I Was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor - Chapter 415: Busy (4)
Translator: Dreamscribe
The news that Hollywood veteran Danny Landis would be directing Universal Movies’ new film was a major issue in Hollywood. Director Danny Landis, who was always mentioned when talking about legendary filmmakers, had only ever directed films for which he had written the script himself. It was safe to say that he had never joined an existing project as a hired director.
So it was no surprise that foreign media were making a big deal out of Danny Landis.
But for Kang Woojin, who was reading the articles.
‘Well, yeah. Joseph seemed in a hurry, so of course, things would move quickly. But this Danny Landis director must really be a big deal in Hollywood.’
Though he chuckled inwardly, he didn’t feel much excitement. Danny Landis might be famous worldwide, but to Kang Woojin, he was just another senior director, like Ahn Ga-bok. Standing still, Woojin checked a few more foreign articles related to ‘Universal Movies’ and Danny Landis.
The content was similar across the board, and the foreign media were clearly excited. While Danny Landis was a significant name.
‘My name is popping up quite a bit too, huh?’
With each new article, Kang Woojin was mentioned more frequently.
『LA TIMES / Danny Landis, taking on a ‘Universal Movies’ project for the first time in his career, What about the recent rumors of Kang Woojin joining?』
Ultimately, the reason Danny Landis had suddenly taken on the directorial role for Universal Movies’ new project was simple. He had given the OK to Joseph Felton, who had personally come to Korea and made a bold move by offering an audition-free condition. After that, Joseph must have worked quickly to convince Danny Landis.
With his decision already made, Kang Woojin had nothing left to do but watch.
‘Now that the director is set, they’ll probably start revising the script to enhance its quality, decide on a title, and just get really busy.’
At that moment.
-Swoosh.
Standing in front of the van, Woojin was joined by Choi Sung-gun and other team members. Once everyone was gathered, Kang Woojin’s team moved toward the ‘Beneficial Evil’ set. After taking a few steps, Choi Sung-gun, who had checked the articles, whispered to Woojin.
“You said you’d do it, so that means you’re practically confirmed as the male lead. But ‘Universal Movies’ only announced Danny Landis as the director and left you out.”
“Yes, I saw that too.”
“Well, I guess we should reach out to them, but… they probably have a set timeline in mind. Maybe they’ll wait until they finalize the title before making the big reveal?”
That could be the case. With a heavy expression, Kang Woojin didn’t mind whether they stirred up more anticipation before announcing it or revealed it at the optimal moment. After all, he was already a hot topic, not just in Korea but globally, including Hollywood. Every day, new rumors about ‘Beneficial Evil’ and his Hollywood projects kept the buzz alive.
And at the heart of it all was Kang Woojin, a high-impact name.
Arriving at the set where today’s shoot was scheduled, Kang Woojin entered. Dozens of staff members greeted him with loud cheers, followed by the new, unknown rookie actors selected for Part 2. Woojin accepted the greetings with his usual poker-faced demeanor and approached PD Song Man-woo. Watching this, the rookies whispered among themselves.
They had seen the articles too.
“Did you see the article? The ‘Universal Movies’ project that Kang Woojin sunbae is rumored to join, Danny Landis is directing it.”
“What? No way! That’s insane. Danny Landis… he’s one of Hollywood’s top directors!”
“But Woojin sunbae’s participation in Universal Movies’ new film isn’t confirmed yet, right? It’s still just speculation.”
“Yeah, it’s just speculation for now, but I’d say it’s 99.9% certain. I mean, why else would Universal Movies’ producer suddenly fly to Korea?”
“Whether it’s confirmed or just speculation, Kang Woojin sunbae is a living legend. I never thought we’d see the day when a Korean actor appears in Hollywood articles this frequently.”
“If Woojin sunbae secures ‘Universal Movies’ too… Wow- he’s not just a monster, he’s something beyond that.”
For the unknown rookie actors, just sharing the same set as Kang Woojin was an honor. They couldn’t help but look up to him.
“And the fact that he did all this in just three years… Ugh, I can’t even put it into words.”
It wasn’t just fast, it was unbelievably fast.
And while PD Song Man-woo was in the middle of discussing today’s shoot with Kang Woojin.
