[Limelight] Suppressing Sorrow to Embrace Humanity

Netflix's "Hellbound" Min Hye-jin Role Kim Hyun-joo Breaks Stereotypes with Multi-Dimensional Acting
Concealing Emotions to Amplify Climax Impact... Adds Rough Action Highlighting Human Autonomy

Many producers and directors hold a prejudice. They distinguish between leads for movies and TV dramas. Actress Kim Hyun-joo was considered the latter. After the 2011 film "Beyond the Gaze: 100 Questions and Answers," her movie appearances abruptly stopped. Even with success in dramas, she couldn't cross that boundary. However, she remained unfazed. She devoted herself solely to the roles given. Even when ratings were low, she maintained a calm attitude. "There can't always be good results. I felt a sense of responsibility as a lead, but I wasn't obsessed with it. I just thought I needed to work harder."

The disappointment vanished instantly with the Netflix drama "Hellbound." Following "Squid Game," it gained global popularity once again. Although Kim Hyun-joo could have been excited, she separated pride from personal satisfaction. She placed greater significance on the expansion of her acting range. "Hellbound" is a realm she hadn't experienced, limited to TV dramas. The method of analyzing the role was different. There was a guideline since it was based on a webtoon of the same name. Everything from facial expressions to movements was drawn, leaving little room for interpretation. However, expressing it exactly the same would reduce individuality. "Min Hye-jin was depicted quite realistically. I was worried that expressing her differently might damage the original work. It was easy to immerse myself in the role, but how to express it was another matter."

She relied on the original work but focused on free acting. She was confident that Min Hye-jin and herself shared many traits. A representative example was their personalities, which rarely show emotions. Neither of them swings between highs and lows. She could easily understand Min Hye-jin, who suppresses grief even after losing her mother right before her eyes. "From the perspective of pacing, it was better to hold back emotions. Holding back tears allows the power to explode at the climax to be doubled."

Min Hye-jin is a character who orchestrates the overall flow of "Hellbound." Her appearance before and after the assault by the arrowhead group in episode 3 is drastically different. Short bobbed hair and a deep scar on her forehead. Her tone is also stiff. Even the costume and space are dark, making viewers curious about what happened during the four years omitted in the drama. Kim Hyun-joo said countless moments of despair and courage must have intersected.

"She was someone who believed in the power of law but witnessed the collapse of that system firsthand. She must have been so scared she thought she was dead. On the other hand, she must have repeatedly vowed to gain strength. I recalled Libby Parsons (Ashley Judd) from the 1999 film 'Double Jeopardy.' She is a woman imprisoned after her best friend and husband staged a murder plot. I thought her feelings of learning the truth and vowing revenge resembled Min Hye-jin's."

The emotions mixed with responsibility, hatred, and sorrow manifest as action. For Kim Hyun-joo, who had only ever slapped a cheating woman’s cheek, this was a new challenge. She visited an action school daily to learn various moves. Director Yeon Sang-ho said, "I felt sorry because she prepared so hard. I was surprised because even her physique changed." Min Hye-jin’s action is far from flashy. It emphasizes a rough and coarse feeling. This is well shown in the long-take escape scene in episode 4. Although the shooting conditions disrupted the plan, thorough preparation allowed them to improvise the choreography on the spot.

Min Hye-jin’s arduous journey aligns with the thematic consciousness of "Hellbound." It is the revival of reason and love. Kim Hyun-joo said she could feel this through the actors’ realistic performances. In the scene where Min Hye-jin carries a baby out of the apartment, the grandmother takes off her cardigan to cover the baby, and the residents clasp their hands, looking helpless. She recalled feeling an unparalleled warmth. "It is a scene where chaos caused by human weakness is completely overcome by autonomy. I can’t tell you how moved I was when all those gazes focused on me. I even felt as if small acts of love gathered to save humanity. Isn’t that the energy we need right now?"