"The Old Woman with the Knife" Lee Hae-young revealed significant reflections and realizations while working with director Min Kyu-dong.
On the afternoon of the 28th, an interview with the star of the film "The Old Woman with the Knife," Lee Hae-young, took place at a cafe located in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno, Seoul.
"The Old Woman with the Knife" (directed by Min Kyu-dong, produced by Supafilms, distributed by NEW) is an action drama depicting the intense confrontation between the legendary killer JoGak (played by Lee Hae-young), who has worked in an organization dealing with human pests for over 40 years, and the mysterious killer Tuwoo (played by Kim Sung-cheol), who has spent his life chasing JoGak. It is Min Kyu-dong's return to directing after four years, crossing various genres such as "Her Story," "All About My Wife," and "High School Horror Stories: The Second Tale." The film received global attention after its world premiere at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival, and it attracted attention with news of official invitations to the Brussels Fantastic Film Festival and the Beijing International Film Festival.
Lee Hae-young plays the legendary killer JoGak, Kim Sung-cheol plays the mysterious newcomer killer Tuwoo, Shin Si A plays the childhood friend of JoGak, Kim Mu-yeol plays JoGak's mentor Ryu, Yeon Woo-jin plays the director of the animal hospital who forms a bond with JoGak, Kim Gang-woo plays the head of the pest control agency who 'catches pests and saves the sick,' and Ok Ja-yeon plays the worker of the pest control agency Choe Yeop.
Lee Hae-young, who debuted in the musical "The Sound of Music" in 1981, has been active as an actress for over 44 years and is regarded as one of the legendary actresses. Amid the lack of women's narrative works in the Korean film industry, "The Old Woman with the Knife" is drawing attention for featuring a woman killer in her 60s as the protagonist.
She sustained an injury during filming, stating, "The first shoot was in Itaewon, and while filming there, I broke a rib. When the rib came out, I suddenly couldn't breathe. I was just lying on the sofa. The Itaewon shoot was scheduled for a total of 2 nights and 3 days, and it had to be completed within that timeframe. I kept filming in that condition, and eventually, one more rib came out."
She continued, "At that moment, I thought, 'What if I damage my body and the film doesn't turn out well?' There were feelings of anxiety. As loneliness set in, I had those thoughts, and I kept getting injured. No matter how careful I was, I injured my ankle and wrist, constantly visiting the orthopedic clinic. Every time I filmed a scene, I would end up at the hospital. (laughs) After I started getting injured, I wrapped bandages around my body, but I also had to put protective gear on top of that. There were too many elements that hindered my immersion in acting."
Although it was physically and mentally challenging, she learned a lot and received significant help from director Min Kyu-dong. Lee Hae-young said, "In the past, when doing TV dramas, I felt like all the directors were accommodating to me. Even when everything was set up on set with cameras and lights, if I changed direction, the directors would all accommodate. They even adjusted the camera when I said, 'You know, the senior is looking over there.' But that was not the case with director Min Kyu-dong. He would say, 'Did you not read the script before coming out? Our staff of 100 is here prepared based on agreements. You can't do it this way, senior.' I'd been going out while not looking at the script, adjusting based on my condition, but this time with director Min, I saw a completely different world," revealing the changes made in her 40-year acting career.
Meanwhile, "The Old Woman with the Knife" is set to be released on the 30th.
[Photo] NEW, Supafilms provided
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