Lee Gyu-lee is a business writer at The Korea Times, focusing primarily on IT & telecommunications, the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy and KOTRA. Prior to this, she has covered a wide range of cultural news, from film, television and K-pop to lifestyle and fashion.
INTERVIEW Kim Hee-sun returns to silver screen for 'Honey Sweet'
Actress Kim Hee-sun plays the role of a single mother in the new rom-com movie “Honey Sweet.” Courtesy of Mind Mark
By Lee Gyu-lee
By Lee Gyu-lee
Actress Kim Hee-sun is making a silver screen comeback with the new romantic comedy “Honey Sweet.” This marks her first starring role in a film in 10 years since the 2011 Chinese-produced "The Warring States” and 20 years since the 2003 locally made “A Man Who Went to Mars.”
Actress Kim Hee-sun / Courtesy of Hinge Entertainment
Directed by Lee Han, known for his 2011 drama film "Punch," the new film set to premiere on Aug. 15 depicts a romance between a man inexperienced with women and a bubbly single mother.
Chi-ho (Yoo Hae-jin) is a researcher at a confectionery company, who is clueless when it comes to anything other than his work. One day, he visits a loan company to pay off the debt for his shameless gambler brother Seok-ho (Cha In-pyo) and meets a bright-spirited single mom, Il-young (Kim Hee-sun).
The unexpected encounter develops into a romantic relationship, bringing vibrant changes to Chi-ho's otherwise simple and dull life.
The actress shared that she hesitated to pick up the film role after being away for years.
“When I used to star in films, I would think the actors are also responsible for audience numbers. And that scared me. If the audience numbers are low, I felt as if it is the evaluation of my acting, so I couldn't bring myself to do it,” she said during a video interview with The Korea Times, Thursday.
"I requested more time to consider the role. Then, one day, the director sent me a two-page letter explaining why I was the right fit for Il-young. I was deeply touched. With a director who believed in me this much, I had no reason to hesitate any longer."
A scene from the movie “Honey Sweet” / Courtesy of Mind Mark
Kim plays the optimistic woman, waiting for a knight in shining armor to light up her single motherhood. When she sees a quirky but genuine man, Chi-ho, she falls for him and makes a move.
The actress said she resembles the high-spirited character. “Il-young and I have a lot of similarities. It's been a while since I've done a movie, but the role was not too serious,” she said, expressing satisfaction in working on the film.
“The director was open to different attempts and everyone put in effort to make the film funnier and more perfect. We were all in it together.”
She said she felt comfortable with actor Yoo from the start. “Who wouldn't want to work with Yoo? I've always wanted to do a project with him … He would come to the set even on the days he's not shooting, which isn't an easy thing to do. So I appreciated that he came all the way to cheer me on,” she said.
“We got along so well from the beginning. So we were able to work together as if we've worked together on several projects before.”
The actress added this feel-good rom-com film could cheer up people going through rough times.
“Lately, there has been a lot of depressing news in society. So I hope watching this movie makes people happy. I've heard the phrase referring to this as a movie needed in this era,” she said. “I hope this whimsical movie can offer comfort to people going through uneasiness.”