"I think it's menopause," Yoo Hae-jin, the meaning behind his tears... 'Assassins' to tackle Chuseok [★FULL Interview]

*This content was translated by AI.

The audience cried with him at his awards and laughed with him at the box office success. While grateful for such enthusiastic support, Yoo Hae-jin remains nervous about his next project. However, this year is undoubtedly 'Yoo Hae-jin's Year'.

At the beginning of the year, he achieved another box office hit with 'The Man Who Lives with the King', which drew 16.9 million viewers, bringing his total to five films that each surpassed 10 million admissions. With the Grand Prize at the Baeksang Arts Awards also in hand, he is spending a meaningful year as an actor.

However, even amidst continuous congratulations, he honestly expressed concerns about his upcoming projects. Yoo Hae-jin said, "I received many congratulatory messages when I won the award, and I was constantly praised when 'The Man Who Lives with the King' attracted large audiences. There is a burden that people might say similar things through 'Assassins' as well."

In particular, he revealed unique feelings about the outpouring of congratulations during his win at the 62nd Baeksang Arts Awards Grand Prize.

Yoo Hae-jin recalled, "I was grateful that people seemed to enjoy my winning more than anything else. I even checked YouTube comments and was amazed. It felt like they were celebrating with me as if we had walked this path together."

He continued, "There were some evaluations that my acceptance speech was a bit rough, but what of it?" he laughed, then added, "On the contrary, many viewers told me they cried while watching me receive the award. I thought, 'Are they really celebrating this much?'"

He also suggested that these reactions stemmed from the public having watched him over his long career. Yoo Hae-jin said, "I think there's a sense of shared time. Because people know my past, they likely watched me with the understanding that it wasn't easy to get here. That's why I felt even more grateful." As he spoke, tears welled in his eyes. He added with a smile, "I think I'm going through menopause."

Just as Yoo Hae-jin heated up the theaters during the Lunar New Year with 'The Man Who Lives with the King', he will meet audiences again this Chuseok holiday with 'Assassins'.

'Assassins' is a story that investigates the suspicions and masterminds surrounding the First Lady assassination incident that shocked South Korea on August 15, 1974. Yoo Hae-jin plays Detective Cheol-gu from the Central District Police Station, who witnesses the circumstances Hyeon Jang-ui (수상) of the First Lady's assassination and uses his sharp intuition to pursue the truth, driving the narrative forward.

As a work based on an actual incident, he had significant doubts before deciding to participate. Recalling when he was first offered the project, Yoo Hae-jin said, "I felt a burden thinking, 'This incident?' I naturally approached it cautiously."

He continued, "After reading the script, I believe I discussed with the director and production team specifically which parts I found enjoyable and which parts made me feel cautious."

In particular, he frankly admitted that if the original draft had been used as-is, he would have found it difficult to participate. Yoo Hae-jin explained, "If they had insisted on using the script exactly as first given to me, I probably wouldn't have been able to do it. We exchanged many opinions, and the production team accepted many of my concerns about what needed caution."

As the work underwent multiple revisions, his perspective on the project also changed. He said, "Through numerous revisions, the story moved toward a more open direction rather than making direct assertions about anything. Since the incident itself is something everyone knows, I thought we could proceed with this level of approach and decided to participate."

Given that it deals with a real event, he must have felt significant responsibility as an actor. However, Yoo Hae-jin did not limit this weight solely to this particular work.

He stated, "It's the same for any project. Ultimately, I view it as one work and move within that work according to the character." He added, "However, how to express such strong emotions was a challenge left to the actor."

Regarding the film's strengths, he said, "I think 'Assassins' had excellent density in its characters. The process of approaching the incident from each character's position and working together to solve the puzzle by determining what is true was wonderful. That process had density and felt enjoyable," expressing his affection for the work.

Yoo Hae-jin mentioned that after watching the completed film, he was once again surprised by Director Hur Jin-ho's direction. He said, "I first thought of the director's earlier soft films, but this time it wasn't in that style. I knew cinematographer Imo-gae would be there and offer much help, but I was curious about how the director would handle this rhythm."

He continued, "While watching the film, I was surprised by the pace and density continuing through the middle section. In fact, there were even questions on set like, 'Can this really be made this way?' Even when filming action scenes, there was a leisurely quality as if shooting emotional moments. I also thought, 'Shouldn't such scenes be shot quickly?'" he recalled.

He then added, "Looking back now, I think the director was touching each detail meticulously. Seeing the completed result, I was extremely surprised," expressing his satisfaction.

Now Yoo Hae-jin waits once again for audience choice with 'Assassins'. Although he achieved consecutive successes in both box office and awards this year, he still felt shy about the praise directed at him. While saying, "Praise always makes me embarrassed," he also smiled, adding, "But I think there are parts where I can tell myself, 'You've worked hard.' I'd even like to give myself a gift."

At the same time, as good results accumulated, he felt his responsibility as an actor grew even greater. Mentioning his next project 'Modup', Yoo Hae-jin revealed, "After watching this film, I thought, 'This is not an easy movie; I need to work harder.'"

He continued, "I also feel that people are watching. If I make a mistake in my acting once, the backlash could be even greater, right? That's why I think I need to be more serious," he added.

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*This content was translated by AI.