"No Other Choice" Lee Byung-hun laughed, saying "I let it be" about his wife Lee Min-jung's SNS comments that range from sniping to wit.
On the afternoon of the 24th, an interview with the film No Other Choice's lead actor Lee Byung-hun was held at a cafe in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
No Other Choice (director Park Chan-wook, distributor CJ ENM, production Moho Film·CJ ENM Studios) tells the story of office worker Mansu (played by Lee Byung-hun), who felt as if he had "achieved everything" and was satisfied with life, but is suddenly laid off, and prepares his own war for reemployment to protect his wife Miri (played by Son Ye-jin), their two children and the home they struggled to buy. Based on the novel X by American novelist Donald Westlake, it is a remake of Costa-Gavras' film Ax: A Risky Guide to Employment.
Earlier, it was selected for the competition section of the 82nd Venice International Film Festival and as the opening film of the 30th Busan International Film Festival, and it has been officially invited to the 50th Toronto International Film Festival and the 63rd New York Film Festival, among others, drawing global attention. In addition, it was selected as Korea's entry for the international feature film category at the 2026 Academy Awards, and attention is focused on whether it will make the final shortlist.
This year Lee Byung-hun received worldwide affection for his intense performances and voice acting, including No Other Choice, the Netflix series Squid Game seasons 2 and 3, K-pop Demon Hunters, and the films Seungbu and The King of Kings.
When asked about his chemistry with Son Ye-jin, he said, "I wondered how we hadn't worked together yet. We hadn't done a project together, but we saw each other sometimes, and she is in the same agency as my wife and is a close friend. Because (Ye-jin) sometimes comes to our house, there was comfort between us as 'person to person,'" and added, "When we started the first shoot I immediately felt why people say Son Ye-jin, Son Ye-jin. She adjusted to everything director Park Chan-wook asked for and acted accordingly. Ye-jin said she had a meltdown at times, but she did very well. She put all her emotions into the lines, which was remarkable. Personally, I really liked Son Ye-jin's acting in the couple scenes," and he did not spare praise.
On his 30th anniversary since debut, luck and box office success have followed Lee Byung-hun as if the universe's energy had gathered. He said, "My son said, 'Kedheon dad did the voice recording,' and he liked that. But when he actually watched the film he asked, 'Who is dad?' I answered that because he's Demon King he has no fixed form, and at first he was excited, then he asked, 'Oh, is he a villain this time too?' Even when I said, 'He's really cool~' he didn't accept it. (Laughs) He wasn't very pleased. Because he's a villain, he can't exactly take my side or not, so it's an ambiguous position," he confessed, drawing laughter.
He said he watches his wife Lee Min-jung's YouTube a lot, and added, "I watch her YouTube more than her Instagram. My wife often leaves comments on my SNS posts that tease, snipe or are funny, and I used to pay attention to them, but now I just let it be," showing an enlightened expression that prompted laughter.
Meanwhile, No Other Choice was released on the 24th.
[Photo] Provided by BH Entertainment
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