OFFICIAL PRESS KIT MEMORIES OF THE SWORD LOTTE ENTERTAINMENT
Information Title: Director: Cast: Memories of the Sword PARK Heung-sik LEE Byung-hun, JEON Do-yeon, KIM Go-eun, LEE Jun-ho (2PM) LEE Kyung-young, Genre: Production by: Presented by: Rated: Running time: Action, Drama TPS Company Lotte Entertainment Age 15 and up 121 minutes Release date: August 13 th, 2015
Synopsis At the end of the Goryeo era when swords ruled and a slave could become king, three master fighters, Pung-chun, Wol-so (JEON Do-yeon), and Yu-baek (LEE Byung-hun) take charge of a civil uprising to change their world. But the uprising fails when Pung-chun dies by Yu-baek s betrayal and Wol-so vanishes with Pung-chun s baby. 18 years later, Yu-baek has become the most powerful man in the country. He is quick to kill anyone who plots against him or shows him contempt for being born of a slave. Then one day, Yu-baek discovers a girl who uses the sword exactly like Wol-so at the combat games he is hosting and chases after her. Meanwhile, Wol-so has become blind and been living with her back against the world since Yubaek s betrayal. When she realizes that Hong-yi (KIM Go-eun) had entered Yu-baek s combat games and met him, Wol-so reveals the truth she had been hiding secret for 18 years. I m the one who killed your father and mother. The next time we meet, one of us must surely die! The story of three swords crisscrossed with betrayal unfolds once again.
About Movie I couldn t think of anyone else for the roles. LEE Byung-hun & JEON DO-yeon & KIM Go-eun The perfect acting ensemble cast! Top actors with renowned reputations in Korea and abroad, LEE Byung-hun, JEON Do-yeon, KIM Go-eun s meeting alone has placed <Memories of the Sword> in the spotlight. The three actors climactic acting and explosive ensemble performances are finally set to be revealed this summer. Beginning with <I Come with the Rain>, LEE Byung-hun as appeared in various Hollywood films such as the <G.I. Joe> series, <Red 2: The Best Never Rest>, and <Terminator Genisys>, and has expanded his boundaries. Undoubtedly, LEE is the only actor in Korea who can do difficult action scenes with great show of emotions at the same time. LEE portrays Yu-baek, a character of humble birth who has become the most powerful man in the country with his exceptional swordsmanship and clever resourcefulness. He is a three-dimensional character whose emotions can change drastically within one scene. Since the character is the ultimate fighter who can kill a man with one strike of his hand, it was difficult to portray even for LEE Byung-hun who has appeared in many action films. LEE claimed, Yu-baek has very strong energy and his actions are very dynamic, but I had to portray him as a very still, calm character. Portraying such three-dimensional characters require greater energy from the actor and revealed how difficult his role was to act. After winning the Best Actress Award at Cannes International Film Festival for her performance in <Secret Sunshine>, JEON Do-yeon was the first Korean actress to be invited as a judge for the competitive films section at Cannes in 2014 and has been living up to her title, Queen of Cannes. JEON gives another stellar acting performance in <Memories of the Sword>. Wol-so, a character who struggles her entire life with guilt and hatred against Yu-baek, meets JEON Do-yeon and truly shines. Although considered one of the best actresses in Korea, <Memories of the Sword> was a new challenge even for JEON. She had to do action scenes for the first time and also act blind. Although she would wake up at nights worrying about doing the action scenes, she trained hard to the point she could squeeze out the sweat from her gym clothes and transformed perfectly into Wol-so, the ultimate swordswoman. Director PARK commented, An actor s show of emotions starts from the eyes, but JEON expressed the emotions well without even moving
her pupils in acting blind. It must ve been really hard, but she was amazing and complimented her greatly. KIM Go-eun, an actress who stands out among her peers with stellar performances, now stands shoulder to shoulder with top actors LEE Byung-hun and JEON Do-yeon in <Memories of a Sword>. Director PARK Heung-sik claimed, I wanted to cast a young actress with great energy who can stand alongside LEE Byung-hun and JEON Do-yeon. He added that KIM Go-eun is the only actress in her twenties with such strong presence. In order to portray Hong-yi, a girl who seeks revenge on her parents deaths, KIM Go-eun trained hard for over 6 months to do the actions. At first it was hard for her to even hold a sword, but she consistently kept at it until she felt like her hand was one with the sword. Also, during the production she would not put the sword down despite various injuries and did all the actions till the end. Her animalistic instincts and passion for acting surprised even her senior actors LEE Byung-hun and JEON Do-yeon. Director PARK Heung-sik comments about LEE Byung-hun, JEON Do-yeon, and KIM Go-eun, who showed their best acting in <Memories of the Sword> that <Memories of the Sword> can be seen as a textbook for aspiring actors and showed much confidence in the film. The three actors glittering performances herald the birth of a film like never before in Korean films.
