Hangeng - L'Officiel Hommes

L'Officiel Hommes

Hangeng, who is nearing 30, might think that his 'unruly' feelings has long left him, but after filming 'So Young', it was realized that the passion in him which should have been released at a certain age still hasn't left him.

During filming, he received 2 phonecalls. One from his mother and one from an elementary ex-classmate. The happiness and relaxed expression on him when he answered the phone has influenced the others.

After getting the approval of the staff, Hangeng told us,"This movie is quite cruel. Cruel as in after one started his work life, he looks back and feel the pain in his heart. Just like the lyrics, 'Short happy times..., long farewells...'

Talking about his youth, Hangeng expressed regrets. 12-18, destiny had given him only 6 years of education, he didn't have the chance to experience what many others have, to go to college. When others crossed the age of 18, they experience changes on their bodies as well as their newfound freedom. But for Hangeng, coming of age really means he is an adult. He started supporting his family after graduating at 18, there wasn't room for negotiation. He didn't know what it means to strive or to have dreams. He only knew that he shouldn't ask his parents for money anymore.

Thinking back on when he first step into the society, with only 10yuan ($2) in his pocket when he went to ShenZhen (which is far from his hometown), he said," I was so full of passion when I left home and I didn't want to take money from my parents. In the end, I didn't even have a blanket to sleep with in ShenZhen. So I eventually still took 500yuan($81) from my mum... But I returned it quickly. When I went to Korea, it wasn't for my dream or for performing, it was for the 4000yuan($650) pocket money. Lodging and food were free there so I can send all the money to my parents."

However, he is still happy with his 6 years of youth. Climbing over walls, somersaulting in the rain, fighting with his room-mate just because he sat on his clean bed... and the most rebellious one was to steal from a music store. "At that time I love those foreign rock music, I have never seen it on TV before. Often, a big group of us will go into the shop with military coats,after browsing the cassette tapes, we pretend not to want them but we secretly took a few and left. A senior of mine even had 5 tapes in each of his sleeves."

Years later, Hangeng became friends with the owner of the shop and told him of what he did before. After all these these daring acts, Hangeng understood more on what is wrong and what is right.

At 16, he didn't know what is love but he knows how to act as the hero in front of girls.
"There were often boys from other schools coming over to hassle the girls in our class. Everytime it happens, the boys in our class will dash over and have war."

"I can't tell that you are the kind to get into fights."

"You can't tell right, my classmates said the same things too. 'You seem quiet but when you fight, you are quite ruthless.' Actually I didn't dare to really hit them, it's hard to control the strength, I was afraid of crippling them."

The young Hangeng is similiar to the LinJing in 'So Young'. He doesn't tell anyone when he is troubled, but he is still willing to use 'colours' to describe his youth. "Those daring day were gone and won't be back."

He said if he can choose his life again, he will still choose to learn dancing. Because when you hear the music, everything happening on the stage itself is youth.

Hangeng doesn't have any special plans for his future. "I may not be as matured as others in this aspect. Take building a house as an example, I like to build a house brick by brick, how it turns out will be it, as long as people can stay in it. The badly built parts can be corrected later."

Even though he has attained certain success, Hangeng can't stand to take a year off work. "I can't take it. I feel more secured when I have things to do."

If he has time, he will probably learn English. The things he likes are like those of an 18 years old student.

To make up for the loss of his wild youth, Hangeng has installed a big projector in his house with several game consoles, PS3, Xbox360... playing with them whenever he is free. His favourite games are.... (I don't know the eng translations of the games), strategy or killing games. "Recently I like 'God of War', that kind of satisfaction is not lesser than dancing."

Hangeng said that he hasn't had any strict dancing training ever since he left school. When he was still in school, his hamstrings will tighten after the summer holidays. Now that he has stopped training for years, expectations have slowly gone down.

"When I was little, a month's holiday seems like a long time. Now that I am an adult, a whole year can just pass in a wink of an eye."
However, the sports he does now are far more interesting than his trainings. Skiiing in the winter and surfing in the summer.
"Maybe I will be able to use these skills when there is a disaster."
Hangeng doesn't think much into disasters and pain.
"If it comes, it comes. Life is cruel enough, why do you want to torture yourself."

