I was Mistaken as a Monstrous Genius Actor [EN]: Chapter 444

The first poster for ‘Clown: Birth of a Villain’ was unveiled on the official social media of ‘Columbia Studios.’

– [Hello, this is Columbia Studios. We are releasing the first poster for ‘Clown: Birth of a Villain,’ which many of you have been curious about and which garnered significant attention at the ‘Emmys.’ The cast and crew are all focused on production. We are striving to show you a great piece of work and…]

There were some additional greetings, but the main point was the poster. Only one poster was released, and Miley Kara, who was driving through downtown LA, also saw this poster.

“Is that the villain? The visuals are killer.”

She was serious. Kara, holding the tablet, was immediately impressed upon seeing the poster. It radiated such intense energy.

‘He doesn’t look like himself. I expected a somewhat shocking mask, but this is beyond expectations.’

After looking at the first poster of ‘Clown: Birth of a Villain’ on the tablet for a moment, she.

-Swish.

Asked her team members around her.

“What do you think of this poster?”

The answers came quickly.

“It’s more unconventional than I thought.”

“The makeup is amazing, it’s even a bit creepy. I wouldn’t recognize him if you didn’t say it was Kang Woo-jin.”

“Since ‘Clown’ is in the title, I guess it’s somewhat of a motif, but this poster is kind of scary, isn’t it?”

“It’s also amazing how they transformed Kang Woo-jin’s taciturn, cynical image into this crazy mask.”

“It’s definitely eye-catching.”

“Right? Especially with Kang Woo-jin’s performance.”

Various opinions were voiced, but they were generally filled with curiosity. Kara, while running her fingers through her blonde hair, looked at the tablet again.

“…I like it.”

The outrageous outfit and hair she wore at the ‘Emmys’ were nothing compared to this. The poster she was looking at was the first poster, a teaser or character poster. It was released even before the movie promotional posters.

Therefore, the poster featured only Kang Woo-jin, without any other characters.

The background was a chaotic swirl of red and blue, with black anchoring the center. It looked like a burning city at night. Kang Woo-jin’s upper body was placed against that background.

Of course, he was not ‘Henry Gordon’ but ‘Joker.’

His long, red hair, reaching his chin, was swept back, and his face was pale. There were red dots on his eyebrows and the tip of his nose, and his eyes were drawn with pointed black squares. The most overwhelming feature was his red lips, drawn several times thicker. He was smiling, with his mouth stretched wide.

‘No, is he really smiling?’

It was hard to tell if he was smiling because of the makeup or if he was really smiling, as the overall brightness of the poster was a bit dark, making it difficult to determine the actual shape of Kang Woo-jin’s lips. But overall, it looked like he was smiling broadly. He already looked crazy with his visuals, and his outfit was also unusual.

Although no one knew the name ‘Joker’ yet, ‘Joker’ had revealed his face to the world.

Kara, looking at the poster,

‘Was it called a ‘horrific clown’?’

She recalled Kang Woo-jin’s interview at the ‘Emmys.’ And even his actions, like smoking a cigarette and acting wildly. Soon, her anticipation grew.

What would Kang Woo-jin show with this ‘villain’?

Kara, whose imagination was running wild, chuckled for some reason and moved her finger. She turned off the poster she was looking at and checked the reactions to the post.

“Everyone feels the same as me.”

There were already a huge number of comments. Of course, in various languages. Soon, Kara.

-Swish.

Shared the poster on her own social media.

After that.

The first poster of ‘Clown: Birth of a Villain,’ released to the world, spread rapidly through Hollywood. From mouth to mouth. From finger to finger. Now, it was just a matter of setting the first day of filming for ‘Beauty and the Beast’.

“The poster is intense.”

“So, what we saw at the ‘Emmys’ was just a warm-up.”

“Who could resist after seeing this poster? Especially since Kang Woo-jin said, ‘Watch it or don’t.’”

“That’s right, with that performance and this poster visual, I’d watch it too.”

“It’s the birth of a villain, right? Is the clown the first villain?”

“I’m a bit jealous, but our ‘Beast’ will be of considerable quality as well.”

“When is our pre-poster shoot?”

