Filmmaking as an art can be as extensive and taxing as it can be intricate, and Bong Joon-ho’s meteoric success, Parasite, is no exception. From charting the storyline and compiling the script to interviewing locals around Seoul and consolidating everything into a screenplay, no stone was left unturned for the 2019 dark comedy and thriller.
Amongst the movie crew resided Bong’s trusted comrade Han Jin Won, who would soon end up as the film’s screenwriter, toiling away for hours every day for an impeccable execution of the screenplay.
But little did he know, working on Parasite was not going to be how the Oscar-winning director had made it look like.
How Parasite Director Bong Joon-ho Tricked the Film’s Screenwriter
Han Jin Won – who had previously worked as a production assistant on a Bong Joon-ho-helmed dystopian series, Snowpiercer – was handed a fragmented treatment for Parasite while the latter remained occupied with Netflix’s Okja.
Han, 35, who earned his first screenwriting gig in the South Korean tour de force, revealed how Bong’s initial informal request soon unraveled into a tempest of responsibilities. While the director had made it appear as a “light and easy project” to Han, the latter would soon discover the stark reality behind it (via The Hollywood Reporter).
“In a good way, he sort of fooled me. Once I got started, I was basically working on it every moment that I wasn’t sleeping.”
After months of laborious research and one-on-one interviews, an assiduous Han presented Bong with results so impressive that The Host filmmaker wanted him to try his hand at Parasite‘s screenplay.
The Joy of Penning An Academy Award-Winning Screenplay
Ultimately, Han prepared three different variants of the screenplay and before he knew it, he was holding the final copy of his script that bore his name as a co-writer beside one of the most influential South Korean directors.
“My hands were shaking when I picked it up. I couldn’t read it on the spot; I had to go hide in my favorite coffee shop and take my time.”
What began as a potentially quick, three-month research project, eventually burgeoned into the supernova that would gain Han critical acclaim along with an Academy Award for Best Original Screenplay under his belt. The film itself landed four Academy Awards and raked in more than $250 million at the worldwide box office (via The Numbers).
Crackling with an atmosphere so tense and poignant and at the same time, so humane, Parasite didn’t take much time to lodge itself among critics and fans as a favorite (via IMDb). No wonder it bagged as many Oscars as it did.
Parasite can be streamed on Max or rented on Apple TV+.
