Lee Byung-hun Breaks Down His Career, from 'Mr. Sunshine' to 'Squid Game' | Vanity Fair

When I was acting that scene, I tried to fill all those characters at one time. So it was very complicated, but at the same time, very unique. Hi, I'm Lee Byung-hun. This is the timeline of my career. Yeah, yeah, yeah. When I was 20 years old, my mom's friend asked me to do the audition for some broadcasting system. And I didn't ever thought about being an actor before, but I just tried it as a joke. And I didn't think this is gonna be my forever job. I just thought it could be just an experience, but I've been doing that for 35 years already. Before JSA, Director Park and I both had many box office flops. When my second movie flopped, I was at the theater seeing the third movie's test screening room. The assistant director asked me to come out because somebody is waiting for me. And there was a guy with the ponytail hair and weird looking jacket. And he said, he's Park Chan-ho. And he was waiting for me with the script. And I instantly thought, I'm not gonna work with him without reading the script. But yeah, I didn't participate in that project. And then after a few years, he sent me another, that was JSA. And the script was perfect. I was worried about, you know, he flopped two movies already and I flopped four movies already. And it was a perfect combination. But I still wanted to do it because the script was so fun. Soohyun is just a normal, healthy young man who represents all the young people in Korea. I really want to get closer to him when I'm in that situation. I want to be like a close friend and I want to be like a younger brother. But because of the external reality, I can't do that. I was really drawn to the tragic story of Kim Il-sung and Kim Jong-un. Korea is still the only divided country, and I think there is a certain issue Our side, your side. These things are still a big problem in such a society and era. So I think it's a topic that can be talked about at any time. Why didn't you call me? You're not that kind of guy, right? What the hell is the reason? A Bittersweet Life is an action noir film, but also very philosophical and artistic. It was my first time to work with director Kim Ji-hoon. This film led to my first invitation to the Cannes Film Festival. This is one of my favorite films and opened the door to Hollywood projects. Mingi, close the door. This film is a story that follows a person's psychology from beginning to end. That's why I felt a lot of pressure and responsibility while filming this film. I felt that I had to lead a story from beginning to end with my own strength. I think that's how I got that power through this film. The title is a spin on The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly by Sergio Leone and Clint Eastwood, which many people called Spaghetti Western. Because our film was a Korean film, people called it Kimchi Western. My father was a huge fan of Western film. Of course, I watched The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly maybe a few times with him. He first brought me to the theater when I was four years old. My father always explained about the actors and about the movies. That's how I fell in love with the theater, that space, and the movies. He was just a businessman, but I imagined his dream was one of the parts of the movie industry, I think. Almost all the actors perform their own horse riding and actions in the movie. in very rough conditions. When our master was killed, you took a vow of silence. Now you will die without a word. G.I. Joe was my first opportunity to work in Hollywood. At the time, I feel like I'm swimming in the middle of the sea without knowing the direction because I was the first Korean actor participating in Hollywood projects so there was no one to follow. Why defend yourself to man too blind to see? That is the hardened master's blood. But that is not my sword. It was so fun to work with John. He's got a lot of ideas and I also made some ideas and I tried to put some emotions on this character and he agreed with that. The original ending was different from what it is now. While filming, I had many discussions with director Kim Ji-hoon and we decided to change the ending. Many people really liked the ending because it looks as if I could be laughing but the emotion at the end wasn't satisfaction from revenge or finishing the job. It was a deep emptiness, a painful feeling of loss and despair. The emotion that Su-yeon feels is that she's done everything she wanted to do but she's not satisfied but feels more empty. What did I gain from this job? It was a feeling of emptiness. But I think I also had my own personal feelings. When I look back, my filming was almost at the end. So I think the feeling of emptiness was what I personally felt. What? Are you alone? Are you a cop? The film was so intense that at first it couldn't even get a rating, nearly stopping its release. After several edits, it was finally approved for adults only. The story is very depressing. While we were shooting, and even after a few months, director Kim Ji-won and I, both were depressed. We were