Lee Byung-hun Discusses Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice and the Power of Korean Storytelling – INTERVIEW

No Other Choice showcases Lee Byung-hun at his most grounded and quietly powerful.

Lee Byung-hun has built one of the most celebrated careers in global cinema, moving effortlessly between South Korean masterpieces and major Hollywood franchises. His body of work includes Joint Security Area, A Bittersweet Life, The Good, the Bad, the Weird, Inside Men, and the worldwide phenomenon Squid Game. He has also carved out a high-profile Hollywood presence, playing Storm Shadow in both G.I. Joe films, the T-1000 in Terminator Genisys, and Billy Rocks in The Magnificent Seven.

For fans across the globe, myself included, he is a once-in-a-generation performer. But in No Other Choice, he delivers one of his most grounded and quietly devastating performances yet.

Reuniting With Park Chan-wook for a Raw, Human Story

Directed by longtime collaborator Park Chan-wook and based on Donald E. Westlake’s novel The Ax, No Other Choice follows Man-su, a man whose life unravels after a sudden layoff from the paper company he loyally served for 25 years. It’s a deeply human story — one that blends fear, pride, humor, and spiraling desperation — and Lee’s performance anchors every beat of that emotional unraveling.

When we spoke, I mentioned how authentic Man-su felt, especially in the small physical behaviors that communicate his collapse: shaking hands, nervous fidgeting, and the growing heaviness in his posture. I asked whether those touches were scripted or developed during filming.

Crafting Man-su Through Detail and Instinct

Lee explained that Man-su’s physical language came from multiple sources. “There were a lot of physical aspects of the acting that were already in the script,” he said, noting that Park Chan-wook shaped some during production. But many emerged directly from the emotional experience of playing the role. “There were also emotions that I was feeling while acting out this scene that manifested in some physical habits as well,” he added. “So I think it was a mixture of the three.”

That layered approach is felt throughout the film. Man-su is not a stylized figure or a symbolic archetype — he is painfully real. His frustration sits in every awkward movement, his panic surfaces in every stumble, and his shame hides behind forced politeness. Lee builds the character from the tiny, uncomfortable truths most performances overlook.

Why Korean Stories Connect Around the World

Given Lee’s impact on the global rise of Korean cinema, I asked him what he hopes audiences understand about the emotional honesty and craft that shape these stories.

“I think the reason audiences from so many different countries are able to empathize with Korean stories,” he said, “is because Korean films and TV discuss topics that have a lot of commonality and is able to bring up this empathy within audiences.”

He also pointed to the storytelling structure itself. “They take these common topics,” he said, “and are able to do the progression of the story in a very unpredictable way that keeps audiences hooked.”

That unpredictability is exactly what defines No Other Choice. While the story begins with a familiar fear — losing one’s job — it transforms into something more complex, surprising, and painfully relatable.

A Performance That Deepens a Legendary Collaboration

With No Other Choice, Lee Byung-hun delivers one of his most human performances yet. His work is quietly intense from start to finish. The film also deepens his long-running collaboration with Park Chan-wook. Together, they remind audiences why Lee remains one of the most compelling actors working today.

In theaters on December 25th.

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