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| Actress Moon Jeong-hee in a scene from the film "Limit" / Courtesy of JNC Media Group |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Actress Moon Jeong-hee said she enjoyed playing a villain with a genuine if twisted motivation in the female-fronted crime thriller "Limit."
"Limit" follows the story of So-eun (played by Lee Jung-hyun), a police detective who goes undercover to help two parents locate their abducted child. She then finds herself in a tense psychological battle with the kidnapper after finding out that her son, too, has been abducted.
Moon plays Hye-jin, the menacing and unlikeable leader of the ring that kidnaps children for organ trafficking.
The 46-year-old actress said she chose to look at Hye-jin from a different perspective as she found the character to be someone who fights to protect herself and her brother, both victims of domestic abuse.
"Hye-jin is a very different type of villain because she has a clear motivation for committing a crime. It's to protect herself and those around her. Ever since Hye-jin ran away from an abusive home with her younger brother Joon-yong (Park Myung-hoon), she was desperate to take responsibility for her traumatized brother," she said during a recent interview with The Korea Times.
Moon described Hye-jin's signature look ― a crooked mouth ― adding that she always tried to give her a one-sided smirk. "I strongly believe a person's feelings or thoughts are all written on their face. Likewise, the history of Hye-jin's life is written across her face," she said.
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| Actress Moon Jeong-hee / Courtesy of JNC Media Group |
"Limit" is one of the few female-fronted action thriller films in which protagonists are presented with enough of a narrative to move through a crime thriller plot effectively.
Moon said the actresses performed their own stunts in order to make sure they were staying true to the core aspects of the genre.
"The fight sequence with Lee was really, really intense. What we loved about it is that it was real. I had a lot of bruises, but it was really fun. I loved it," she said.
On working with Lee and Jin Seo-yeon, she said, "It's so inspiring to be around Lee because she's got so much energy. We were working at such a quick pace and she has real motivating energy, which is incredible. And Jin is an outstanding actress."
The actress has frequently starred in films with a strong social message, including "Cart" about contract workers combating a large retail discount store's exploitative practices, and "Pandora" about a disaster at a nuclear power plant following an earthquake.
"I'm interested in all social issues, especially concerning human rights and labor rights," she said.
This year marks the 25th anniversary of her debut. "Sometimes it feels strange that I'm an actor. Being an actor requires a lot of energy so it's important to maintain a routine when I'm not working. I often travel, hike and swim with my dog," she said.
"In the future, I'd like to star in a melodrama or play roles that I haven't done before. It's good to know that there are more emerging streaming platforms where I can experiment with new characters."
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