Actress Son Ye-jin has officially returned to the big screen after seven years, starring in director Park Chan-wook’s latest film, No Other Choice, which opens nationwide on September 24. The drama-thriller features Lee Byung-hun as a man pushed to the edge after losing his job, with Son Ye-jin taking on the role of his strong-willed wife, Mi-ri.
At the press event and VIP premiere held yesterday in Seoul, Son Ye-jin attracted major attention when a moment of her chatting with her husband, Hyun Bin, was caught on camera at the after-party. Photos spread quickly online overnight.
When asked about Hyun Bin’s first reaction, Son Ye-jin said with a laugh: “Hyun Bin came as a VIP guest yesterday, but as family, he’s not going to say the movie wasn’t good, is he? I also always say it was great and that they worked hard. Because of that, I don’t really trust what friends or family said yesterday. I’ve always been that way, and a person’s elbow bends inward, doesn’t it?” She added that she plans to hear a more honest review at home: “There were so many guests yesterday that we couldn’t have a serious conversation, but I need to talk to him when I get home today. I don’t know if he’ll tell me the truth.”
Her role as Mi-ri—a woman with a bright personality and unshakable resolve—marks a shift from her previous performances. Rather than criticizing her husband Man-su (Lee Byung-hun) after he loses his job, she steps in as his anchor. Son Ye-jin explained that the character gives up hobbies like dancing and tennis to support the family, even joining the workforce: “She approaches the crisis more rationally than anyone else.”
Interestingly, Son Ye-jin had shown the screenplay to Hyun Bin years earlier when it was still titled The Axe. She recalled: “Back then, the title was ‘The Axe.’ He looked at it and said, ‘This is a black comedy, right?’ In the first draft of the script, Mi-ri’s part was much smaller than it is now. The director told me my role was Mi-ri when he gave me the script, but I didn’t hear that, so when I read it, I wasn’t sure if my role was Mi-ri or A-ra. A lot has changed since then, and I remember him saying it was a black comedy after reading the first draft.”
The actress also shared a playful exchange involving her co-star Lee Byung-hun. Their families, including Lee Min-jung (Byung-hun’s wife), often spend time together, sometimes golfing. Son Ye-jin revealed: “Im Si-wan came to the after-party yesterday and asked Hyun Bin, ‘How does it feel to watch another couple act together?’ To that question, Hyun Bin joked, ‘Why are you already worried about that? Does your girlfriend not let you?’ Acting is just acting. It’s not like Lee Byung-hun and I did some really intense scenes as a married couple, did we?”
Asked if she and Hyun Bin ever clash when discussing roles that involve parenting, Son Ye-jin gave a glimpse into their marriage: “Not at all. Bin always follows my lead. We have similar values, so we don’t clash much. I don’t think we’re a couple that says, ‘What’s wrong with you?’ and fails to understand each other.”
No Other Choice (Inevitable) tells the story of Man-su (Lee Byung-hun), a company worker who suddenly loses his job and begins an intense battle to reclaim stability for his wife, children, and home. The film explores family survival and human resilience—core themes that Park Chan-wook has built his reputation on.
Source (Daum)
