Park Chan-wook's 'The Hand of the Maker' Actors Endure Grueling Directing Sessions

The cast of Park Chan-wook's latest film, 'The Hand of the Maker,' revealed the intense and meticulous directing process they endured under the acclaimed filmmaker.

A YouTube video released on the 12th via 'Channel Fifteen Nights' delved into the story behind the movie's title, which Park ultimately decided on as 'The Hand of the Maker.' He shared how he abandoned the original English novel title, 'The Axe,' and his own planned Korean title, 'The Neck,' due to potential misinterpretations. The director's demands extended to the actors' pronunciation, requiring precise attention to short and long vowels and intonation.

Actor Lee Byung-hun described Park's directing style as verbal rather than demonstrative, noting the extreme difficulty of the requests. Son Ye-jin, working with Park for the first time, expressed her initial confusion with the numerous takes needed to perfect subtle pronunciation details, a challenge previously mentioned by Kang Dong-won. The actors even resorted to using phone recordings to refine their delivery after filming concluded.

Park Chan-wook is a highly celebrated South Korean film director, screenwriter, and producer, renowned for his visually distinctive style and dark, often unsettling themes. He gained international acclaim with his 'Vengeance Trilogy,' particularly for 'Oldboy,' which won the Grand Prix at the 2004 Cannes Film Festival. His works frequently explore complex moral questions and the consequences of human actions.