'Paradise Lost' Kim Hyeon-ju, Fourth Collaboration with Director Yeon Sang-ho: "Please See My Other Side" [Interview ②]

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Actress Kim Hyeon-ju expressed deep trust and affection for director Yeon Sang-ho, with whom she has collaborated for the fourth time.

On the 16th, at a cafe on Samcheong-ro in Seoul Jongno-gu, we met with actress Kim Hyeon-ju, who starred in the film 'Paradise Lost' (directed by Yeon Sang-ho), and discussed various aspects of the work.

'Paradise Lost' is a psychological thriller that begins when Ryu So-young (played by Kim Hyeon-ju), a mother who lost her son nine years ago in a camping school bus disappearance incident, is miraculously reunited with her son, Ryu Sun-woo (played by Bae Hyun-sung), whom she had believed to be dead.

Following the Netflix series 'Hell' (2021), the film 'Jeong-i' (2023), and the series 'Sun-san' (2024), Kim Hyeon-ju has collaborated with director Yeon Sang-ho for the fourth time on 'Paradise Lost.' The two, who have maintained a connection through several works, meet again as actress and director to present a new story.

On this day, regarding why she continues to work with director Yeon Sang-ho, Kim Hyeon-ju stated, "He is very cheerful on set. It might get boring if it were just light jokes, but the director is a very intelligent person, so talking to him is fun in itself."

She added, "I can feel that he trusts me as an actress. But I think it's even more impressive that he doesn't necessarily show it," revealing her trust in director Yeon Sang-ho.

In particular, Kim Hyeon-ju emphasized that director Yeon Sang-ho is someone who enables new challenges for her as an actress. She said, "The director sees different sides of me and opens new chapters for me as an actress. That's why I keep choosing to work with him."

She continued, "I enjoyed our previous collaborations, and giving actors opportunities for new challenges is truly a good thing," explaining, "In fact, I am someone who likes stability, so I am not the type who enjoys challenging myself. But the director has a way of guiding and pulling me in that direction."

Kim Hyeon-ju also responded positively to the possibility of future collaborations with director Yeon Sang-ho. She stated, "If he proposes characters I haven't thought of before, I have no reason to refuse," heightening anticipation for their next meeting.

'Paradise Lost' was officially invited to the Special Presentation section of the 51st Toronto International Film Festival held last September, where it had its world premiere.

Regarding her impressions of attending an overseas film festival for the first time, Kim Hyeon-ju said, "Everything was new. It would have been burdensome if I had gone alone, but I felt at ease because I was with a director who has extensive experience at overseas film festivals."

She added, "I thought the sensibility of the work is very Korean. I was curious about how overseas audiences would receive this emotion, and I worried that they might feel the emotions were excessive."

However, the local reaction was different from what she had expected. Kim Hyeon-ju shared her impressions of the overseas audience's response, saying, "I was surprised because there were many reviews praising the restrained acting."

In particular, Kim Hyeon-ju revealed that she truly felt director Yeon Sang-ho's global recognition at the overseas film festival. She laughed and said, "When I actually went abroad, I came to know the reputation of director Yeon Sang-ho."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original