About Movie Everything that moves is graceful and everything you see is beautiful! The birth of a blockbuster historical drama to hit 2015! No stunt doubles! Emotions must be felt even from the edge of the swords! The most important goal and concept of <Memories of the Sword> was that there has to be emotions in the actions. For this, the actors had to pay attention to the look of their eyes, their facial expressions, and even breathing as they fought. If they lacked energy, they couldn t show the emotions while doing the actions, so they had to train from basic fitness to how to hold the sword properly. They trained so rigorously and sweat so much that they could squeeze the sweat out of their clothes and barely walk after training. In particular, KIM Go-eun had to do extremely difficult action scenes and would throw up after the shoots. She also had to get massages on the set from straining her muscles. JEON Do-yeon had to come out on days where she had no shoots to practice with the stunt team and prepare for her scenes. The actors often injured their hands from holding the swords while staff and actors alike would bump into each other in dangerous wire action sequences. The actors had to do so much because their characters emotions, while on the move, had to be captured on film. As stunt director SHIN Jae-myung claimed, The viewers watch the actors and feel what they are feeling. So, apart from really dangerous scenes, the actors should practice and do what they can. And so, the actors did their best to show emotion even at the edge of their swords. KIM Go-eun, who had the most action scenes in the film, said When a stunt double was brought in, something was lacking. The actions and techniques were amazing, but I wanted to express things on my own and tried to do the actions the best that I can. Deep emotions added to beautiful and graceful action sequences perfected from hard swordsmanship training and traditional dance practices by master actors in <Memories of a Sword> are sure to captivate the viewers eyes and hearts.
Character & Cast Have everything you desire. Have it all! An over-ambitious man who betrayed to gain power _ Sword that coveted Goryeo Yu-baek At the forefront of a civil uprising, Yu-baek once tried to save the country. However, he ends up betraying his colleagues and everyone else out of his desire for power. Despite his low, humble background, he is an excellent swordsman with a clever mind for schemes, and eventually gains power to make even the king tremble. Although he is just steps away from sitting on the throne and gaining everything he had ever wanted, there is still something he secretly longs for. What is the secret that he so cherishes? An actor who fills the screen with just one look _ LEE Byung-hun With an active career domestically as well as in Hollywood, LEE Byung-hun has truly become a representative actor of Korea. He returns to the big screen in another historical piece after <Masquerade> which scored over 10 million at the box office. Director PARK Heung-sik claimed that LEE Byung-hun was the first to come to mind in the role of Yu-baek, a three-dimensional, complex character who is cold and charismatic on the outside with a deep, inner secret. Yu-baek is a character tailor-made for LEE. He not only shows the heavy emotions in his inner struggles between ambition and emotions well, but also put all his energy into the difficult wire action scenes. Yu-baek, the overly ambitious, most powerful swordsman of Goryeo, will surely be remembered as the most fascinating villain in Korean film history. MOVIE Terminator Genisys (2015), Red 2 : The Best Never Rest (2013), G.I. Joe: Retaliation (2013), Masquerade (2012), I Saw the Devil (2010), G.I. Joe: The Rise of the Cobra (2009), I Come with the Rain (2009), The Good, the Bad, the Weird (2008), Once in a Summer (2006), A Bittersweet Life (2005), Everybody Has a Little Secret (2004), Addicted (2002), Bungee Jumping of Their Own (2001), Joint Security Area (2000) and others DRAMA IRIS (2009), All In (2003), Beautiful Days (2001) and others
Interview Q. What drew you to star in the film? A. I think first impressions are important. When I first read the script, I thought it was great. The fact that the role demanded not only difficult action scenes but placed more importance on the character s emotions was very appealing to me. Q. Any difficulties in doing imposing actions and emotional scenes at the same time? A. Yu-baek has very strong energy and his actions are very dynamic, but I had to portray him as a very still, calm character. Portraying such three-dimensional characters require greater energy from the actor. The role was physically hard and required more emotions than any of my other films, but I think it was hard for all the other actors too. Q. Why did you do all the action scenes without any stunt doubles? A. The director said the characters emotions were very important, so he wanted the emotions to shine through the action scenes as well. The emotions had to be shown even as we swung the sword, so we had to do the actions ourselves. Before production began, I learned and practiced the actions and stayed more focused than ever during the shoots. Q. Your thoughts on working with the other actors? A. I haven t worked with JEON Do-yeon since our last film together 16 years ago. She s known to be great with all her counterparts, so it was comfortable to act alongside her. KIM Go-eun acts with an animalistic instinct. I was very surprised by her wire action scenes, and I think she will develop into a great actress. LEE Jun-ho was never tensed or edgy and always did his best in all his scenes. He listened well to others opinions and was always ready to learn. Q. Your comments on working with the director? A. Rather than form or style, the director s former works had compelling stories. So, I was even more curious to see how he will draw out <Memories of the Sword>. I was impressed by how he
