Actor Gang Dong-won brings his easy charm, elegance to ‘Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman’

Actor Gang Dong-won has easy charm and graceful movements, and he knows how to use his natural gift in any genre. His upcoming film, “Dr. Cheon and Lost Talisman,” demonstrated this once again.

Playing the titular role of Dr. Cheon, Gang radiates from the big screen, whether he mischievously performs fake exorcisms for money or wields a spiritual sword toward evil forces with his slender, long body.

In the occult horror movie about demonic possession and exorcism, Gang presents sword battles, fist fights and car chases, giving the audience an adrenaline rush in between humor and family drama.

The 42-year-old said in a group media interview Thursday that he tried to balance the tempo of the protagonist to lighten up the overall atmosphere and keep the fun factor alive.

“The story was fresh and entertaining. I had to adjust the tempo because I am the one who leads the whole story from beginning to end,” Gang said. “I focused on not making it too overwhelming. I thought it would not be enjoyable if it became too heavy.”

In the movie, Dr. Cheon appears to lie somewhere between a mischievous, confident Taoist wizard he played in the fantasy action “Jeon Woo-chi” (2009) and an attractive con-artist character in the crime action comedy “A Violent Prosecutor” (2016).

His exorcism performance is reminiscent of his priest role in the occult thriller “Priests” (2015), while his sword fight scenes resemble those of the period action film “Kundo: Age of the Rampant” (2014).

Aware of Dr. Cheon’s resemblance to some traits of his previous roles, Gang said he carefully approached the character to avoid repeating the same old patterns.

“It’s been a while since I starred in ‘Jeon Woo Chi,’ so I thought it was OK to have a similar feeling to some extent. But I focused on setting a different voice tone so as not to closely overlap with the character,” he said.

As a non-believer, Gang took interest in entertaining elements of Korean shaman rituals, called “gut,” which are characterized by rhythmic movements, songs and prayers to souls and ancestors.

“I respect Korea’s indigenous beliefs, and I think it’s an interesting subject for a movie as shamanistic beliefs are unique to Korea. When shamans perform gut, it’s like a show or a concert. It is amazing,” he said.

In a battle scene with an evil force called Beom Cheon (played by Huh Joon-ho), Gang said he didn’t try to look cool or powerful. Rather, he gets beaten over and over again before he finally locks the demon in a mysterious talisman.

“I thought the audience would want to see me get beaten down, so I kept rolling on the ground before I finally hit back (at Beom Cheon),” he said.

Gang, who was once called a cultural icon following his debut in the 2004 teen drama “Romance of Their Own,” believes his face has matured over 20 years of acting and anticipates taking on new roles that fit his age.

“I have always wanted to play various characters, and now I think I can play a wider range of characters that fit my age. It might be tough to play roles in the 20s,” he said. “Now in my 40s, I want to work even harder. I love this work so much.”