“Faking Certainty”: Jang Dong-yoon Reflects on the Weight of His Directorial Debut ‘Nuruk’

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“I wanted to convey my beliefs with courage and strength.” — Jang Dong-yoon

After a decade in front of the camera, actor Jang Dong-yoon is taking his first steps behind it. Transitioning from leading man to director, Jang recently opened up about the stark shift in perspective: on set, everyone looks to the director for the "right" answer—even when he doesn't have one.

Jang confessed that he sometimes had to mask his uncertainty to maintain the momentum of the production, a pressure he never experienced as a performer. This internal struggle birthed his first feature film, ‘Nuruk’, a project born not from a grand commercial blueprint, but from a raw hunger for creation.
From Passion Project to the Big Screen

Initially, Nuruk wasn’t destined for theaters. Assembling a crew of close acquaintances during the pandemic, Jang moved forward one step at a time, eventually finding himself at a press preview at Megabox Coex in Seoul this week.

The film tells the story of Dasul (played by Kim Seung-yoon), the 18-year-old daughter of a famous brewery owner. A lover of makgeolli (traditional rice wine), Dasul notices a sudden change in its flavor and embarks on a quest to find the missing nuruk—the fermentation starter that serves as the heart of the drink. Through this search, the film explores the characters' inner landscapes with a grounded, humanistic touch.
An Actor’s Directorial Style

Jang is no stranger to the director’s chair, having debuted with the short film Listen to My Ear in 2023, which earned an invitation to the 27th Bucheon International Fantastic Film Festival.

Lead actress Kim Seung-yoon, who has worked with Jang on both projects, noted that his background in acting made his direction exceptionally intuitive. "His cues were very physical—'breathe more' or 'relax your body,'" she laughed, comparing his straightforward style to that of a strict but clear schoolmaster.
The Responsibility of the Chair

Reflecting on the challenges of leadership, Jang shared:


"In moments where I didn't have the answer myself, everyone was still looking to me for guidance. There were times I had to hide the fact that I didn't know and just give a definitive answer. I truly felt the weight of being the one responsible for everything."

While he admits he enjoys directing more than screenwriting, Jang remains open to future projects that move him. "I want to make films with 'humanism' at their core," he said. "The fact that we are nearing the release date is both humbling and moving."

‘Nuruk’ is scheduled for an exclusive release at Megabox on April 15.