was very meticulous in capturing every scene and had deep discussions with the actors about the scenes prior to each shooting. Q. Any comments for the audience waiting to watch <Memories of the Sword>? A. It is a film with both the cold and the hot. If you focus and watch the strong emotions by intense characters along with brilliant action scenes, I think you will find a completely different historical action film like never before. It is a fresh, new film with great actors and production crew. I hope many people will look forward to it and enjoy it.
Character & Cast You and I must die. That is our fate. A blind swordswoman who sacrificed everything for justice and revenge _ Sword that guards justice - Wol-so When her colleague Yu-baek is blinded by power and betrays everyone and justice, she struggles her entire life in hatred and vengeance against him. In order to fulfill the order that was destroyed by Yu-baek and herself, she trains and raises a fighter for 18 years who would take their lives. When the day of vengeance draws near, she draws out the sword of truth that will condemn her everything. Endlessly changing most outstanding actress in Korea JEON Do-yeon With films such as <The Contact>, <No Blood No Tears>, <You Are My Sunshine>, <Secret Sunshine>, and <The Housemaid>, it is not an exaggeration to say JEON Do-yeon s filmography reflects the successful history of Korean films. Always captivating audiences with unprecedented transformations in her every role, JEON takes on another surprising challenge in <Memories of the Sword>. As director PARK Heung-sik claims that JEON Do-yeon is the only actress who can portray motherly love, femininity, and strength in her character, she not only shows intense action scenes but delicately expresses emotions of revenge against Yu-baek and love towards Hong-yi to bring the film up a notch in quality. Perfectly getting into character with depth and perfection in her every role, JEON is set to make another strong, lasting mark in her filmography with <Memories of the Sword>. MOVIE The Shameless (2015), Way Back Home (2013), Countdown (2011), The Housemaid (2010), My Dear Enemy (2008), Secret Sunshine (2007), You Are My Sunshine (2005), My Mother, the Mermaid (2004), Untold Scandal (2003), No Blood No Tears (2002), I Wish I Had a Wife (2001), Happy End (1999), and others
Interview Q. What drew you to star in this film? A. I heard about this film while filming <My Mother, the Mermaid> with director PARK Heung-sik. I forgot about it, then received the script 8 years later. When I saw the title, <Memories of the Sword>, I knew I was destined to take part in it. I cried after I finished reading the script. I think it turned out to be a far better film than I expected. Q. How did you prepare to do the action scenes? A. I began practicing in the heat of summer before production started. I learned the basics in swordsmanship and wire actions to the point I could squeeze out the sweat from my gym clothes. In order to appear flexible and dance-like in combat, I also learned traditional dances. Q. Your thoughts on doing all the actions? A. When shooting began and I acted with other actors according to the different camera angles and dressed in costume, things were always different from the practices. At first, the sword itself was overwhelming and I was worried that others will get hurt, but gradually I was able to focus on other things besides the sword. Later, there was a moment when I could feel, I m in control of the sword. I m not being controlled by it. Q. Any difficulties in portraying a blind swordsperson? A. Normally, if you cannot see you will not blink much. It was really hard not to blink in fighting and remain expressionless. In showing anger, I naturally opened my eyes widely and glared. I could ve had some technical help in appearing blind, but it would not suit Wol-so s tone, so I tried to do everything myself. Later, the director saw how stressed I was and told me that I could blink, but I was dead against it. It sometimes felt like blood tears will flow from my eyes from not blinking for so long. Q. Your thoughts on working with the other actors? A. I haven t worked with LEE Byung-hun in 16 years, but acting with him felt comfortable like we had just met yesterday. Everyone got along well on the set. KIM Go-eun is new, but she is a