“Uh- Woojin-ssi?”
Unable to contain his curiosity, he whispered to Woojin.
“I really respect Danny Landis as a director too, but what’s the deal with the ‘Universal Movies’ project? Just tell me a little bit, hmm?”
Kang Woojin responded briefly and indifferently.
“Well, who knows? But there will be good news soon.”
Afterward.
Even with the thick atmosphere of speculation, Kang Woojin quietly continued filming ‘Beneficial Evil Part 2’ without much concern. Since he had already experienced filming Part 1, the ‘Beneficial Evil’ team worked together seamlessly, making the shooting process smooth and efficient.
“Cut!! OOOOK! Woojin-ssi, that was great! Let’s do a full shot again!!”
Naturally, there were more OK signals than NGs, and compared to Part 1, they were clearing the shooting schedule at a much faster pace.
Time for Woojin was speeding by like a sports car racing down the Autobahn. On top of that, his brutal schedule, beyond mere hell, made each day pass in a chaotic blur. Filming, managing schedules, filming again, repeating the cycle.
‘Wo- damn, this past week flew by.’
To Kang Woojin, a week felt like just an hour.
Meanwhile, the speculation surrounding ‘Universal Movies’ thickened, and progress accelerated.
『LA TIMES / Danny Landis has his first meeting with ‘Universal Movies’! But Kang Woojin remains silent, was the rumor of his involvement just a hoax?』
Not only that, while Part 2 was still filming, ‘Beneficial Evil Part 1’, which had already created a global phenomenon, continued its explosive momentum.
『Beneficial Evil eyes an ‘Emmy Award’, holds the No.1 spot in 80 countries for two months straight』
『[Issue Pick] When will the power of Kang Woojin’s ‘Beneficial Evil’ fade? Still holding the No.1 global ranking!』
『No.1 in 83 countries! ‘Beneficial Evil’, rewriting legend status, Foreign media: “High possibility of sweeping the ‘Emmy Awards'”』
More than the media, however, it was the global public that was going wild. Even after three months since its release, the hype showed no signs of slowing down.
-!Overseas! ‘Beneficial Evil’ International Reaction Compilation!!!
-First time experiencing a K-drama ending? Hilarious reactions from foreigners after watching the last episode of ‘Beneficial Evil Part 1’ ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ
-“How do Koreans endure this?!” Compilation of the most shocking and funniest comments from the international Reddit community about ‘Beneficial Evil’!
-Global ‘Beneficial Evil’ craze, A collection of foreign news reports covering the worldwide phenomenon! (Warning: Extreme national pride boost!)
Amidst all this explosive success both domestically and internationally, the ‘Baeksang Arts Awards’ was held in Korea toward the end of April. As usual, the ‘Baeksang Arts Awards’ focused on works from the past year up until early this year, and of course, the biggest question was Kang Woojin’s attendance.
『[Baeksang] Kang Woojin, who starred in Korea’s all-time top 1, 2, and 3 highest-grossing films, Will he attend this year’s Baeksang?』
With ‘Island of the Missing’ and ‘Leech’ both surpassing 20 million viewers, making Kang Woojin the lead in Korea’s top three highest-grossing films, his presence at the awards directly impacted viewership ratings. Given his hellish schedule, there was much speculation about whether he would attend, but fortunately.
『Kang Woojin’s side confirms: “He will attend the Baeksang Awards.” The Baeksang committee is thrilled.』
It was now confirmed, Kang Woojin would be attending the ‘Baeksang Arts Awards’ for the second consecutive year. For most actors, their second Baeksang might still be early in their careers, but Woojin was different. There was a 100% chance he was nominated for Best Actor.
And then.
-Pabababababak!
-pababababababab!
Under an onslaught of camera flashes, Kang Woojin nonchalantly walked down the red carpet.
‘Ugh- it’s blinding. The reaction is insane.’
Following Cannes and the Blue Dragon Film Awards.
“Film Category, Best Actor Award!! Congratulations! Kang Woojin from ‘Leech’!!”
He won the highest acting award at Baeksang as well. Dressed sharply in a black tuxedo, Kang Woojin stepped onto the stage, collecting yet another trophy. As he brought the microphone to his lips, hundreds of audience members, the broadcast crew, and journalists’ cameras all focused on him. By now, his award speeches had become a trademark.
