Actors Hwang Jung-min and Hyun Bin said shooting for their upcoming movie “The Point Men” was challenging as the majority of scenes took place overseas in Jordan, where the scorching heat proved exhausting.

Although the movie is set in Afghanistan, based on the true event when 23 South Korean missionaries were captured as hostages in 2007, director Lim Soon-rye suffered various setbacks and chose Jordan after visiting the country three times.

“I focused on portraying the tension of the storyline and between characters so the location had to be right. We went filming in the desert under scorching sun, in slum areas where actual murders took place and even brought in an airplane to shoot,” Lim told reporters during the press conference held in Megabox Seongsu on Tuesday.

“But it all paid off when conveying the message we wanted the audience to think about, along with exotic scenery that did not need computer graphics,” said Lim.

Hwang Jung-min, who plays a diplomat Jung Jae-ho who risks his life to save Korean hostages abducted in the Middle East, said shooting the film during the pandemic was not easy.

“As filming took place during the pandemic, we had to look for suitable locations around the world. We could have done filming in local studios, but I know that director Lim tried to look for the most similar location to Afghanistan,” Hwang said.

Hyun Bin, who appears as National Intelligence Service agent Park Dae-sik and collaborates with Hwang to save hostages, said despite the extreme heat that even caused vehicle malfunctions when the engines overheated, he was fascinated by the film’s storyline and character.

“I was touched by the story that Dae-sik goes out to save the hostages. I was also enticed by the character, who is traumatized by having to let the hostages die in the past, overcome the reality to not make the same mistake again,” Hyun told reporters.

“Extraordinary Attorney Woo” actor Kang Ki-young, who plays a local interpreter and joins Hwang and Hyun to save hostages, said he still remembers the chemistry between the three actors during filming.

“Hwang made me think a lot as he was stubborn about making good scenes and enhancing it through his acting. Hyun played a great role in balancing out the vibe between actors and crew. Director Lim, I would just call her ‘Mother Theresa,’ for her role as a director on scene and also as a cook after shooting in Jordan,” said Kang.

The movie “The Point Men” opens in local theaters on Jan. 18.