‘Taehyung was so passionate': Award-winning director recalls how BTS' V got rid of IU's MV scene, cut his hair and enlisted the next day

Indian Express

6 hours ago

BTS member Kim Taehyung has always had a knack for acting, and it's no secret. Back in the day, he kicked things off with the historical K-drama Hwarang alongside fellow Wooga Squad member Park Hyung Sik, and years later, stormed the MV scene with IU's Love Wins All. The K-pop idol then enlisted in the military and is now just days away from his comeback. At the Muju Film Festival on June 6, Concrete Utopia director Uhm Tae Hwa, who recently bagged the Best Director award, opened up about working with the star and said he'd love to team up with him again, even if it means creating an entirely new role just to fit him.
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While speaking to Editor-in-Chief Joo Sung Chul, Um Tae Hwa revealed they shot the entire music video in just two days. He recalled how the Winter Bear crooner filmed his entire scene while also helping the crew and the director himself, cut his hair right after, and left for the military the next day. During the conversation, the host asked the director if he was aware of Taehyung's comeback from the military, and Uhm said he was and had even sent him a personal message. The host then mentioned how fans have been urging the director to cast V in a movie, to which Uhm replied, 'If Taehyung were willing to do it, I'd be so grateful. I'd love to work with him—even if I had to make up a role just to ask him.' (Translated via Allkpop)
He added, 'We only filmed for two days. He left the next day. That's how much he wanted to do it. He was very passionate. That's when I realised he had a real desire to act. I'm not joking—it would be amazing if we could work together again.'
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The director was asked to share a story about the K-pop idol, something he witnessed and found unique about him. He replied that Taehyung was very involved on set and was never the kind of celebrity who just did things for the sake of doing them. Originally, the final scene had the two characters (IU and V) crowd-surfing in wedding dresses while singing. But the team was running out of time, and everyone was worried. Trying to shoot it was causing a lot of stress, yet the director wanted to keep the scene badly. 'As a director, I really wanted to film that scene. I thought it would enhance the emotional impact. So I kept trying to make it work until the very end.'
That's when the singer came and spoke to him. 'He said, 'Instead of this, how about we film another, better scene?'' Uhm recalled. 'He talked me into it, and he was right; we didn't have enough time. If we had stuck with my idea, we might not have had time to film the other important scenes. Everyone, including the audience actors, was stressing over how to do that scene,' He continued. 'Then Taehyung turned to them and said, 'Everyone, I got rid of that scene!' And everyone cheered.'
IU and BTS' V's post-apocalyptic dystopian saga Love Wins All dropped on January 24, 2024, as the lead single from IU's sixth Korean EP, The Winning. The song, and especially the music video, scored a perfect all-kill on South Korean music charts and was hailed as the MV of the season, even debuting at number 25 on the Billboard Global 200. V shot his scenes just a week before his mandatory military enlistment, viewing the project as a parting gift to ARMYs before heading off. In the MV, V and IU escape from a cube-like object in their wedding dresses. IU's character is shown with a hearing impairment, communicating with V through sign language, while V's character is visually impaired.