Actress Kim Min Hee talked a bit more about what attracted her to Lady Hideko's character in Park Chan Wook's latest directorial work 'The Handmaiden.'
In an interview with Segye Ilbo, Kim Min Hee detailed the the characteristics of Lady Hideko which grow more complex and intriguing the more you explore them. She said, "You will feel it when you watch the film but even on script Hideko was a magnetic character. The fact that I can display something that I haven't done before and a whole different side to me is fun: that I can pull out [of myself] new emotions and stories and express them. For this film, my attraction to the character was stronger than normal."
Further, Kim Min Hee coolly broached the R-rated scene with fellow actress Kim Tae Ri, answering in a rather nonchalant manner when asked if she had any trouble deciding whether she could pull off being nude in front of the camera, especially with another woman.
The actress explained, "I tend to decide upon reading the script for the first time. The decision of whether I'm going to do the movie or not just comes to me. It was much the same with this project. After reading the script I thought that I wanted to do [the movie], and out of courtesy I did have to think about it so I'll say that I considered it for three days. For the 'bed scene,' there were exact instructions on how to go about it so I that's what I did. I don't think I had any particular difficulties with it."
What was harder for Kim Min Hee than the 'bed scene' was how to properly express Hideko's multiple personas. She said, "I think that every human being has multiple, varying personalities. So I tried not to make the acting too difficult. In the first and second parts [of the movie], Hideko acts entirely different but I think that she inherently possessed both of those images. Hideko may seem mysterious and charismatic but at the same time, she is very human and innocent. Because I empathized with her, I was more drawn to her."
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