

Actor Hwang Jung-min [Photo by Yonhap News]

This year, actor Hwang Jung-min (53) is busy. Although the content production market is in a slump, his phone is constantly ringing with casting calls. Hwang Jung-min is enjoying another peak in his career, having played the role of Jeon Doo-kwang, the security commander who stages a military coup to seize power, in last year's film Spring in Seoul (directed by Kim Seong-su), which attracted 10 million viewers. This year, he will consecutively present the films Veteran 2 and Cross, as well as the play Macbeth.

Red Carpet at Cannes After 6 Years

On the 21st (Korean time), Hwang Jung-min will attend the official screening of the midnight screening film Veteran (directed by Ryu Seung-wan) at the Lumi?re Theater in Cannes, a city in southern France, during the 77th Cannes Film Festival.

Director Ryu Seung-wan and actor Jung Hae-in will join the red carpet before the screening. Hwang Jung-min is expected to be in the spotlight as he steps onto the Cannes red carpet for the first time in six years since Fabricated City in 2018. Although he was invited to the Directors' Fortnight at Cannes in 2005 for The Fist, this is his first time entering the official section. This marks his fourth invitation to Cannes, following his special appearance in A Bittersweet Life (2005, non-competitive), leading roles in The Wailing (2016, non-competitive), and Fabricated City (2018, midnight screening).

Movie 'Veteran 2' Still [Photo by CJ ENM]

Veteran 2, invited to the non-competitive section of the Cannes Film Festival, the festival of festivals, depicts the story of the persistent veteran detective Seo Do-cheol (Hwang Jung-min) and rookie detective Park Sun-woo (Jung Hae-in) from the violent crime investigation unit chasing a serial killer. Scheduled for release in the second half of this year, attention is focused on whether it will attract another 10 million viewers following the first film released in 2015, which drew 13.41 million viewers.

He will also showcase his comedic acting. In the comic action film Cross (directed by Lee Myung-hoon), Hwang Jung-min stars alongside Yeom Jung-ah as a married couple. The film tells the story of a veteran housewife and former agent (Hwang Jung-min) who hides her past from her wife, and a detective (Yeom Jung-ah) from the violent crime unit who misunderstands her husband's secret, both getting caught up in a huge incident. Originally produced with theatrical release in mind, the film is expected to be released this summer on the online streaming service Netflix. Regarding this, the film's investment and distribution company Plus M Entertainment stated, "We are positively discussing the Netflix release."

Global Project Filming and Then to the Stage

Hwang Jung-min recently finished filming director Na Hong-jin's movie Hope. This new project reunites him with director Na after The Wailing and features Jo In-sung, Hollywood actors Alicia Vikander, Michael Fassbender, and Taylor Russell, attracting attention as a global project. It is known to have the largest budget ever invested in a single domestic film.

Hwang Jung-min [Photo by Yonhap News]

After completing filming for Hope in March, he headed straight to the theater rehearsal room. This summer, he will appear on stage in the play Macbeth (directed by Yang Jeong-ung), produced by his wife and Sam Company CEO Kim Mi-hye. Macbeth is one of Shakespeare's four great tragedies and will be performed from July 13 to August 18 at the National Theater of Korea's Haeoreum Theater in Seoul. He will play Macbeth, the King of Scotland who is destroyed by guilt. This is his first theater performance in two years since Richard III in 2022. Due to the nature of the performance, it is difficult to juggle rehearsals or performances with filming other projects. He plans to focus on the production until the closing.

He is experiencing yet another peak in his acting career. Riding on his popularity, he has also filmed numerous commercials for chicken, snacks, and ramen. It is said that his schedule is fully booked until 2025 due to the flood of casting love calls. Known as an actor who values loyalty and trust while wisely selecting projects and roles, industry insiders and outsiders alike are keenly watching what path he will take next.