However, this time, Kang Woojin’s acceptance speech was simple.
“Thank you. Soon, I will show you all the moment I lift a trophy in Hollywood.”
Even this brief remark quickly became a hot topic. Additionally, Kang Woojin, who won the top prize at Baeksang.
『[Star Talk] “World Star” Kang Woojin sweeps Blue Dragon, Grand Bell, and Baeksang, Major domestic film awards conquered!』
In just three years, he had dominated Korea’s top film awards.
Of course, this was just the beginning.
『Kang Woojin Wins Triple Crown of Domestic Film Festival ‘Best Actor’ Awards in One Year, Next Up ‘Emmy Awards’? ‘Academy Awards’?』
May 1st, LA.
April had disappeared in the blink of an eye. Before anyone realized, the first day of May had arrived, and inside the large conference room at Universal Movies, more than 30 people had gathered. Among them were quite a few familiar faces.
The towering Joseph Felton, and casting director Megan Stone, among others.
Everyone in attendance was here for the upcoming ‘Universal Movies’ project. The staffing seemed to be nearly complete.
And sitting across from Joseph Felton.
“……”
Was Danny Landis, a Hollywood heavyweight director, wearing glasses perched on the tip of his nose and with a slightly receding hairline. He was quietly reading through a thick stack of papers in his hand. It was the same script that Kang Woojin had. Not just Danny Landis, but every key staff member in the conference room had a copy.
Before officially launching pre-production, they needed to finalize the script and settle on a title.
In reality, 99% of the script revisions were already complete.
Only a final review remained, and once the title was confirmed, pre-production could officially begin. Nearing the final pages of the nearly finished script, Danny Landis.
‘Hmm-’
Stroked his chin. The script itself was solid, no doubt about that. But that made it even harder to decide. The title, that was the issue. While ‘Universal Movies’, Joseph Felton, and others had listed several potential titles.
‘None of them sit right with me.’
Danny Landis wasn’t satisfied with any of them. What would be the best choice? Which title would fit perfectly?
Once more, he slowly recalled the essence of the story. The main inspiration was ‘Jekyll and Hyde’. Mixed in was Dissociative Identity Disorder.
‘But those elements are just supporting devices.’
If he had to categorize the overall atmosphere and genre of the script.
‘Espionage/spy action.’
A world of secret agents, espionage, and spies, filled with crime and action. The ‘Jekyll and Hyde’ motif and Dissociative Identity Disorder were simply narrative devices assigned to the male lead, while the overall backdrop was spy action. Naturally, the script featured numerous action sequences, but to Danny Landis, it didn’t feel particularly dynamic.
‘Rather, it’s calm and static.’
Yet, it was intense and realistic. And it wasn’t just Danny Landis who held this opinion, every key staff member in the meeting room, including Joseph Felton, shared the same assessment.
In fact, as Joseph read through the script, he couldn’t help but visualize the CQC and action sequences performed by Kang Woojin, based on what he had previously witnessed.
At that moment.
-Swoosh.
Joseph Felton, the executive producer, crossed his legs and spoke.
“I don’t think the script needs any more revisions. What do you think, Director?”
Danny Landis, removing his round glasses from the bridge of his nose, gave a nod.
“I’m satisfied.”
“Great. Then we’ll finalize it as is. We need to print the final version of the script right away. It has to be sent to the cast, including Kang Woojin. But before that-”
“We need to decide on a title.”
Joseph smiled faintly and gazed at Danny Landis, a look that clearly said, You were the one who put the decision on hold, so now it’s your turn to come up with something.
A brief silence followed, lasting about ten seconds.
“……”
Finally, Danny Landis folded his arms and spoke in his aged voice.
“The core of this film is, without a doubt, the protagonist, and compared to other works, his presence is exceptionally strong. So, the title should include the male lead’s name. Additionally, it should reflect his deficiency.”
Then, looking at Joseph Felton, Danny Landis proposed the title he had in mind.
“What do you think of ‘John Persona’?”
Two days later, ‘Universal Movies’ officially announced the title of their new film: ‘John Persona’.
And included in that announcement, was Kang Woojin.
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