Actor Yoo Hae-jin. [Yonhap]
Actor Yoo Hae-jin. [Yonhap]

"Hello, I'm Go Gwang-ryeol."

That opening line from actor Yoo Hae-jin was enough to send a ripple through the audience. Go Gwang-ryeol from "Tazza: The High Rollers" remains one of the first faces audiences associate with Yoo, even 20 years after the film's release. Yoo named Go Gwang-ryeol as his signature character, saying the role was the moment he began to see a future for himself.

A mega-talk event marking the 20th anniversary of "Tazza: The High Rollers" was held Saturday at the Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival. Director Choi Dong-hoon and Yoo attended the event, which drew a full house of more than 500 people at Bucheon City Hall's Eoulmadag hall. Audience members ranged from those who had seen the film in theaters in 2006 to fans who had memorized its lines through TV broadcasts and online streaming — all of them reliving scenes and dialogue from a film two decades old.

"I often get asked about my signature work," Yoo said. "It's hard to name just one, but the first thing that comes to mind is Go Gwang-ryeol from 'Tazza.'"

Go Gwang-ryeol drifts through gambling dens across the country alongside the protagonist Goni, played by Jo Seung-woo. At the table, he never stops talking, rattling opponents with a relentless stream of chatter; away from it, he stays loyal to Goni to the end. He is also the character who weaves warmth and humor into the film's tension.

Go Gwang-ryeol held special meaning for Yoo personally. "When we were filming 'Tazza,' I was in my late thirties," he recalled. "I was unstable in every way — my standing as an actor, everything — and I was not doing well financially either."

"After 'Tazza,' I remember thinking, 'Ah, I can finally start to see the road ahead,'" he said. "I think that's why Go Gwang-ryeol stays with me so much."

Director Choi also spoke highly of the character. "The person standing beside the protagonist is always important in a film," he said. "Yoo Hae-jin's Go Gwang-ryeol has a gift for language and a knack for improvisation that just draws people in."

The event also revealed some intriguing behind-the-scenes stories. Several scenes showing Go Gwang-ryeol's human side were not in the original screenplay. One of them — in which Go Gwang-ryeol asks Madame Jung, played by Kim Hye-soo, about Goni's whereabouts after the two lose contact — came entirely from Yoo's suggestion.

"Yoo said he wanted a scene like that, so I wrote it and we shot it the very next day," Choi recalled. "I wonder whether Go Gwang-ryeol's humanity would have fully come through without it."

Yoo said the scene had stayed vivid in his memory. "I was thinking about that scene on my way here," he said with a laugh. "Maybe it's because Madame Jung is in it, but it's one of the clearest images I have from the whole shoot."

His memories of working with Jo Seung-woo were equally lasting. Goni and Go Gwang-ryeol share a bond in the film that feels almost brotherly as they move through the gambling world together. "I have such fond memories of being with Jo Seung-woo on set almost constantly," Yoo said. "I think I'm drawn to films where two people build that kind of connection — stories about the warmth between people."

Yoo had said something similar ahead of the opening of "The King's Warden" in January, noting that he and Park Ji-hoon often walked together on set and grew close in the way their characters did. The common thread running through the works he remembers most is the warmth between people, both on screen and behind the camera.

The moment that drew the most attention Saturday was the story behind the film's final scene. Near the end of "Tazza: The High Rollers," Goni picks up a public telephone receiver. Who he is calling has been a point of debate among audiences for years.

"Everyone asks who Goni is calling at the end," Choi said — then pointed to Yoo sitting beside him. "Originally, it was this person." The call, he confirmed, was meant for Go Gwang-ryeol.

Choi also explained why he ultimately chose not to show that moment on screen. "Taking that part out — Goni calling Go Gwang-ryeol — left the ending feeling incomplete, and that actually made it feel better," he said. By leaving it unexplained, the ending has lingered all the longer.

The fact that a 20-year-old film could draw a crowd again reflects a broader shift in cinema culture. Even amid fierce competition from new releases, revisiting past blockbusters and sharing behind-the-scenes stories with directors and actors has become a culture of its own among film fans. The effect is strongest with films like "Tazza: The High Rollers," whose dialogue and characters have endured.

Since "Tazza: The High Rollers," Choi has remained prolific, directing "Jeon Woo-chi," "The Thieves," "Assassination" and the "Alienoid" series. He is currently writing the screenplay for his next project, a process now in its 16th month. "I'm not entirely sure of the genre myself," he said, "but I'd describe it as a mystery, espionage and hard-boiled drama series."

"I love stories of deception within a drama," he added. "I think the next project will be that kind of story."

Choi reflected on the passage of two decades with quiet composure. "I'm not quite sure how 20 years went by," he said. "I will study hard and keep working to make a film that surpasses 'Tazza.'"


kwater@heraldcorp.com