“It’s right before the first shoot, so it’ll be soon.”

The ‘John Persona’ camp was buzzing. In particular, the Hollywood big-shot director Danny Landis was very impressed. Joseph Felton chimed in.

“The mask is amazing. It’s the first time a first poster alone makes me want to see the movie.”

“…His outfit and appearance at the ‘Emmys’ were surprising enough, but for just a first poster to become such a hot topic.”

“Shouldn’t we learn from this?”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“Anyway, ‘Clown: Birth of a Villain’ will have a huge initial impact. Look at how the media and public are going crazy.”

Indeed, the first poster of ‘Clown: Birth of a Villain’ sold like crazy as soon as it was released.

『CNM/‘Emmys’ Best Actor Kang Woo-jin, the First Reveal of the Villain’s Face He Spoke Of!』

『LA TIME/“Watch it or don’t” Kang Woo-jin, Who Shook the ‘Emmys,’ First Poster of ‘Clown: Birth of a Villain’ Released!/Photo』

『BBX/Explosive Interest Despite Just a First Poster Release! Did Kang Woo-jin’s Performance at the ‘Emmys’ Really Pay Off?』

In Korea.

『‘Academy Awards’ Nominee Kang Woo-jin, Shocking First Poster of ‘Clown: Birth of a Villain’ Released!』

『[Issue Pick] Kang Woo-jin’s Solo Poster Spreads Worldwide… Global Public “What is this?!”』

It was somewhat fanatical.

-Wow… the poster is insane….

-What is this? Is this the makeup he’ll wear in the movie? What’s the story about;;;

-ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ After acting like that at the Emmys, if you release this crazy poster, who wouldn’t watch it?ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-Seriously, it looks like a legendary work.

-If you combine this makeup with Kang Woo-jin’s acting… what kind of movie will be born…?

-He’s a horrific clown, alright ㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋㅋ

-I’m so curious about the reactions overseas ㅋㅋㅋ

Of course, entertainment media around the world, including Japan, were spreading the poster like wildfire. Thanks to this, a day later, on the 12th, the first poster of ‘Clown: Birth of a Villain’ was easily found on the internet and in various media.

At this time, Kang Woo-jin.

‘Ugh—damn. It’s good that the movie is being promoted well, but it’s a bit embarrassing that my face is spreading around the world? Even if it’s the Joker’s face.’

He was checking the global reactions while moving to the filming location. Well, not just him, but all the team members in this van were doing the same. Some were looking at Korea, some at Japan, and some at Hollywood. Among them, Kang Woo-jin was pretending not to care while browsing ‘Nedit,’ a huge overseas community [similar to Reddit].

The ‘Joker’ face was all over it.

And.

‘What? Is it that shocking? Well—the ‘Joker’ face isn’t exactly ordinary.’

The countless English comments were mostly expressing shock or fear. Some called him a monster. Of course, there were many hateful comments with profanity, but so what? Woo-jin casually checked the reactions of the overseas public. Then, he could feel it.

‘What I’m seeing is just a grain of sand, right?’

He could feel that a huge wave was rolling in. ‘Clown: Birth of a Villain’ would be released not only in Korea and the United States but worldwide, and its rating had recently risen to EX+++.

‘The first EX-grade, ‘Beneficial Evil,’ was a global hit and won 6 awards at the ‘Emmys.’

How much more destructive would ‘Clown: Birth of a Villain,’ which was three levels higher, be? Just ‘Leech’ alone had 30 million viewers in Korea and Japan combined. That alone brought in insane revenue and influence. But this ‘Clown’ was on a completely different level than ‘Leech.’

‘Honestly, I can’t even imagine it.’

A worldwide release. It was hard for anyone to easily grasp what it meant for their movie to be released worldwide. Kang Woo-jin was the same.

Around this time.

“Woo-jin.”

Choi Sung-gun, with his ponytail, turned around from the passenger seat and pointed behind Woo-jin.

“Look behind you, see those vans following us?”

“Yes.”

“They’ve been following us since a while ago? They’re 100% following you to take pictures.”

Take pictures of me? Woo-jin tilted his head in confusion, and Choi Sung-gun answered.

