'The Handmaiden' Director Has This to Say About the Film's Actors

During a press conference on Monday in Los Angeles, renowned South Korean filmmaker Park Chan-Wook said that the success of his latest erotic thriller "The Handmaiden" was due to the casting of three respected actors and the original British novel.

He said, "i thank the three respected actors for appearing in this film and received great benefit from their work."

According to a report from Yonhap News, Park is in Los Angeles as a part of his promotional tour for "The Handmaiden." He also went to Toronto, Canada and Austin, Texas ahead of the movie's scheduled release in North America on October 14. He was accompanied by the head of the film's production company Yong Film Inc, Lim Seung Ryong and Kim Tae Ri, the rookie actress who is also part of the main cast of the film, and they attended a special screening of the movie and other promotional activities.

The director mentioned that he is hoping that his movie would receive pleasant feedback from the viewers.

During a news conference at the Korean Cultural Center for the media representing Korean residents living in the United States, the "Oldboy" director said, "Many people around me said this is the best in my filmography. Although some hardcore fans said they were disappointed because it contains less violence and feels warmer that my previous works, many, including female audiences, liked it. It received favorable reviews in Toronto."

"The Handmaiden" is based on "Fingersmith," an award-winning novel penned by Sarah Waters. It stars Kim Min Hee, Cho Jin Woong, Ha Jung Woo, and Kim Tae Ri in a 1930s colonial Korea setting. It is about a young maid hired by a con man to assist him in seducing a wealthy heiress, which she later fell in love with.

Park also mentioned that he was greatly affected by the novel after reading it. The wife of the movie's producer was the one who recommended the novel to him.

Park stated, "It was an excellent choice. I thought love can be more touching when it overcomes all obstacles such as the antagonistic relations between Korea and Japan and the class system. It has the most lines of all the films that I have made. I'd like to ask foreign viewers who need English subtitles to see it at least twice to better understand it."