Jeon Do-yeon discusses her similarities with iconic character in 'Kill Boksoon'

A scene from the film, "Kill Boksoon" / Courtesy of Netflix

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Jeon Do-yeon discussed her similarities to Gil Bok-soon, her character in the Netflix film “Kill Boksoon,” saying she is very confident but has self-doubt when it comes to parenting her teenage daughter.

“Director Byun Sung-hyun regularly came over to my place and observed my relationship with my 15-year-old daughter. Obviously, he was trying to get ideas for his movie script,” she said during an interview with The Korea Times, Wednesday.

“After a while, Byun asked me, 'You're so bold, candid and confident in real life. How come you always play the roles that are either sacrificing heroes or suffering victims?' He said he wanted to give me the part that's empowering and at the top of the food chain.”

“Kill Boksoon” tells the story of Gil Bok-soon, a single mother and hired killer who struggles with her work-life balance. Right before her contract renewal, she becomes involved in an unavoidable kill-or-be-killed situation. For her role, Jeon underwent a four-month training process.

“The action was so difficult that I thought I would never do it again. Some scenes were done repeatedly to the point I thought to myself, 'This can't be real.' For instance, we filmed the grimy restaurant scene for a month,” she said.

Actress Jeon Do-yeon / Courtesy of Netflix

Jeon said she has anticipated working with young directors. In fact, she had a list of young and rising filmmakers with whom she wanted to work with and Byun's name was on it.

“I really like doing things that make me feel uncomfortable. Working with young directors was one way to come out of my comfort zone. Director Byun's style is to do long takes when it comes to the action, which gave me catharsis when I finished shooting,” she said.

But she had disagreements with director Byun on set in the beginning. “It was a bit frustrating not being able to control myself. Byun wanted to control everything, even the movement of my face,” she explained.

What she likes the most about the film is that it's not just an action film, but is about family drama, coming-of-age and romance. “Some say this is an entertaining movie to kill time, but it contains a lot of metaphors and symbols. Watching it more than once will help viewers to understand those hidden messages,” she said.

“Kill Boksoon” topped Netflix's weekly chart on most-viewed no-English films for the week of March 27-April 2. It topped Netflix's Top 10 most-watched films charts in Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Vietnam.

When asked if she would do a “Kill Boksoon” sequel, Jeon responded with a no.

“I gave it my all and I'm happy I did it. But I wouldn't be able to do it again. Director Byun agreed with me and said he wouldn't make another action movie,” the actress said.