A Top Korean Actor Regrets Rejecting A Role In The Oscar-Winning Film “Parasite”
A top Korean actor, who has been in many notable films and K-Dramas, mentioned the movies he regrets declining to appear in.
On April 19, actor Lee Byung Hun attended a conference at Stanford University called “The Future of Hallyu: Korean Cinema on the Global Stage.”
Lee Byung Hun is famous for his roles in movies and K-Dramas such as Joint Security Area, Iris, I Saw the Devil, and Mr. Sunshine.
During the conference, the actor was asked if he had ever regretted turning down a role. He responded that he regretted declining three famous movies: Parasite, Oldboy, and Decision to Leave.
Parasite was a 2019 film directed by Bong Joon Ho that made history by being the first to win both the “Best International Feature Film” and “Best Picture Oscar.”
The 2003 film Oldboy won the “Grand Prix” at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival and it is often referred to as one of the best films of all time.
Decision to Leave is a more recent movie from April 2022 that was critically acclaimed and selected to compete for the 2022 Cannes Film Festival, where the director Park Chan Wook won “Best Director.”
Lee Byung Hun clarified why he wasn’t able to accept these films that became huge successes.
It was because I was already busy with other works at the time.
— Lee Byung Hun
He also explained his criteria for choosing works to act in, emphasizing the “feeling” of the production.
The feeling is important. If I feel that my emotions are excited when reading the script for the first time, I follow that instinct.
— Lee Byung Hun
He also said that he does not distinguish between movies and dramas and believes that the development of the streaming market is a great opportunity for Korean actors.
Meanwhile, Lee Byung Hun is preparing for the release of the movie Concrete Utopia,” starring Park Seo Joon and Park Bo Young, and set to be released later this year.
