Actor Lee Ha-nui confessed the story of asking her husband's permission to join "Upstairs People."
On the afternoon of the 1st, an interview with actor Lee Ha-nui for the film "Upstairs People" (director Ha Jung-woo, distributed/provided by Byfoem Studio, produced by C-JeS·Walkhouse Company) was held at a café in Sogyeok-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul.
The film 'Upstairs People' depicts unpredictable conversations that occur when two couples, entangled by nightly 'sex-different' floor noise, share a meal together for one night, and Lee Ha-nui plays the upstairs wife Choi Soo-kyung, who wants to share a 'sex-different' experience.
That day Lee Ha-nui recalled how she was first offered "Upstairs People," saying, "Actor Gong Hyo-jin first gave me the script." She said, "Hyo-jin unni said, 'I think you might be good for this, could you take a look?' But at that time I was too tied up. After 'The Blood of Night' I had 'Aema' scheduled, I wanted to rest but I was joining 'The Fiery Priest 2.' Then I got pregnant and gave birth, so it was really" as she referred to the complicated situation at the time.
She said, "I felt so sorry to actor Hyo-jin but I wanted to be with my family. I asked for just two weeks, and when I said I would join, senior Ha Jung-woo criticized me," adding, "Normally they would say rest for about two weeks and come back, but I was just criticized. I was so embarrassed I asked, 'Isn't two weeks okay? Isn't a week and a half okay?' and then it became 'next-.' But time with family is also very important, so I gave up the idea."
Lee Ha-nui said she still had lingering feelings. She said, "As serious talks went back and forth, I wanted to do it more. I regretted it and felt like I could do it well if given the chance, so I truly apologized to my husband and asked for an excuse just once. The job of an actor seems to require a lot of family support. It's less about differences between men and women and more like differences between being a mother and a father. After having a child, that absence makes me feel very sorry toward my family," confessing her regret to her family.
When asked whether she had asked director Ha Jung-woo why he criticized her, she said, "I asked if it was necessary to criticize me that much, and he said his own drama was at stake and the production had circumstances that required that exact timing," adding, "He seemed to feel this was very precious. It seemed he was testing whether an actor would commit to this work or not. If he thought someone wouldn't dive in, he thought they were being tested."
So how did her husband react after seeing the film? Lee Ha-nui said, "We watched the original together. He is not the type to show or talk about feelings openly. But after attending the preview he said it was more fun than he expected. I don't know what he thought exactly, but he must have found the original entertaining too," she said.
Meanwhile, the film "Upstairs People" opens on Dec. 3.
[Photo] Byfoem Studio
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