I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 427

Chris Hartnett’s conclusion was completely off the mark.

‘So, that ad-lib was completely spontaneous, huh?’

Kang Woo-jin remained impassive, listening to Chris’s words.

‘……’

Internally, however, he was vehemently denying it.

‘What nonsense? Spontaneous? This guy’s just making a big deal out of nothing.’

Chris, however, was lost in his own world of assumptions.

‘To come up with such acting on the spot—it’s both shocking and amazing!’

What was so amazing about it? Woo-jin remained silent, struggling to understand the Hollywood star before him. Chris continued, saying he was fine with ad-libs and even enjoyed them.

Woo-jin had heard about this from Choi Sung-gun, Miley Cara, and the staff.

‘Hollywood is known for its frequent ad-libs.’

Hollywood was indeed more open than Korea. Some directors even let actors improvise without much direction. Chris, a top Hollywood actor, was likely used to performing freely.

‘Is this a challenge?’

Chris didn’t mean it that way, but to Kang Woo-jin, it felt like a gauntlet thrown down. This popular actor was asking him to accept his ad-libs without hesitation. Woo-jin’s persona remained firm, but inside, he was slightly, no, quite nervous.

‘So, he could just jump in at any moment?’

But soon, Kang Woo-jin’s ‘no turning back’ spirit began to surface. He might have reacted impulsively in the past, but now he had experience.

Besides.

‘I don’t care, damn it, if I use my abilities, I can handle it somehow.’

Currently, Woo-jin had the ‘freedom of the role’ to break the mold. He was capable of dealing with any unexpected move. Perhaps the ‘Joker’ he had unleashed in reality might do something unpredictable again. But all those crazy things were under the control of their master, Kang Woo-jin.

Woo-jin replied calmly to Chris, who was smiling. It was a firm but weighty answer.

‘You won’t enjoy it, you need to be prepared.’

Chris’s brow twitched slightly, and he asked back.

‘Prepared?’

‘Yes. You said you act freely.’

‘……That’s usually the case.’

‘Any freedom comes with a price.’

Kang Woo-jin’s words were a clear warning, laced with bravado. Inside, he was shouting, ‘Don’t do it if you can help it! I’m warning you!’ Chris, who had no way of knowing this, wouldn’t be easily intimidated. He had been in Hollywood for over a decade.

But his deep brown eyes visibly flickered.

‘A price, I see.’

It was proof that the warning had landed. Thanks to the aura and the elaborate delusion that Kang Woo-jin had built up. Chris, who had been staring at Woo-jin’s face, quietly swallowed while also.

‘If I attack carelessly, I’ll get bitten back.’

He resolved his feelings.

‘This is exciting! This is the most anticipated work and role I’ve ever had. It feels like David challenging Goliath.’

Kang Woo-jin’s warning had clearly affected Chris. But the warning only made Chris more excited.

‘It’s been a while since I’ve been the challenger. Of course, I should be prepared.’

‘……’

Woo-jin, who had been silent, frowned inwardly.

It was a counter-effect.

Shortly after.

Chris Hartnett, leaving Kang Woo-jin’s trailer, smiled as he ran a hand through his brown hair.

‘I’m sure I’ll grow from this experience.’

He had no idea that his heightened sense of challenge was all due to a misunderstanding. Chris, filled with such misconceptions, headed towards the filming area with a mix of impatience and a spring in his step.

Late at night, over a hundred foreign staff members were packing up.

Chris approached them.

-Swish.

He approached Director Ahn Ga-bok, who was talking with key staff, and asked.

‘Director, did you know?’

‘Know what?’

‘The ad-lib that Kang Woo-jin did during the first filming of the ‘Joker’ awakening. They say it was completely spontaneous.’

The eyes of the surrounding foreign key staff widened.

‘What?’

‘Spontaneous? Chris, what are you talking about?’

Chris Hartnett, like a host, spread the delusion. Director Ahn Ga-bok was the one who supported it.

‘……Did Kang Woo-jin say that himself?’

‘Yes, I just heard it.’

‘I knew it.’