tremendous actress. She is young, but is very eager to act. She is ready and equipped with all the qualities to become a great actress. As for LEE Jun-ho, I was shocked to see his performance in his previous work. He has a sharp look in his eyes and can seem ambitious, but when he smiles he seems like a bright, gentle boy next door. I was also impressed by how he constantly monitored his performances and always tried to do more. Q. Your comments on working with the director? A. This was my third film with director PARK Heung-sik. I love his works, so I chose to take part in <Memories of the Sword> without any hesitation. In other films, I could never express how hard things were or being hurt, but I was able to express things openly during this production. I think it s because I was really comfortable with the director. If he asks me to do a fourth film with him, I would definitely do it. Q. Any comments for the audience waiting to watch <Memories of the Sword>? A. Every time I came to the set and watched the footages, I d think, How will this movie come out? and really look forward to it. Besides LEE Byung-hun and KIM Go-eun, so many other great actors appear in the film such as LEE Kyung-young, KIM Tae-woo, LEE Jun-ho, and MOON Sunggeun. I think the film is packed with lots of sights to amuse the audiences imagination and expectations. I hope everyone looks forward to <Memories of the Sword>.
Character & Cast When I turn 20, I will kill them. Born with the fate to avenge her parents enemies _ Sword that dreams of revenge Hong-yi She lost her parents before she could even speak, and trained under Wol-so with the one goal to avenge her parents deaths when she turns 20. At 18 years old, she learns that Wol-so, the one who had raised her, and Yu-baek are the enemies she must kill and falls in shock. The fate of the sword hidden for 18 years takes her to an unexpected new phase in life. A new star with unique charms and talents KIM Go-eun KIM shocked the Korean film industry with her fresh, new charms in <EunGyo>. In <Coin Locker Girl>, she transformed into Il-young, a girl who would do anything to survive, and made it to the Cannes Film Festival stage. Now in <Memories of the Sword>, she makes another drastic change into Hong-yi, a girl who lives to seek revenge on the enemies who killed her parents. Director PARK claimed KIM is the only actress fit to stand next to LEE Byung-hun and JEON Do-yeon and stressed her unique charms that brought Hong-yi to life. To portray Hong-yi, KIM had to learn to fight with swords, film under water, and do wire actions. She shocked everyone on set with great energy emanating from her small stature. Always taking on new challenges and making the audience look forward to her performances, KIM makes an unprecedented transformation and is set to write new history on the big screen with <Memories of the Sword>. MOVIE Coin Locker Girl (2015), Monster (2014), EunGyo (2012)
Interview Q. What drew you to star in this film? A. I ve always enjoyed watching historical action dramas and wanted to take on the challenge. So, when I received the script to <Memories of the Sword>, I was ecstatic! Q. How did you prepare to do the action scenes? A. Including the production itself, I think I practiced swordsmanship and actions for close to 1 year. I ve never held a sword before and just saw how it was used. When I held it for the first time, it felt a lot different from now that I m used to it. At first it was hard to just swing the sword down, but as time passed it surprisingly felt like my hand was one with the sword. Q. Any difficulties in doing the actions? A. After some action scenes, I felt like throwing up because it was so hard. I sometimes went back to my room and threw up everything I ate. No matter how hard I practiced, it was difficult to get all the techniques right. Not only that, I had to pour out emotions with the actions, so it was physically demanding. Q. Why did you do all the actions without any stunt doubles? A. When a stunt double was brought in, something was lacking. The actions and techniques were amazing, but I wanted to express things on my own. Even the stunt team said that there is a big difference in stunt doubles and the actor doing the stunts directly. From then on, I thought doing the actions was a part of my role and I tried to do the best that I can. Q. Your thoughts on working with the other actors? A. LEE Byung-hun would check and monitor my scenes first and complimented me a lot. It felt like he wanted me to do better than him, and I was so thankful it almost made me cry. It was a big help. JEON Do-yeon would take my calls no matter how late at night I called to consult with her. She did her best till the end in every scene, so I was ashamed to complain about things
being hard. LEE Jun-ho is a hardworking actor with great sense. We helped each other a lot in acting. Q. Your comments on working with the director? A. I realized and learned a lot from director PARK. When I was at a loss what to do, he would give me hints and encouraged me. He made me think, I m happy to be able to act. Although the role was physically demanding, I think I was happy throughout the production. Q. Any comments for the audience waiting to watch <Memories of the Sword>? A. To me, it ll remain an unforgettable, beautiful film. I hope the audience will remember it the same way. The characters show of emotions, the action scenes, and the beautiful visuals throughout will blend together as a new genre of film like never seen before in Korea.
