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| From left, actors Jung Kyung-ho, Oh Na-ra, Ma Dong-seok, Oh Yeon-seo and Choi Byung-mo pose during a press conference for the film, "Men of Plastic," in Seoul, Thursday. Yonhap |
'Men of Plastic' tells fictional story of Korea's plastic surgery business
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Actor Ma Dong-seok, also known by his English name, Don Lee, thanked the audience for sending wedding congratulation messages and supporting his action thriller, "The Roundup," which topped 10 million ticket sales this summer.
The 51-year-old actor has been famously private when it comes to his six-year-long relationship with model and TV personality Ye Jung-hwa.
In October, the star announced that he had tied the knot with Ye last year without a wedding ceremony.
On returning to the big screen with a new comedy, Ma expressed his desire to make films that appeal to a wide range of tastes. "This time I wanted to make a feel-good movie that many fans would love to watch. It's a movie that families can watch together," he said.
In the upcoming film, Ma plays Dae-guk, a quick-talking conman who was born and raised in Apgujeong-dong, an affluent neighborhood in Gangnam District of southern Seoul where plastic surgery and skin care clinics abound. He is eager to start a plastic surgery business by joining hands with a plastic surgeon.
He encounters Ji-woo (Jung Kyung-ho), the most talented plastic surgeon in the area who unfortunately loses his medical license. Dae-guk persuades Ji-woo to be his business partner, and together, they take the lead in the K-beauty industry.
"I've known Ma for nearly 20 years. He is actually a very warm, very supportive and really talented guy. Whenever I went to film on set, I had so much fun and Ma always had a clear idea of where the scenes are going," Jung said.
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| A scene from the film, "Men of Plastic" / Courtesy of Showbox |
Ma, who also serves as the film's executive producer, added: "The audience might think there are many ad-libbed scenes, but the film was almost entirely scripted. It was about trying to be as real as possible with the characters in the moment."
Asked how he searches for interesting subjects to develop into scripts, the actor said he is often inspired by true events or real people.
The film sees Ma team up once more with director Lim Jin-sun, who helmed the crime thriller, "The Villagers" (2018).
"The tone and manner of this film is different from my earlier works, but I have always wanted to direct a comedy movie. About 80 percent of the film was actually filmed in the Apgujeong-dong area, which reminded me of 20 years ago when Ma and I hung out in Apgujeong and made a promise to make a movie together," director Lim said.
"Men of Plastic" will hit local theaters on Nov. 30.
