'The Pirates 2' director discusses shooting film in the dead of winter

When director Kim Jung Hoon decided to make The Pirates 2 - the spiritual sequel to the hit 2014 film The Pirates - the most significant problem he expected to face was overcoming the original film's success. However, because of the COVID-19, shooting the film became an arduous task.

The pandemic pushed back the production of many films and The Pirates 2 was no exception. The filming was postponed merely weeks after it began over the summer.

Production was once again halted because of the pouring rain. As shared by Jung Hoon in a chat with New1 (via Soompi), this left the cast and crew to brave the icy weather of the winter season.

“The filming was pushed back to the winter, when it was cold. We couldn’t film in the summer because of COVID-19 and the rainfall season, so the actors really gave it their all in the bitter cold. Their expressions and acting brought the CGI to life.”

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'The Pirates 2' and its underwater scenes

What made the prospect of shooting The Pirates 2 in the middle of winter a tough task was that it majorly included scenes in the water, especially those that needed to be filmed underwater.

Jung Hoon shared that filming these scenes was “much harder than it appears,” especially for the actors for whom it became difficult “to an unimaginable degree.”

“The actors can hardly do anything when they’re submerged in water, and so it’s meaningless for a director to try to give directions. I am so grateful to the actors who could act even when they were in the water.”

The Pirates 2 includes Kang Ha Neul, Han Hyo Joo, Chae Soo Bin, Kwon Sang Woo, Lee Kwang Soo, EXO’s Sehun, and more. Jung Hoon shared that it was hard for everyone to continue shooting, but they were all determined to complete the film.

“Park Ji Hwan got water in his ear during filming and got a middle ear infection. Kang Ha Neul got water up his nose and had to go to the hospital to have it extracted. Lee Kwang Soo and Han Hyo Joo would spit up water when I yelled ‘cut.’ That’s how hard it was on everyone. The production staff, who were assisting, also went through a lot as well.”

Thankfully, everyone’s hard work and efforts paid off. The Pirates 2 was released on January 26, 2022. It has been busy ruling the Korean box office for the past seven days. The film is being lauded for its flawless performances and its unique depiction of pirates.