"No Other Choice" Son Ye-jin said that as an actress she still desires the melodrama genre.
On the morning of the 23rd at a cafe in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, an interview was held with Son Ye-jin, the lead actress of the film "No Other Choice."
"No Other Choice" (director Park Chan-wook, distributed by CJ ENM, produced by Moho Film·CJ ENM Studios) tells the story of Mansu (Lee Byung-hun), an office worker who had felt his life was so satisfying that he felt he had "achieved everything," suddenly being fired, and preparing his own war toward reemployment to protect his wife Miri (Son Ye-jin) and their two children and to keep the hard-earned home. Based on the original novel X by American novelist Donald Westlake, it is a remake of Costa-Gavras' film Axe, a dangerous guide to employment. It was invited to the competition section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival, selected as the opening film of the 30th Busan International Film Festival, and has been officially invited to the 50th Toronto International Film Festival and the 63rd New York Film Festival, drawing global attention.
Park Chan-wook's new work and Lee Byung-hun's passionate performance are drawing attention, but the fact that it is Son Ye-jin's comeback film is also a hot topic. Son Ye-jin married actor Hyun Bin, who is the same age, in 2022 and gave birth to a son in November of the same year. This is her first new work in three years, and she is returning to the screen for the first time in seven years since "The Negotiation."
She said she cannot forget the first day she went to work for filming leaving her son behind, "The moment I left with that feeling, I thought 'I'm free,' but at the same time I felt anxious. I felt like I was indispensable. But the moment I went outside I thought 'This is it!' I thought this is how I worked, and even the travel time in the car was happy. (Laughs) I traveled three hours by car and felt like I could rest," adding, "If the previous work was really work, now returning to the set and working again felt refreshing. I could enjoy the film set and enjoy acting. I think I was very happy. The moments of acting were difficult, but matching with the director and worrying together was something I hadn't done in a long time and I was grateful and felt a big heart."
Son Ye-jin said she did not particularly think of herself as having a career gap, "I didn't think that because I got married and gave birth I couldn't work at all. Still, when you say melodrama actress, it's true there's worry and anxiety about how much audiences can immerse themselves. It's also true there are roles you can do as you get older," adding, "These days it's really different from before, and everyone is doing well. Not only that, but I feel that because I have more experience and age, deeper roles and real mother roles are rather more open to me."
She continued, "There may be less hesitation and fewer worries. So I think of it as the start of another direction, and there are worries about that, but you could do something like Kim Hee-ae's 'Secret Love Affair,'" adding with a laugh, "My thoughts on melodrama remain the same. Whether male or female actors, getting older doesn't mean you don't want to tell love stories."
Meanwhile, "No Other Choice" opens on the 24th.
[Photo] Provided by MSTEAM Entertainment
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