In 2011, director Davy Chou was on his way to South Korea for the first time when one of his best friends decided to come along to show him “her country”.
“It was shocking to hear them say ‘my country,'” Chou said during an appearance on Deadline’s Contenders Film: Los Angeles, as his girlfriend never spoke of Korea because she was adopted in France when she was young . “[It was] also shows very clearly her impulsive personality that Freddie, the character of the film, has.
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When he met his friend’s biological father and grandmother, Chou had the inspiration Return to Seoul. Written and directed by Chou, Return to Seoulor All the people I will never befollows Freddie (Park Ji-Min), a 25-year-old French woman who travels to South Korea to find her birth family. Adopted and raised in France, Freddie takes new and unexpected turns in her life during her journey to an unknown land. The Sony Pictures Classics film premiered in the Un Certain Regard section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival.
Chou said the most striking part of the meeting he saw was “the depth of the conflicting emotions that came together. So much anger on my friend’s side, so much regret and sadness on the other side, and the inability of these two sides of the table to really communicate with the language and cultural barrier.”
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The casting presented a challenge to Chou, as the limited number of Korean immigrants to France produced only a small number of candidates. “For the film about identity and culture, I wanted the lead actress to have some Korean blood,” he says. Fortunately, he managed to get Park Ji-Min for the role of Freddie, although she never intended to be an actress. “The charisma, the energy, she has it all,” says Chou. “After three hours of listening to who she is and what she’s been through, I thought: ‘If this woman can act in front of a camera, she’s going to be the one. “
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Author: Ryan Fleming
Source: Deadline
Ashley Root is an author and celebrity journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a keen eye for all things celebrity, Ashley is always up-to-date on the latest gossip and trends in the world of entertainment.