"The cruelty of knowing the loss of your youth is indescribable."

In school, whenever it rains, Hangeng and his brothers will run madly to the fields, somersaulting, dancing... The last time he got caught in the rain was during graduation, when he was having a meal with his classmates at a faraway place. After the meal, they couldn't catch a cab and it rained suddenly. By then even if there were cabs, they won't stop for them as they were all drenched.

"Why not let's just walk back."

They all fell sick after getting home and they never got caught in the rain together ever since.

This might a kind of blessing for me. Because I don't have college friends, I treasure my childhood and high school friends more. During the interview, Hangeng received a call from a childhood friend. He told Hangeng that he has watched the movie 'So Young' and said,"You have acted well but still not as good as me."

Hangeng is still seeing his old friends often, eating together or playing pool, he even commented that he has never met his match in pool before. In his heart, he has a dream,"I wish to open a dance school, so all my classmates from the dance school can join in and have our own students, a lot of students."

Hangeng has some regrets for this movie,"Because of my concerts, I didn't have enough energy to film the movie, it could have been better."

As Hangeng doesn't have a lot of parts in the movie, each scene is a heavy scene for him. In every scene there is love and hate, colourful emotions. But because of his schedules, everytime he joins the filming crew, he can only stay for 3-4 days, which wasn't enough for him to get into the role. Therefore everytime he shoot something, the director will be there to assist him, trying again and again, till the emotions were right.

"I felt that she was too strict at first but after I gradually grasp the idea, there was a great sense of satisfation."

After shooting this movie, Hangeng's passion for movies grew. Dancing and singing is only a 3 minutes performance, all the preparations will be completed before the 3 minutes performance, he will then perform when the time comes. However, a movie requires the actor to spend every minute thinking and getting into his role. Trying to catch the role's characteristics even while eating or sleeping.

"The feeling of living with another character in one body is very crazy, and very unique."

The dream for movies started during his middle school but because of the limited conditions, Hangeng wasn't able to fulfil his wish when he was younger.

"I found out the details of all the movie schools but they were all too expensive. What happens now really proved the theory that a dream planted deeply in your heart can be realized in many different ways."

When he is alone at home, he will get a glass of wine, choose a nice movie and use the big projector, enjoying the moment. He likes to be in a quiet environment and be absorbed into the movie and music. "Actually 'So Young' can only truly be understood by those who have been in the society, not for teenagers. Adults need to release the 'cruelty' in their hearts."

Hangeng admits that he still has a long way to go for acting, just like a student picking up this new skill with passion. Hangeng has always given the impression of a good kid to those around him. If there is a chance, he would like to try the role of a bad guy.

Hangeng is still grateful for the diving program becaus he hasn't been training for a long time. He couldn't lift his legs as high as before. This program pushed him to challenge himself. Regarding the accident that happened during the shooting, Hangeng only said,"I was fine the next day, only my stomach hurt a little."

After the accident, Hangeng returned to the diving platform. When the memories of the accident came back, he told himself he must do it again, the best he can. "I felt like I have returned to my school days. I can't possibly not graduate just because I was afraid of exams.

The coach didn't give Hangeng protective ropes in the later trainings, claiming that the rope wouldn't save him even if anything happens. "But I felt that even if it doesn't help, at least I feel safer and more relaxed with it." Regarding this dangerous sport, Hangeng showed his fear without hiding.
"If the platform is 5m high, I don't mind trying to be honest. But when I went up to the 10m platform, I took a look and (words too small.. can't read). I know many people commented that my legs weren't straight enough or whatsoever but I just want to say 'why don't you come up here and try?'"
[LH]What excited him was feeling of fighting together in a team. It reminded him of school and the passionate fighting spirit during SJM days. "That was the first time I stood on the diving platform after the accident. I wasn't jumping for myself."

Hangeng regretted a little when he found out the difficulties of diving but after trying for a few times, he couldn't stop. "The feeling of 'uncertainty' was great. In life you can't control everything. Sometimes you can find your hidden strengths in these situations that you can't control." He said that he might try diving in future when he is moody.