‘The Villainess’ Star Kim Ok Bin Struggled With Her Role In The Film?

'The Villainess' female lead Kim Ok Bin recently sat down with Yonhap News to open up about playing her role in her latest film. The actress revealed that more than the action scenes, she had a difficult time delivering the emotional scenes.

'The Villainess' is directed by Jung Byung Gil, and tells the story of Suk Hee, a girl raised to be an assassin. After leaving the organization that groomed her, she finds herself being recruited by the Korean Intelligence as a sleeper agent. She accepts the role, taking it as a chance to a have a new life and identity. But later on, dark secrets are unraveled and she goes on a rampage of revenge. 'The Villainess' premiered at the midnight section of this year's Cannes Film Festival and received a standing ovation from attendees.

Kim Ok Bin shared why she accepted the role and how she prepared for it. "I originally like to exercise a lot, but I, unfortunately, didn't have any chance to show this. So, I was very glad when I received an offer to be in the film," the actress said. "I was attracted by the fact that it is a rare film that shows the growth process of a woman."

'The Villainess' lead also expressed sadness over the fact that there's been a lack of opportunities for female stars to play unique roles in the Korean film industry. Moreover, Kim Ok Bin states that she feels pressure taking this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to star in a female-centric action movie. The star said, "I thought nobody would be willing to do this kind of adventure again if this one proves to be a failure."

According to the actress, she did more than 90% of her action scenes without the use of a stunt double. Kim Ok Bin said she trained for 4 months at an action stunt academy to prepare for the role in 'The Villainess'. "Even though I was trained in sweat at the exercise room where there was no air conditioning in the summer, I enjoyed watching my progress day by day," she said. "But what was really difficult in filming was not action but the emotional performance."

But according to Kim Ok Bin, it was the emotional performance that she struggled with. Although her character is a ruthless killer, she had an underlying sadness in the story. The actress added that being a mother was something she hasn't experienced yet, and as a result couldn't relate to. 'The Villainess' actress concluded, "After eight months of passion and suffering, I felt a sense of accomplishment and confidence that I did something important."