Actress Son Ye-jin, who experienced marriage and childbirth, could not stop laughing in response to senior Lee Byung-hun's surprise disclosure.
On the morning of the 19th, a production briefing for the movie "No Other Choice" was held at CGV Yongsan I-Park Mall in Seoul. Attending the event were director Park Chan-wook, lead actors Lee Byung-hun, Son Ye-jin, Park Hee-soon, Lee Sung-min, Yim Hye-ran, and Cha Seung-won.
"No Other Choice" (directed by Park Chan-wook, provided and distributed by CJ ENM, produced by Moho Film and CJ ENM Studios) tells the story of a company employee, Mansu (played by Lee Byung-hun), who, feeling that he has "achieved everything" in life, suddenly gets fired. In his struggle to protect his wife, Miri (played by Son Ye-jin), and their two children, and to keep the home he has worked hard to secure, he prepares for his own battle towards reemployment. Based on the original novel "X" by American novelist Donald Westlake, it is a remake of Costa-Gavras's film "Ax: A Dangerous Guide to Employment." It has been selected as a contender for the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and the opening film for the 30th Busan International Film Festival, gaining global attention as an official selection for the 50th Toronto International Film Festival and the 63rd New York Film Festival.
Master director Park Chan-wook, who received three unofficial awards, including the Young Lion Award, for the last film in his revenge trilogy "Lady Vengeance" (2005), has been invited to the Venice Competition for the first time in 20 years. It is the first invitation for a Korean film in 13 years.
While director Park Chan-wook's new work and Lee Byung-hun's passionate performance are attracting attention, the fact that it is "Son Ye-jin's comeback project" is also a topic of discussion. Son Ye-jin married fellow actor Hyun-bin in 2022 and gave birth to a son in November of the same year. This new project marks her return to the screen after three years since "Negotiation," and seven years since her last film.
Son Ye-jin said, "I greet you with a film after a long time. It is an honor to greet you with a work directed by director Park Chan-wook. I feel so good and excited to be working with actors I admire and seniors I respect who I have been inspired by while watching their works." She also expressed her curiosity about how audiences would receive the film, stating, "The film will be released soon, and I am curious about how everyone will see it. I hope you look forward to it because it is a really good movie."
In the film, Son Ye-jin plays the role of Miri, the wife who offers comfort rather than criticism following her husband Mansu's unemployment, being the anchor of the family. She portrays a rational character who doesn't easily waver in any situation, who, despite diving into the workforce after suddenly facing financial difficulties and sacrificing her hobbies, encourages family members with a positive attitude. She is expected to add rich humor to the film by showcasing a realistic couple's performance with Lee Byung-hun, with whom she shares her first on-screen chemistry.
Opting for "No Other Choice" as her comeback project, Son Ye-jin explained, "The biggest reason was that I wanted to work with director Park Chan-wook, and since senior Byung-hun was cast, I thought, 'If I don't do this project, I will regret it.' It had such a strong narrative. After finishing the book, I thought, 'Is it right for me to do this?' but then I felt, 'I think I have to do it,' so I chose it," expressing her deep trust in Park Chan-wook.
As a mother of two children, Son Ye-jin said, "Since this is my first project after having a child, if this helped in any way, I think it did. Before giving birth, I had played many roles as a mom and a divorced woman, but I realized 'this is different! What I've actually experienced cannot be compared to anything else.'" She added, "My appearance with the child felt natural. The maternal instinct of a mother also occupies an important part. I want to take responsibility for my family and play the role of a warm mother, which is a positive motherly role. It was easy to immerse myself in that aspect."
During this time, Lee Byung-hun and director Park Chan-wook had a separate conversation, and Son Ye-jin humorously remarked, "Why are you talking about something else while I am talking?" Lee Byung-hun responded, "The way I saw it on set was different. Our children, child actors Si-won and Ri-won appear. One of the little kids kept asking questions during the shoot. I kept answering the questions, and when it came time for my next performance, I sometimes couldn't keep track of what emotion I was supposed to portray," sharing his struggles.
He continued, "But Ye-jin never answered once. (laughs) There were times when I said, 'Ye-jin, you should answer the questions too.' She would say, 'That's something you should handle, senior~.' She insisted that she needed to focus on her emotional immersion. Seeing that and talking about it today made me realize that she must have felt that way in her heart," exposing their interactions to laughter.
Feeling unfair, Son Ye-jin stated, "The girl playing my daughter was very curious and kept asking us questions. During rehearsals, she asked things up until just before the shot. There were lines, and I had to pay attention to the director's detailed direction emotionally," she confessed. Lee Byung-hun chimed in, "I had things to focus on too," and Son Ye-jin clarified, "You didn't have many lines, senior. I was holding the steering wheel and had to remember my lines mentally," which elicited smiles.
Son Ye-jin, who worked with Lee Byung-hun for the first time, said, "The chemistry with the senior was very good. It felt like it ended too quickly, which was a bit disappointing." Lee Byung-hun remarked, "I only watched Ye-jin's works before, and this was the first time we worked together, but I felt much deeper emotions than I imagined. I imagined that Miri would act this way, but she went beyond that with detailed performances. That's why I probably didn't answer the child actor Ri-won. She really immersed herself well," he joked, eliciting laughter.
Son Ye-jin was modest about her performance. She said, "I felt a bit like a rookie. I was really curious about working with the director, and I wanted to see how senior Byung-hun would act. I was curious about how senior Byung-hun would perform. In fact, the role of Miri didn't come with a large expectation of what I should show. The breadth of the character Mansu is wide and occupies a lot, so I just came in slightly, at an ant level. Just that was such a big help to me and was enjoyable. I hope that while working on this project, you can see at least a glimpse of my new possibilities, and that's my great satisfaction. I filmed with so much happiness," she shared.
In response, director Park Chan-wook said, "That's a lie," adding, "Ye-jin has already seen the finished film, saying it's a small role is a lie. She is a character who dominates the latter part of the movie. I have been a fan since 'The Classic,' when she was a lovable character. This time, she becomes an increasingly resolute, strict, and even frightening mature character," raising expectations.
Meanwhile, the highly anticipated movie "No Other Choice" will be released in September.
[Photo] Reporter Min Kyung-hoon
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