influenced by that mood and emotions and the vibe. So it was a mentally very hard project. This movie combines history and fiction. It imagines what happened during the few days King Gwang-hae disappeared from the official records. I played a character impersonating the king. Masquerade became the most watched film of my career. Follow me. Is there no one? Didn't I tell you to follow me? You bastard! Is that all you can say? I only read about the king in the documents, so I had to imagine everything and create the characters. But basically, the king's attitude, walking, facial expressions, and gestures are all the characteristics of a king. Haseon is a character of a hooligan, but she's also a clown who can dance. So I imagined a lot of interesting gestures that allow her to move freely. Try this ridiculous thing. Can you shoot? I found out about Rad 2 while I was shooting G.I. Joe in New Orleans. One day, I heard somebody knocked on my trailer. So I opened the door, and Bruce was standing there, and he was bowing like Korean way. And I was so surprised by that. Every day in the morning, he came to my trailer and say hi like Korean way. Anyways, we became very good friends. I had a really good relationship with Bruce Willis, and I really appreciate him. In the film, there's a picture of Han and his father. While shooting, Dean Paris asked me for a picture of me and my dad to use in the film. My dad was a huge fan of Hollywood films, and during the premiere, I sat next to Dean while watching the ending credits. I was so surprised to see my dad's name in the credits. My dad had made his debut in a Hollywood film. Mr. Sunshine is a show set around the early 1900s, just before the Japanese occupation. Many countries were trying to occupy Korea at the time, so it was full of mixed cultures. There were people wearing Western fashion, Japanese people dressed in Japanese fashion, and people of Joseon wearing traditional Korean clothing. My character, Yujin Choi, was born a slave, but escaped to the U.S. and lived there as an American. But he never truly belonged there, and Korea became a place he resented. That contrast made the role interesting. It was one of Netflix's early Korean dramas and gained many international fans. After the show aired, I can remember a lot of people recognizing me more in the U.S. It was a hard part, but at the same time, it was very interesting for me. I needed to act three different roles as a front man, as someone acting in front of the players, and original Inho before he experienced the squid game. I had a lot of fun doing that. When I was acting that scene, I tried to fill all those characters at one time, so it was very complicated, but at the same time, very unique. The streaming service became active, and many people started to watch it. It was an opportunity for me to realize how powerful the streaming service was. In No Other Choice, director Park and I reunite after 20 years to make a film. The film asks whether the systems that were built to make people's lives better actually bring happiness. The system could mean capitalism or other structures. My character, Mansu, is a victim of a system built to make things better, but ironically, uses it to destroy his rivals one by one. That contradiction makes the film fascinating to watch. This is one of the films that I'm most proud of. He wants to say something. In America, when you get tired, you say you got axed. Sorry, there's no other choice. Do you know what we say in Korea? You got axed! Most of his quiet personality is almost the same, but the sharp points and demands on the set are much clearer than in the previous JSA. It feels like he knows exactly what he wants. There's a scene where I have an interview to find a job. I talk about myself to the judges in front of me, and I see the sun shining in the building in front of me, and I see them trying to press my trembling legs with one hand, and I see the pain that suddenly comes in the air. He's acting like that. He has to make my place so that he can use his lines as freely as he wants, in order to be able to act other emotions at once. The three people he has to remove from this film. The three people who think of themselves as their rivals are very similar in every way to themselves. In the end, what removes these three people is the act of grinding their souls. You can feel it a little after watching the movie. In the case of Beom-mo, his wife and Beom-mo and Beom-mo's wife I feel like I'm looking in the mirror. So when Beom-mo's wife is cheating on him, his wife is also suspicious of him. Man-soo experiences such confusion in his head. Man-soo turns on the music loudly and says to Beom-mo, Why don't you do this? Why haven't you done this? He's just giving advice and shouting. In the end, I think it could be a story that I can't forget. If you look at the career that gave me so much glory and unforgettable moments, The time I went to the theater with my father after watching so many movies It was really piled up in me. So maybe I can do my dream while I'm working and I can do a lot of things. I think I was able to think about that later.