[Here is Cannes] Tang Wei "Director Park Chan-wook approached step by step with affection"

75th Cannes Film Festival Scene
Tang Wei Met in Cannes
Competition Invitation 'Decision to Leave' Role as Serae

[Cannes (France) = Asia Economy Reporter Lee Isul] "The sun of Cannes is shining on you."

On the 24th (local time), Tang Wei greeted us with these words at a hotel located on the beach in Cannes. She welcomed the reporter with a bright smile, speaking sometimes in English and sometimes in Chinese. She also showed wit by saying "Annyeonghaseyo" and "Gamsahamnida" (Hello and Thank you in Korean).

Tang Wei plays Seo-rae, a suspect accused of killing her husband, in Park Chan-wook’s sixth Korean film, "Decision to Leave," which was invited to compete in the 75th Cannes Film Festival. Detective Hae-joon (played by Park Hae-il) suspects Seo-rae but is also drawn to her.

Tang Wei described director Park Chan-wook as "the person who made my life complete." She expressed affection and trust, saying, "I love Director Park. He is amazing in every way." When asked what she meant by "complete," Tang Wei replied, "Maybe I will be able to explain it in 10 years."

"What I am thankful for to Director Park Chan-wook is that there must have been moments on set that required patience, but he never showed anger. I thought, to enjoy working with Park Chan-wook and Park Hae-il, you have to come to Cannes at least."

When asked about her prospects as a strong contender for Best Actress, Tang Wei quoted writer Jung Seo-kyung, saying, "Before coming to Cannes, I hoped to win an award for the film, but I already feel like I have received one." She added, "Yesterday, I heard that 'Decision to Leave' was selected as the film to be watched by the nominees for the Cam?ra d'Or, which is a great recognition in itself."

Director Park Chan-wook acted as Tang Wei’s voice coach. He recorded every line and word and gave them to Tang Wei, who saved them on her phone and practiced her Korean lines by listening to them.

"I studied the Chinese script intensely, writing notes densely and in black ink while practicing. I translated and delved into the meaning of each word repeatedly. I couldn’t just pass over any character without knowing it. Every word has meaning."

Tang Wei currently resides in Beijing, China. She said she is playing the role of the youngest daughter staying by her elderly parents’ side. She added, "I am grateful that my family in Korea understands, and I miss them a lot."

Portraying subtle emotions and nuances is challenging. Did Tang Wei understand Seo-rae’s love? "When I received the script, I felt it was perfect. I read it while unraveling why certain parts were the way they were, and the more I read, the more I thought, 'This suits me well.'"

Throughout the interview, Tang Wei expressed affection while mentioning "Park Chan-wook." She always said "Director" in Korean. She laughed, saying, "I felt that the director put a lot of effort into it. The emotional language on set and the amount of post-recording were cleverly mixed. It was touching."

"I found out later that Director Park Chan-wook set Seo-rae as Chinese because he wanted to work with me. On the first day of the 'Decision to Leave' ceremony, writer Jung Seo-kyung told me. Since a foreigner was acting in a completely different environment, he carefully approached me step by step, worried I might be surprised or scared. He looked at me with loving eyes, saying, 'You must do well.'"

Cannes (France) = Reporter Lee Isul