'Intern' Choi Min-sik's Honest Burden: "I Won't Do Another Remake"[Interview ①]

*This content was translated by AI.

Actor Choi Min-sik opened up about his honest concerns regarding the remake of the film 'Intern'.

On the 7th, we met with actor Choi Min-sik at a café on Samcheong-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul, to discuss various topics related to the film 'Intern' (directed by Kim Do-young).

The film 'Intern' tells the story of an office life that transcends generations and ranks, beginning when Ki-ho (played by Choi Min-sik), a 37-year veteran silver intern, joins the company of Sun-woo (played by Han So-hee), who has rapidly emerged as a dark horse in the fashion industry just three years after its launch.

Choi Min-sik took on the role of Ki-ho, a 37-year veteran silver intern in the film. Ki-ho is a character who, after retirement, joins the startup 'Wututu' in the fashion industry as the youngest intern and embarks on his second career journey.

'Intern' is a remake of the Hollywood film of the same name, starring Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway, and directed by Nancy Meyers. The original work received praise upon its release in 2015 for its fresh premise of an intergenerational meeting between a 70-year-old intern and a 30-year-old CEO, as well as its warm emotional tone.

On this day, when asked about his feelings on taking on a remake project, Choi Min-sik smiled and said, "Honestly, I won't do another remake. Especially not one of such a famous work."

He added, "As an actor, you can only be compared. It's inevitable. Even I would feel the same way. It's a fate that comes with being constantly compared," and candidly admitted, "I even wondered why I did this for any kind of glory or wealth."

Nevertheless, when asked about his reason for ultimately choosing 'Intern', he said, "If you think like that, you simply shouldn't do it. But then I thought, 'What am I so afraid of?'"

He continued, "You might get compared, and good works are sometimes reinterpreted under the guise of remakes. In that sense, I decided to take it lightly. Rather than carrying a burden, I approached it with the mindset of forgetting the original as much as possible and crafting our own story."

Regarding evaluations that Choi Min-sik showed a new side in this work, he said, "This is just a taste. I can confidently say this is the beginning of what I will show in the future."

He further explained, "For me, it was a challenge in its own way. Deep down, I have a strong desire to express new genres and new characters. Since my previous works featured many provocative characters, having that image constantly overlap on an actor isn't always enjoyable."

He added, "It's not pleasant when old memes from past works keep following you instead of the new work being highlighted. However, I think that can also be seen as a form of interest."

He also noted, "I don't have an obsession with having to change every time. When acting out characters that fit the work, differentiation happens naturally. Even if I don't consciously decide to change, it will eventually happen." He then emphasized, "In that sense, this work holds special meaning for me."

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*This content was translated by AI.