‘You knew it? If you knew it…’

Director Ahn Ga-bok, his gaze fixed on Chris, recalled the past. Specifically, during ‘Leech’.

‘I didn’t hear it directly from Kang Woo-jin, but knowing him, it wouldn’t be surprising if he came up with that level of ad-lib on the spot.’

‘……’

‘Honestly, when I saw his acting during the first filming, I thought it was spontaneous. Kang Woo-jin isn’t the type who has had formal training; he’s more like a monster who has honed his skills in the wild. I saw it often in ‘Leech’ too.’

Director Ahn Ga-bok’s explanation increased the credibility, so to speak, ‘skyrocketed’.

‘The family photo scene that clearly showed the Ripley Syndrome [a psychological condition where a person believes they are someone else] in ‘Leech’ was also a result of Kang Woo-jin’s spontaneous ad-lib. His creativity is far beyond the norm, making him a scary actor for a director in a way.’

Then, Chris’s smile deepened, and the murmuring of the surrounding foreign key staff grew louder. The murmuring was filled with exclamations and admiration.

Director Ahn Ga-bok continued.

‘Everyone saw it during the script reading, how he could handle other roles without any problem. With that level of skill, it’s easy for him to come up with ad-libs that turn the set upside down on the spot.’

He declared, looking at Chris.

‘If it’s an ad-lib based on the scenario, it’s always welcome. I’d rather challenge and expand the scene several times than be stuck and stagnant.’

It was also the stubbornness of the general director of ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’.

‘So Chris, please do creative acting like Kang Woo-jin, who has a solid foundation. Freely.’

Later.

The van carrying Chris left the filming set. He was looking out the window with his legs crossed, his anticipation growing. The filming of ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’ had already excited him, but today, thanks to Kang Woo-jin and Director Ahn Ga-bok, that excitement had increased several times.

‘This is epic.’

‘Huh? What? Chris, what did you say?’

Chris, shaking his head at his manager’s question, picked up his phone. After returning the missed calls, he accessed a famous online community. It was ‘Nedit’, the most popular overseas.

It was the fastest way to gauge the public’s reaction.

Chris searched for ‘Kang Woo-jin’. Among the numerous topics on ‘Nedit’, Kang Woo-jin was a hot topic. From the ‘Emmys’ to ‘Beast and Beauty’, there were many discussions about ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’, which had started filming a few days ago.

‘They’re having fun.’

The anonymous overseas public was dissecting, analyzing, and enjoying Woo-jin to the point where it was chaotic.

-It’s a shame, but Columbia’s cinematic universe will fail. It’s good that they prepared grandly, but isn’t it strange that it starts with a Korean actor?

-That’s a low-level comment. Just admit it, Kang Woo-jin is an actor recognized by Cannes, Hollywood, and the Emmys.

-He definitely has something, but it’s too soon for him to make his Hollywood debut and take the lead role. He has no experience; will the project turn out well?

-Seeing ‘Beneficial Evil’, he’s good at acting, but I don’t have high expectations for his first Hollywood work, ‘Pierrot’… Maybe he’ll be too nervous to show his true acting skills.

-He has the guts to openly mention the Academy Awards at Cannes and press conferences; is it possible for him to be nervous?

-It’s noisy here every day, but that’s proof that Kang Woo-jin is globally hot.

-Kang Woo-jin’s action was good, but what about his serious acting?

It wasn’t just there. The Hollywood media was frequently reporting on ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’.

『LA TIME/ ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’ Begins Filming in Earnest, What Kind of Acting is Kang Woo-jin, Who is Receiving Global Attention, Showing?』

There were many articles like this. Chris, who had been looking at the reactions for a while, murmured inwardly.

‘Columbia Studios’ ‘Cinematic Universe’ will have to bow to Kang Woo-jin, because he is perfect as the first villain to announce the beginning. He will surely infect the whole world with the ‘Joker’.’ [referring to the character he plays]

Chris said to his manager in the passenger seat.

‘Director Ahn Ga-bok said it’s okay to do creative acting freely.’

