MOVIE
Park Hee-soon Shares Wife Park Ye-jin's Reaction to His Role in 'Hopeless'
In a recent interview at a café in Seoul's Sogyeok-dong, actor Park Hee-soon discussed his experience working on the movie 'Hopeless'.
'Hopeless' tells the story of Mansu, played by Lee Byung-hun, who, after being abruptly laid off from a paper company where he worked for 25 years, makes the drastic decision to eliminate his competitors in his quest for reemployment. Park Hee-soon plays the role of Choi Seon-chul, a successful team leader at the paper company.
Reflecting on his experience, Park Hee-soon said, "On set, I was busy 'completing missions'. It was a challenging environment where if I wasn't thoroughly prepared, it was easy to feel overwhelmed. I had to perform my prepared acting while accommodating everything else." Despite the challenges, he expressed satisfaction, saying, "The thrill of accomplishing difficult tasks is unimaginable. Although physically exhausting, the joy of succeeding was immense. Working under Director Park Chan-wook's guidance was a happiness in itself."
When asked if he ever wondered why he wasn't cast sooner, he humorously replied, "The director addressed that himself," bringing laughter. He added, "When the offer came, I immediately said, 'I'll do it.' It was a pre-decision. Even though my role wasn't large, I was thrilled to be part of the project. I contacted them right away to confirm my participation."
Regarding his wife Park Ye-jin's reaction to his role in 'Hopeless', Park Hee-soon shared, "With so many stellar actors involved, I was worried about not being a burden. After the technical screening, I wasn't satisfied and felt down. When I got home, feeling dejected, she reassured me, saying, 'Just working with Director Park Chan-wook, whom you admired so much, is enough.' However, after watching the film, she told me to 'stop whining'," he said with a laugh.
By Kim Ji-won, TenAsia Reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr
