F.T.Island star Lee Hong-Gi on having patients

SINGAPORE - A hospice ward might seem a dark and depressing place where patients get ready to bid the world goodbye. But in Rockin’ On Heaven’s Door, there are some “wacky” denizens who prefer to go out in style.

Directed by Danny Nam, Rockin’ On Heaven’s Door stars Lee Hong-Gi (of FTIsland fame) as a troublesome teen idol who has been ordered to do community service at a hospice for terminally ill patients after being involved in an assault. Of course, he tries to skive, but he gets found out by the inhabitants of the hospice - Don Lee, Lim Won-Hee, Baek Jin-Hee, Jun Min-Seo and Shim Yi-Young. What happens next is a rollercoaster ride of mayhem as he tries to get them to join a band competition to prevent the hospice from being shut down.

While playing a musician might seem to come naturally for Hong-Gi, fan expectation ran high, not least because this is his first big-screen role. (He has previously acted in TV dramas and movies.) So how did he handle it?

Q: People are calling your role the most anticipated movie debut, does this put pressure on you?

A: Of course, I felt some pressure in the beginning. However, as I went through the script several times, I soon became a fan of the story, and I also wanted to learn more about the hospice. Once I realised (what) the hospice (was all about), I could not help but take the role.

Q: This is your first movie role: Did you have to visit many hospices to prepare for this role?

A: No. I couldn’t. The director wanted us not to visit the hospice beforehand since the director wanted us to feel just as it was.

Q: What was the funniest moment in making the film?

A: There was a cow pasture near the field. Although we could always have fresh milk and yummy cheese, because of constant cow’s mooing, we had to do 100 takes to finish one scene.

Q: What was the biggest challenge for you in making this film?

A: Extreme cold-weather! As you might have recognised the steam coming out of my mouth in the movie, the cold weather continued through the whole period of the shooting. That seems to have been the hardest - not just for me, but for everyone.

Q: What was the biggest thing you learnt during the making of this film?

A: Through the film, I’ve had an opportunity to become more mature. At the same time, I could look back at my family.

Q: What is the best thing about being Lee Hong-Gi?

A: To be loved by so many people (even from all over the world) while doing things I love to do.

Rockin’ On Heaven’s Door opens today.