Kang Ha-neul leads friends on hilarious trip in 'The First Ride'

Following the box-office success of their 2023 romantic comedy "Love Reset," actor Kang Ha-neul and director Nam Dae-jung are teaming up again for the upcoming comedy "The First Ride," promising an even stronger and funnier chemistry.

At a press conference in Seoul on Thursday, Kang expressed his excitement about the quick reunion, a first in his career.

"It is the first time I've worked with the same director in such a short period," Kang said. "Since we already knew each other's styles, we didn't need long conversations to discuss things."

He added that the director had changed since their last hit, which drew over 2.1 million moviegoers.

"The set felt a lot more comfortable and fun. After the success of 'Love Reset,' the director seemed more confident, relaxed and even more fun to be around," the 35-year-old actor said.

Director Nam reciprocated the praise, showing his trust in the actor.

"While making 'Love Reset,' I felt Kang is the actor who can best bring to life the projects that I write and direct," he said. "I feel like I would be happy to do all my future projects with him."

"The First Ride" centers on four childhood friends who embark on their first overseas trip together. Their wild trip gets even wilder when Ok-shim (Han Sun-hwa) suddenly joins them.

Kang leads the cast as Tae-jung, an academically high-performing character who becomes obsessive when he gets hooked on something. He is joined by an eccentric crew: Do-jin (Kim Young-kwang), who is fixated on adopting a cow; the stunningly handsome Yeon-min (Cha Eun-woo), who dreams of becoming a world famous DJ; and Geum-bok (Kang Young-seok), who hates studying so much he has learned to sleep with his eyes open.

A still from "The First Ride" provided by Showbox (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

Having played a lawyer in "Love Reset" and now a top student, Kang laughed about being typecast as an intellectual.

"The director is teasing me by casting me, someone who isn't intellectual, in this role," he said. "I am not really that smart."

The director disagreed, praising the actor's intelligence as a key to his comedic talent.

Nam also expressed his regret that Cha could not attend the press event due to his mandatory military service.

"His character's plausibility wouldn't be established if not for Cha," the director said. "If he hadn't accepted the cast offer, we would have had to either change the character itself. Fortunately, our needs met perfectly as he also wanted to try comedic acting."

In the film, Cha's character charms everyone with his gorgeous looks but is comically oblivious to the reason, believing he should become a comedian instead.

"The First Ride" is set for release Oct. 29.