‘Oh, then you can comfortably show your specialty, ad-libs? You were worried about it, right? That’s good. But do it moderately; there are quite a few actors who dislike ad-libs. There are newcomers and veteran actors in ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’.’

‘……It’s okay with Kang Woo-jin.’

Chris Hartnett, who answered, recalled Kang Woo-jin’s indifferent face.

‘He’ll be able to handle anything without any problem.’

Several days passed.

June 20th. ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’, which had started filming on the 11th, was already in its second week. The early part of the filming had some scenes with supporting and minor roles, but most of the scenes were with the male lead, Kang Woo-jin.

Kang Woo-jin had been working hard on filming for a week, switching between ‘Joker’ and ‘Henry Gordon’.

Meanwhile, in Hollywood, where various news was breaking, some new news other than ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’ was emerging.

‘Beast and Beauty’, which was in the mid-to-late stage of pre-production, or.

『CNM/Maria Armas Casting Confirmed for ‘Beast and Beauty’!』

『BBX/Miley Cara and Maria Armas too! The casting for ‘Beast and Beauty’ is getting more and more impressive; officials say “Script reading is expected around July”』

There was also the issue of ‘John Persona’ from ‘Universal Movies’, which had cast Kang Woo-jin last. ‘They’ve started casting, the scenario is circulating!’ and so on. They were working hard to recruit production staff to start the full pre-production stage.

And ‘Beneficial Evil’ too.

『LA TIME/ ‘Beneficial Evil’, Nominated for 10 Emmy Awards, Netflix CEO “Beneficial Evil Part 2 will launch around September”』

There was also news of the ‘Primetime Emmy Awards’, a huge awards ceremony in the broadcasting industry that was always associated with ‘Beneficial Evil’.

And Kang Woo-jin.

-Swish.

He had just arrived at the filming set of ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’. The set location had changed a bit, but the overall picture was almost the same. Woo-jin and his team moved to the trailer as soon as they arrived. They had arrived 30 minutes early, and the filming was still being prepared.

Then, Kang Woo-jin, holding the ‘Pierrot: Birth of a Villain’ script in one hand, was about to enter the trailer.

‘Woo-jin.’

Choi Sung-gun, who had been on the phone just before, approached. Choi Sung-gun had been busier than Woo-jin recently. He had to manage Kang Woo-jin’s support, agency, and expansion while traveling between Korea, Japan, and Hollywood.

Choi Sung-gun stuck to Woo-jin and asked.

‘About the ‘Emmys’, it’s still a bit away, but since it’s your first ‘Emmys’, and the world will be watching you, we need to put some serious effort into your style for the ‘Emmys’.’

‘Is that so?’

Woo-jin, who asked back in a low voice, murmured inwardly as he entered the trailer.

‘Is there really a need to overdo it like that? It’ll be similar to Cannes.’

No, it wasn’t. It was a conclusion that came out because Woo-jin didn’t have a good sense of it. The big events were similar, whether it was Cannes or the ‘Emmys’, but in terms of authority, symbolism, and global power, the ‘Emmys’ was overwhelmingly superior. Choi Sung-gun, who had followed Woo-jin into the trailer, nodded.

‘Yeah, talk to Yejung when you have time. It doesn’t matter if it’s a tuxedo or a suit, what color it is, and you can pick any luxury brand you want. Anyway, various luxury brands are already contacting us like crazy.’

The world’s top luxury brands came to Kang Woo-jin’s mind. He was already a model for some brands. Then, suddenly, Woo-jin.

‘Hmm, it’s a bit bland; I’ve worn similar things for the Blue Dragon, Baeksang, Grand Bell, and Cannes awards.’ [Korean film awards]

He realized he was tired of it. The suits and tuxedos he wore for awards ceremonies, events, and parties. Because he was fundamentally different from ordinary actors.

‘Should I just go wearing my usual clothes? A hoodie or something. Will I get a lot of flak?’

The moment random thoughts took root.

‘Ah.’

Something caught Kang Woo-jin’s eye. It was hanging on a clothes rack inside the trailer.

‘Hmm, maybe it wouldn’t be bad?’

It was the ‘Joker’ costume.