“In other words, paparazzi. It’s proof that you’ve become a proper Hollywood star.”

Two days later, on the 14th. Morning.

The location was ‘spt Studio,’ a 50,000-pyeong (approx. 41 acres) site in LA. Dozens of groups were moving around this large set where ‘Beauty and the Beast’ would be filmed. At the head of the group was director Bill Lautner, wearing black horn-rimmed glasses.

In short, it was the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ team.

Director Bill Lautner and his key staff were doing a final tour of the completed set, and while doing so, they were also matching the scenes and compositions of the filming storyboard that was being produced.

“We need to rehearse the ‘Beauty Bella’ village set with the extras beforehand.”

“It’s a bit wide, so we could easily mess up the movement.”

“Hmm, it’s important. Rehearsals are quite necessary, so let the actors know.”

“Understood.”

After touring the set for several tens of minutes, the team arrived at a magnificent castle. Although the art and other details were not yet perfect, director Bill Lautner stroked his chin, imagining how it would soon be decorated. Then, he stood in front of a large tree right in front of the castle.

‘If I capture it with the castle entrance, it’ll look great.’

He said to the staff next to him.

“This is a good spot for character posters. And we’ll shoot both the ‘Prince’ and ‘Beast’ versions of the ‘Beast.’”

Only after several matters such as the poster were finalized did the ‘Beauty and the Beast’ team return to the entrance of the set. Soon, the producer said to director Bill Lautner.

“Then, I’ll inform the actors of the first day of filming.”

Director Bill Lautner nodded and muttered to himself.

“First filming on September 1st, only two weeks left.”

At the same time, at ‘Columbia Studios.’

Not a filming set, but a medium-sized conference room in the main building. Familiar foreign figures were gathered. Director Ahn Ga-bok with his wrinkled face, opposite him, the general producer Nora Foster, several employees of ‘Columbia Studios,’ and even executives. It wasn’t that there was no filming for ‘Clown: Birth of a Villain’ today. The standby time was from noon.

This meeting was a monthly gathering to share progress and any special points.

Various topics were discussed.

The actors’ condition, small and large on-site issues, things to prepare, etc. At this time, a bald executive asked director Ahn Ga-bok.

“Will the filming wrap up as initially planned?”

Director Ahn Ga-bok seemed to think for a moment before answering.

“It seems like it will be faster than that.”

“Oh, that’s good.”

Then, director Ahn Ga-bok asked back.

“Regarding your ‘Cinematic Universe,’ I’m curious if the casting of Kang Woo-jin for the sequels has been completed.”

“……”

The bald executive was silent for a moment, then exchanged glances with the other executives before letting out a small breath.

“We are working on it.”

Director Ahn Ga-bok, who had been watching the executives for a moment, muttered to himself.

‘It won’t be easy. Woo-jin’s skyrocketing value, and the fact that he won’t move at all unless he sees the script.’

Director Ahn Ga-bok spoke again.

“Have you decided on the release date for ‘Clown: Birth of a Villain’?”

“Considering the worldwide release, promotion, marketing, and editing of the work, we are currently looking at the second half of next year.”

“Second half of next year—”

Director Ahn Ga-bok, stroking his wrinkled cheek, suddenly recalled the past. It was Kang Woo-jin’s acceptance speech at the ‘Emmys.’

“Is ‘Clown: Birth of a Villain’ only meant to be the beginning of the ‘Cinematic Universe’?”

“What do you mean?”

“I’m asking if you’re not planning to aim for the ‘Academy Awards.’”

The foreigners in the conference room were slightly agitated. But they quickly calmed down, and this time, the bald executive answered.

“All works produced in Hollywood naturally aim for an ‘Academy Awards’ nomination. So, our work is the same. The ‘Academy Awards’ in April next year is difficult due to the timing, but we should aim for the ‘Academy Awards’ the year after the release in the second half of next year.”

“I have a different opinion.”

“Yes? A different opinion?”

Director Ahn Ga-bok, recalling the ‘Joker’ that Kang Woo-jin had shown during filming, continued.

“I am confident that we should aim for this year’s ‘Academy Awards.’”