With a powerful fist, or rather this time a fiery fist, Ma Dong-seok returns as a 'dark hero'. The cuteness of Marvel's hero and the strength of the monster detective remain intact. However, he has become a bit darker and has taken a step back between two strong women. This is through the new occult action film 'Holy Night: Demon Hunters' (hereafter 'Holy Night').
The film, set to be released on the 30th, tells the story of the 'Holy Night' team, consisting of the dark fixer Bau (Ma Dong-seok), Sharon (Seo-hyun), and Kim-gun (Lee Da-wit), who eliminate evil forces in a city thrown into chaos by a group that worships evil.
Ma Dong-seok served as both producer and lead actor. He began by saying, “The core of the story is the theme magician Sharon, and the main conflict is the fight between Sharon and Eun-seo. I see myself as a sidekick.”
He continued, “Although I am big and at the front, I actually thought of myself as someone who steps back and supports. So I treated Bau in a way that you could roughly infer, without going into detail. I focused on action as a supporter.”
“I am building an IP (intellectual property) that can expand into webtoons, novels, animations, etc., and I am currently serializing 'Holy Night: The Zero' using this. Bau's warrior story is included here. I was inspired by the Japanese dark fantasy manga 'Berserk' to create the story first, and then made part of it into a movie. Since I wanted to tell a story where women are the main characters, the focus became the two women, Sharon and Eun-seo.”
He has participated in numerous works as both a lead actor and producer. He personally handles the dialogue revisions for all the scripts he produces. He analyzes and edits the direction of action and the timing of humor based on data. As an actor, he puts the most effort into 'action'.
Having repeatedly expressed his desire to become an actor like Jackie Chan, Ma Dong-seok's day is always half 'movies' and the other half 'boxing'. It has been a long time since work became both a hobby and a daily routine. “Creating stories is my play. Training at the boxing gym, fixing movie scripts, and directing is my daily life. If it’s not fun, I can’t do it. Movies are just my life, itself.”
His success as an actor is commendable, but he is also recognized as a producer. Above all, his casting ability, efficient budget allocation, and trustworthy human relationships have dominated the industry. He willingly shared his philosophy after director Kwak Kyung-taek publicly expressed envy. The core is character.
Ma Dong-seok has showcased his unique 'eye' for casting, starting with picking Yoon Kye-sang as the villain in 'The Outlaws' 1, followed by Son Seok-koo in 'The Outlaws 2', Lee Joon-hyuk in 'The Outlaws 3', and Kim Mu-yeol in 'The Outlaws 4'. In this work, he cast Seo-hyun, who had a strong image as the model student and the youngest member of the girl group Girls' Generation, as the powerful exorcist 'Sharon', who is so strong that even demons covet her. Moreover, all the juniors he worked with express sincere respect and gratitude every time.
Ma Dong-seok said, “I am so grateful just to hear that from my juniors.” “I became close with Seo-hyun through this project, and she is really a good person and an excellent actress. I look forward to her future as she has various faces,” he smiled.
“Not only Seo-hyun but also Lee Da-wit, Kyung Soo-jin, Jung Ji-so, all of them were excellent actors. Their acting skills and character shone. When I cast actors, I try to look for a slightly (different from the norm) style. Usually, actors are cast based on their image, but I try to avoid that. I strive to find a fresher feeling and not become outdated. I try to listen to stories around me, especially from young friends.”
He also mentioned that he looks into 'various aspects together'. Ma Dong-seok said, “I watch not only their works but also stage performances. I also hear about the personalities of the actor's closest friends,” adding, “I believe that good people ultimately create good things. No matter how skilled they are, if their character is not good, it can muddy the waters. Then it can be a bit difficult during filming. In fact, filming is inherently a tough job.”
“It’s already stressful to think only about acting the character you are assigned, but if you have to worry about other things and the human relationships become difficult while filming, it can be too much stress. So I want to work with good people who are said to be 'oh, that person is good'. That way, the atmosphere on set will be good.”
Currently, Ma Dong-seok is working on a global project with 11 foreign actors. This is the Hollywood project 'Pig Village', for which Ma Dong-seok is the original creator, producer, and lead actor. It is a 100% English dialogue film featuring Michael Rooker, Colin Woodell, and others.
In Korea, he will be filming the 5th installment of 'The Outlaws' next year. Having personally written scripts for parts 5 to 8, he is also planning works in various genres such as music films and thrillers. “Box office hero? Screen hero? I am grateful. I have been really lucky. Being able to live doing what I love is a great blessing in itself... I want to somehow vary, grow, and endure for a long time within that.”
