Byeon Yo-han goes no-fee for boldest transformation yet in 'Gyeongju Travel'

Actor Byeon Yo-han is set to undergo his most daring transformation yet in "Gyeongju Travel," opening Aug. 26.

The film follows four women — a mother and her three daughters — on a revenge trip taken for the youngest, Gyeongju, who never came home from a school field trip. Lee Jung-eun plays the mother, Oksil, while Gong Hyo-jin, Park So-dam and Lee Yeon portray the daughters. Byeon plays Baek Sang-hyeon, the man the family has waited eight years to confront.

The role marks the most radical reinvention of Byeon's career since his debut. Baek Sang-hyeon — the man who took young Gyeongju from the family — is barely free after serving an eight-year sentence when the four women drug and abduct him.

To capture Baek's cold menace, Byeon shed his familiar look entirely: he wore a mouthpiece to discolor his teeth, grew out unkempt hair and a thick beard, and roughened his skin, while repeatedly working on the character's gait and unsettled gaze.

Byeon took the role without a fee, adding to the attention surrounding his performance.

He said the project drew him in naturally because it was produced by the same producer behind "Will You Be There," his first commercial film, and that the script was genuinely compelling. "It was also meaningful to work alongside sunbae Lee Jung-eun and the other cast members, and I wanted to contribute however I could," he said.

On playing Baek Sang-hyeon, Byeon said the character's lack of plausible motivation or any trace of sympathy actually freed him as a performer. "Because there is no logic or compassion in this person's actions, I could throw myself into the role without reservation," he said. "I thought the more pain I felt, the more fear and tension the audience would experience."

"Gyeongju Travel" opens in theaters nationwide on Aug. 26.