Actress Pom Klementieff was an absolute delight on stage, charming the audience with her fangirl-esque love for Park Chan-wook. “When I saw [Oldboy] when I was 16 – I wanted to be inside the movie. I’m so happy to be here.” Sharing her stories on-set, Pom revealed she trained in a Tae-Kwon Do inspired martial arts form, as she plays Sharlto Copley’s bodyguard, which is the equivalent to Mr. Han on the original. She loved being a “badass,” and even acted as one herself, as she lost a toenail after shooting concluded. Now that, my friends, is dedication. Pom was so good, in fact, Michael confessed that watching her on-set was his favorite memory from filming. “[My favorite moment?] Watching her do martial arts. It looked pretty impressive.”
Mark also explained his dedication to Oldboy, recalling back to when he got the call from Will Smith, asking him to pen Oldboy with him starring and Steven Spielberg directing. Oh how the times have changed, right? Here we are about five years later with a completely new cast and crew, yet Mark never quit. It paid off too, because Mark received a major compliment from Spike, and was honored to reveal almost nothing changed from when Spike read his script to now. Being a writer himself, Spike’s approval meant so much to Mark, and just made him more confident.
Unfortunately, Sharlto Copley also was not able to attend, but the panel had only the best things to say about his wacky performance. “He likes to intellectualize things, so he’s really thinking about the character every time. I’m more instinctive, he’s more brainy,” said Pom. “He really is going for it. It’s unlike any role you’ve seen him do, in a good way, and in a surprising way,” chimed in Michael. I’ve been a Sharlto fan since District 9, and the extra two clips shown exclusively to press only promise another performance from Sharlto that’s wildly different and vivaciously acted.
Speaking to the dark places his mind traveled to while writing, Mark explained the experience of writing Oldboy. “My wife was happy when I was done writing this script. It was a pretty intense experience if you’re really giving it your all. You’re going to some dark places. You sit by yourself outside with a glass of scotch, trying to take yourself out of that.” Dark enough for you?
Oldboy came into the New York Comic Con with a purpose, ready to show audiences they’ve had enough of the naysayers putting down a product not even released yet. The scene that was screened pleased everyone in the main hall and ended Friday on a high note, as when the lights came back on, the appearing cast were greeted with a loud round of applause. While we were only shown one scene – man, what a scene it was. Consider me a believer, as I officially can’t wait until November 27th, where you can find me at a midnight screening for Spike Lee’s Oldboy remake.
Go in with an open mind and give this Western adaptation a shot – what’s the worst that can happen?
