▲ This photo, provided by Twin Plus Partners, shows actress Kim Si-eun of "Next Sohee," the closing film of the 75th Cannes Film Festival's Critics' Week. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)
▲ This photo, provided by Twin Plus Partners, shows actress Kim Si-eun of "Next Sohee," the closing film of the 75th Cannes Film Festival's Critics' Week. (PHOTO NOT FOR SALE) (Yonhap)

 

SEOUL, May 26 (Yonhap) -- “I hope there isn’t another So-hee.”

This is what actress Kim Si-eun, of “Next Sohee,” the closing film of the 75th Cannes Film Festival's Critics' Week, said to the Korean news media on the 25th (local time), before the film’s official release.

Kim plays a high school student So-hee, who starts job training at a call center. So-hee is neither a worker nor a student, but because of her position as a ‘trainee,’ she is mistreated in her first workplace which leads to her death. 

Kim said, “Whether I was cast or not, I hoped the film comes out to the world.”

“The film contains a clear message and I thought it could touch the viewers. I hope the emotions I felt while acting get through to the audience and they keep it at one side of their hearts.”

Kim said how through this role, she found out that the film was based on a real story of a call center in Jeonju 2016.

Kim Si-eun mentioned, “I thought I knew a lot about the social issues, but I didn’t,” adding, “I wanted to pay more attention to those issues and help.”

Director July Jung met Kim-Si-eun while searching for the role of So-hee, and at their first meeting, she offered the part to Kim, who had never taken on a leading role in a film.

Kim said, “During the meeting, we talked about many things and the director offered me the role,” adding, “I still don’t know why she chose me.”

The actress faced mental issues in expressing So-hee gradually let go of her life through a series of events. The more Kim immersed herself into So-hee and became the character, the more pain was felt by the actress.  

 

Kim said the most difficult scene was filming scenes of sexual harassment by customers on the phone.

“When things were hard the director told me, ‘you don’t have to be So-hee outside the set,’ and I was able to free my mind and separate myself from the role.”

When asked about entering the Cannes with her first leading role in a film, Kim said, “It’s unbelievable,” adding, “I don’t think there will be another experience like this in my life.”

(This article is translated from Korean to English by An Hayeon.)

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