The Old Woman with the Knife Lee Hye-young mentioned her working style with director Hong Sang-soo and her impressions of him.

On the afternoon of the 28th, an interview with Lee Hye-young, the lead actress of the film 'The Old Woman with the Knife', was held at a café located in Sukyo-dong, Jongno District, Seoul.

'The Old Woman with the Knife' is an action drama that depicts the intense confrontation between a legendary killer, Jo-gak (played by Lee Hye-young), who has been active for over 40 years in an organization dealing with cockroach-like humans, and a mysterious killer, Tu-woo (played by Kim Sung-cheol), who has chased him all his life. This is director Min Kyu-dong’s return to directing after four years, transcending various genres such as 'Herstory', 'All About My Wife', and 'The Second Story of the High School Horror Tales'. It garnered global attention with its world premiere screening at the 75th Berlin International Film Festival and has also been officially invited to the Brussels International Fantastic Film Festival and the Beijing International Film Festival.

Lee Hye-young plays the legendary killer Jo-gak, Kim Sung-cheol plays the mysterious rookie killer Tu-woo, Shin Si A plays Jo-gak's childhood friend, Kim Mu-yeol plays Jo-gak's mentor Ryu, Yeon Woo-jin plays the animal hospital director who bonds with Jo-gak, Kim Kang-woo plays the head of the 'shrine that captures bugs and saves the sick', and Ok Ja-yeon plays the staff member, Cho-yeop, of the shrine.

Lee Hye-young, who made her debut in 1981 with the musical 'The Sound of Music', has been active as an actress for over 44 years and is considered one of the legendary actresses. In a Korean film industry with few works featuring female narratives, 'The Old Woman with the Knife' stands out by featuring a female killer in her 60s.

Lee Hye-young has worked with director Hong Sang-soo since 'In Front of Your Face' in 2021, including 'The Novelist's Film', 'The Need for a Traveler', and 'Top'.

"What does director Hong Sang-soo mean?" she said. "Before that, I had no connection with any works, but it was through 'In Front of Your Face' that I first met director Hong. The freedom and happiness I felt at that time were unparalleled. It's one with your face in front of me. Everything director Hong did was art. Before that, I didn't know anything, and I started looking into things from the day I decided to work with the director," she confessed, eliciting laughter. "I honestly thought while doing the dishes, 'What kind of weird and boring movie is this? What about that movie?' That was 'Discovery of Life'. (laughs) I really didn't want to do it at all."

She continued, "Originally, I like works that have special events and situations unfolding, so I didn't understand why something without any events should be made into a movie." She added, "Still, the reason I wanted to meet director Hong was not so much because I liked the movies but because there was a connection between my father and director Hong's mother. I had heard for a long time that I was 'the son of a great man,'" explaining that her father, filmmaker Lee Man-hee, had worked with Hong Sang-soo's mother.

Lee Hye-young stated, "Director Hong Sang-soo said he was 'a glamorous, well-educated gentleman.' I was somewhat hesitant about that, but my feelings changed afterward. From the moment he was born to what he has, he is someone so enviable. He constantly wins awards overseas for films. Usually, such artists have unhappy homes, but he had nothing missing. Anyway, despite that, for some reason, compassion started to arise, and I felt, 'I hope he's okay.' I felt like he had collapsed as an artistic director," sharing her thoughts.

He said, "I was thinking about that when one day I got a call from director Hong Sang-soo. I wanted to have a drink with him. Strangely, it felt like an old friend. So I met him, and we ended up making a film together," adding, "Director Hong doesn't have a script or explain anything; the moment you meet him is the art of the shooting process itself. That can’t be replicated or recorded. The experience was good, and that experience led to the work. But the second time we met, it felt suffocating, and I wondered, 'Who is this person?' Nevertheless, when I watch the film, I think, 'Of course.' Again, the third time I think, 'What was I thinking?' but when I watch the film, I think, 'It’s still good.'"

Meanwhile, 'The Old Woman with the Knife' is set to be released on the 30th.

[Photo] NEW, Supfilm provided

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