The Empire Film Podcast The Interviews: Park Chan-wook and Lee Byung-hun on No Other Choice; Steve Coogan and Éanna Hardwicke on Saipan
Jan 23, 2026
Lee Byung-hun, acclaimed South Korean actor (I Saw the Devil, Squid Game), and Park Chan-wook, legendary director (Old Boy, The Handmaiden), reunite after 20 years. They discuss adapting The Axe into a Korean setting, mixing comedy and tragedy, on-set dynamics, and the film’s recurring ‘no other choice’ mantra. Short, lively conversations reveal craft, music choices, and their working relationship.
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Setting Changed The Story's Possibilities
- Park Chan-wook originally imagined The Axe as an American film before deciding to set it in Korea decades later.
- Making it Korean let him cast top Korean actors like Lee Byung-hun and change cultural context meaningfully.
Critic After Directing Failure
- Park became a film critic after his early directing efforts failed and he thought it would help his craft.
- He later found that critiquing others' films didn't help him much in making his own films.
Let Truth Make The Comedy
- Park mixes genres freely and avoids signalling to the audience that a scene is supposed to be funny.
- He instructs actors to stay truthful to characters so humour emerges naturally alongside sympathy.
