His new film, "48 Hours Live Broadcast", which goes on release on Aug. 11, is a detective thriller with a touch of director Jang Jin’s unique sense of humor. Cha plays the role of Choi Yeon-ki, a hot-tempered prosecutor who tenaciously digs into a murder case. When he interrogates the suspect (played by Shin Ha-kyun) or yells at a TV producer, his face generates a frightening tension. But that tension can dissolve into explosive laughter as the actor flits from drama to comedy, from suspense to release with a subtle movement of his eyebrows.

Cha carries a large bag reminiscent of a graduate student’s full of screenplays studded with Post-Its, notebooks and a diary. That suggests an unusual sense of responsibility, and the weight of the bag is doubled by the weight of expectation for the new movie. “Of course I want the movie to be a blockbuster,” Cha says. “Many people can be just happy to hear how good they were in the movie, even if it was dismal failure in terms of box-office profits.” But this actor lacks the complacency. “When you step onto the plate, you at least have to get a single, not strike out.” There is another reason ticket sales matter: “The box-office profits are important because they reward the efforts of the crew,” he says.

(englishnews@chosun.com )