At the end of November, Gong Yoo returned to the screen with the mystery drama "The Trunk" with Seo Hyun Jin.
In the film, he takes on the role of Han Jeong Won - a successful music producer haunted by a painful past involving an abusive father and a broken marriage.
During a seemingly dark time, meeting Noh In Ji (Seo Hyun Jin) - his 1-year contract wife changes Jeong Won's life.
After airing, the film continuously topped the film charts, despite controversy over dark content and abuse of hot scenes.
Speaking of which, Gong Yoo shows interest as the work explores the complex aspects of romantic relationships.
“There are a lot of light and warm stories out there, right? Audiences don’t seem to like dark or gloomy stories. However, when I’m in a romantic relationship, I can’t help but notice the darkness that exists within it.
Movies and TV shows often tell relationships in a brighter, more idealistic way to give viewers a sense of escapism and comfort. But with this work, I was drawn to explore some of the darker aspects."
Regarding the reason for his 3-year absence since the movie "The Silent Sea" (2021), Gong Yoo said that time is an important concept in his life.
“When I was younger, I didn't realize it much. But sometimes, when I went beyond the speed I could handle, I felt a little bit down afterwards. I learned that through work.
In fact, because of these gaps, people often tell me to be very careful when choosing projects - and one should be very careful when choosing projects.
But there are some projects that look very easy and simple, and this movie is like that. I immediately told them that I would do "The Suitcase", and the company was very surprised to hear that."
The 45-year-old actor said that instead of prioritizing the commercial success of the work, he would feel satisfied if the message he wanted to convey through his role resonated with the audience.
"After more than 20 years of working, I realized that there is no specific job that can please everyone. When I was young, I often wondered: "Why don't they understand?" or felt frustrated by such things.
But over time, I've come to understand that the world has a lot of different perspectives and we just need to respect that.
Rather than focusing on commercial success, I feel as long as the intention I want to convey can reach a segment of the audience and they feel the emotions I want to express. That's enough for me."
After the movie "The Suitcase", on December 26, Gong Yoo will return as Ddakji Man (Recruiter) - the recruiter of participants in the survival competition in part 2 of the movie series "Squid Game".
