Actor Lee Ha-nui spoke about her impressions of challenging an R-rated performance using language through "The People Upstairs."
On the afternoon of the 1st, an interview with actor Lee Ha-nui for the film "The People Upstairs" (director Ha Jung-woo, distributor/provider BYPOME Studio, production Sidus·Walkhouse Company) was held at a cafe in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
The film "The People Upstairs" depicts unpredictable conversations that unfold when two couples tied together by nightly "sex-related" noise share a meal for one night, and Lee Ha-nui plays Choi Soo-kyung, the upstairs wife who wants to share sex-related experiences.
On the day, Lee Ha-nui, speaking about her feelings ahead of the release, said, "I am very excited and nervous. This was truly a collaborative effort we made together, so I especially hope it does well. We planned and created parts together, so I hope many people will see it. I hope it will be a work that helps Korean cinema regain strength. I have a lot on my mind."
"The People Upstairs" presents a risqué verbal comedy without nudity, mentioning many words that are usually difficult to use. Regarding this, Lee Ha-nui said, "Actually, I am a very conservative Confucian girl, so some of these lines contained words I could hardly understand—an array of unfamiliar words I had never seen before. My first concern was how I could fully digest and deliver them. Because I didn't know the words well, it felt not like R-rated but like 39-rated."
In particular, Lee Ha-nui described the character Soo-kyung she played by saying, "I understood the character Soo-kyung as a real person but a somewhat fantastical character. Because Soo-kyung and Mr. Kim tell stories that have no beginning or end."
She continued, "So I also thought, 'Aren't Soo-kyung and Mr. Kim perverted angels?' I thought maybe they look down from above, decide we need something, and bring the strongest thing as angels.' She added, "The downstairs residents Hyun-soo and Jeong-a would be relatable people in reality, and we eliminate them with the most shocking method. Soo-kyung casually throws those things out to provoke them, which I thought was both fresh and very fantastical."
When asked how she looked up words she didn't understand while acting, Lee Ha-nui said, "I searched on my own. But we discussed those topics a lot. The assistant director did a lot of searching and met those kinds of people, and provided that information. They told us how those people arrange meetings, how they match, what the atmosphere is like, and so on. If those free sexual people directly gave many interviews about their characteristics or tips, I indirectly listened to that and asked questions."
Meanwhile, Lee Ha-nui previously met viewers through the Netflix series Aema. The film "The People Upstairs" opens on Dec. 3.
[Photo] BYPOME Studio
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