(Following interview ①) Actor Park Hee-soon of the film No Other Choice expressed gratitude to his wife Park Ye-jin, who quietly supports him.
Park Hee-soon conducted an interview at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 25th. At the meeting with domestic reporters, he spoke about the film No Other Choice (director Park Chan-wook), which was released on the 24th.
No Other Choice tells the story of Mansu (Lee Byung-hun), a salaried worker who felt his life was so fulfilled that he had "completed everything," who is abruptly fired and then prepares his own war for reemployment to protect his wife and two children and to keep the home he worked hard to secure. It is Park Chan-wook's new film and, with encounters between top actors such as Lee Byung-hun and Son Ye-jin, is regarded as one of the most anticipated films of the second half of the year.
Meanwhile, Park Hee-soon delivered a strong performance as Choi Seon-chul, a rival for reemployment against Mansu. Unlike Mansu, who has a harmonious family, Seon-chul is ignored by his wife and so soothes his loneliness with his favorite whiskey and hobbies at a rural mountain lodge.
In real life, Park Hee-soon, who has a happy family with fellow actor Park Ye-jin, drew a line with a laugh, saying, "My wife and I are different from Seon-chul. We are not like that." He laughed, "Unlike Seon-chul, I don't have hobbies. So I just stay at home. If the other person wants to go somewhere, I go, but I don't suggest going anywhere."
Park Ye-jin had been offering her own support, even praying, for Park Hee-soon, for whom appearing in a Park Chan-wook film had long been a wish. Park Hee-soon confessed, "My wife said she enjoyed it so much. Honestly, I worried a lot about appearing in No Other Choice. The other actors were so good. I worried a lot that I might be a weak link. My wife worried with me, but after watching the film she told me to 'stop whining' and said she enjoyed it so much. It became a great source of support."
He said, "Rather than coveting the role, she congratulated me for experiencing Park Chan-wook's cinematic world. I was very curious about what kind of work someone recognized not only in Korea but also worldwide does, what their thoughts are and what their style is. Because many people wanted to try even small things, I was very happy just to participate. She came to the VIP screening and said, 'This is good.'"
Park Hee-soon further emphasized his sense of responsibility as a husband and family head. Asked how he would respond if faced with a crisis of unemployment like Mansu in the film, he said, "If I were fired, I'd be similar to Gosijo (Cha Seung-won). I would work hard. If not an actor, wouldn't I have to run to Coupang? Many actors actually do that when they don't have projects. Everyone else does it; why couldn't I?"
He added, "When I was young, I thought there was nothing I could do except theater. I wanted to succeed as an actor and keep doing theater. When I imagined quitting, I couldn't think of anything else. Now I have a family and dependents to support, so even though I'm older, I can't ignore them just because I can't do what I want. My sense of responsibility has grown that much. I have to do whatever it takes."
(Continued in interview ③.)
[Photo] Provided by CJ ENM.
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