INTERVIEW Shin Hye-sun, Lee Jun-young discuss challenges, inspiration in 'Brave Citizen'

A scene from the new action film "Brave Citizen" / Courtesy of Mindmark

The lead actors of the new action flick, “Brave Citizen,” Shin Hye-sun and Lee Jun-young, shared that this project has provided them with challenging opportunities to expand their acting range, specifically for Shin in the action genre and Lee in the complex role of the villain.

“I didn't want to limit myself to characters or genres. I still want to try a variety of things. In a nutshell, I want to have a lot of experience as an actress, despite success or failure. I always aspired to play a role in the action genre,” Shin said in an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Jongro District, Seoul, Thursday.

Based on the webcomic of the same name, the new comedy-action offering, set to hit theaters on Oct. 25, revolves around So Si-min (Shin), a part-time high school teacher and former professional boxer striving for a permanent teaching position. Her name literally means ordinary middle-class citizen in Korean.

The character encounters the school's ruthless troublemaker, Han Su-gang (Lee), who bullies his classmate. To become a full-time teacher, she tries her best to stay out of trouble. But when she becomes Han’s new target, she uses her athletic skills to take justice into her own hands.

The film is led by director Park Jin-pyo, whose previous works include the thriller film, "Blood and Ties" (2013), and the romance film, "Love Forecast" (2015).

"Brave Citizen" will be released on Oct. 25. Courtesy of Mindmark

Lee plays the role of an unapologetic bully, who is untouchable because of his fighting skills and influential family, despite his violence towards his classmates.

For Lee, portraying the ethical complexities of a villain was an energy-consuming challenge.

“I hesitated a lot. The character is incredibly wicked and indulges in outrageous and absurd acts for fun. I wasn’t sure if I could do it. But my strength is that I’m open to challenges,” he said.

“The reason I decided to take on these challenges was because the character had absolutely no backstory. So I liked the fact that I could enjoy more freedom compared to conventional villains I played. It doesn’t leave any room for the audience to wonder and understand ‘Why this person turned out this way.' He’s just bad for no reason. I liked this, and I thought it was worth challenging myself."

Shin found the film compelling because it refrains from providing any justification or explanation for the bully's wrongdoing.

"I liked the cathartic action, but I also fell for the film’s simple and clear-cut (storyline). The protagonist skillfully overthrows the villain, which isn’t given any backstory, and I thought that structure was well-crafted as an entertaining film,” she said, adding that she sees this film as a fantasy flick.

"I've imagined myself being an incredibly powerful person and avenging wrongdoings and this film fulfills my fantasy … Both the system and reality of our society force us to endure injustice, although we don't want to. But we all have a desire to get back at bad people and speak up to them. So, that is amplified in our movie, which gives it a fantasy element.”

Shin plays the role of So Si-min in the film "Brave Citizen." Courtesy of Mindmark

The two co-stars also shared that they found motivation in each other when portraying the poles-apart characters.

While Shin was initially nervous about her first action role with intense fighting sequences, Lee's experience eased her into the genre.

“Lee is very mature … So when I was with him, I felt like he was older. Especially with this role, I relied a lot on him. He's really good at action, and as a beginner, I felt like I could trust him,” she said. “Lee is a really nice guy, and kindhearted. After shooting a (bullying) scene, he shed tears … He seems like a very attractive actor. In reality, he had a tough time. But on set, he played the villain so wickedly. He did such a great job.”

Lee echoed Shin's sentiments about their collaborative effort.

“When I filmed with Shin, I had in mind ‘I don’t want to lose.’ She’s really passionate and hardworking so I didn’t want to lose, which helped in action scenes,” he said.

“This was the first time I’ve felt that way with a colleague. She has such passionate energy that it boosts other people around her.”