Character & Cast If you are after his life, I must kill you. A young man who envies Yu-baek, Goryeo s top warrior _ Sword of ambition - Yul Wanting to be recognized and become the top warrior, Yul enters the combat games in order to be able to serve under Yu-baek, the most powerful man in Goryeo. Yul succeeds in getting acknowledged by Yu-baek with his superb combat skills and the look of ambition in his eyes. Later, when he finds out that Hong-yi, whom he first met at the combat games and has developed special feelings for, is after Yu-baek s head, he is faced with a great dilemma. New actor who captivates on the big screen and the stage _ LEE Jun-ho After his debut as a singer in 2PM, LEE Jun-ho has enjoyed fame world-wide. After his performances in <Cold Eyes> and <Twenty>, he emerged as an up-and-coming new actor in the Korean film world as well. In <Memories of the Sword>, he takes on Yul, a warrior who is energetic, but also respectful and loyal, and reveals new sides of him like never before. In order to prepare for the action scenes, he learned from the basics of breathing and drawing strength in combat and later ended up doing most of the actions himself. Although it was hard to show emotions and do the actions at the same time, he claims the sense of accomplishment was great and really got into his character. Even in the midst of great senior actors, he gives an eye-catching performance and fills out the film all the more. MOVIE Twenty (2015), Cold Eyes (2013)
Interview Q. What drew you to star in this film? A. When I first received the script, I thought the film was packed with emotions. Also, when I heard about the other three actors starring in it, I wanted to star in it no matter what. I had great faith in the film. Q. How did you prepare to do the action scenes? A. Since I danced a lot as a singer, I thought doing the action scenes would be easy. But I had much to learn from drawing strength to breathing. Depending on the filming conditions, terrain, camera angles and so on, the action sequences often changed a lot, so it was hard. I received a lot of help from stunt director SHIN Jae-myung. Q. Why did you do all the actions without any stunt doubles? A. I got greedy. Even if only my backside showed, the audience will know if it was me or not. I wanted to express everything in detail. Being immersed in character, sometimes I got excited and my movements got more intense, so I had many injuries big and small. But I filmed without any regrets. Q. Your thoughts on working with the other actors? A. I learned so much from LEE Byung-hun and JEON Do-yeon. JEON made me realize the importance of my character and sent me encouraging text messages. I wasn t adjusted to the production and had not much experience at the time, so the texts were very helpful and made me think that I could do things well. Although I didn t know KIM Go-eun for long, we clicked well during our scenes. Since we re the same age, we were comfortable with each other and the shoots went well. Q. Your comments on working with the director? A. He is very considerate of others. I was worried about how to approach my character, but
director PARK just said to melt who I am into the character. That helped me a lot. I was able to film more comfortably thanks to him. Q. Any comments for the audience waiting to watch <Memories of the Sword>? A. All the actors and staff worked tremendously hard to make the film. I m proud to say it is a great film with magnificent actions as well as heartbreaking emotional scenes. I hope everyone will love the film, and of course Yul as well.
Director I wanted to take on a new challenge of the action film genre and expand my realm. Opening a new horizon in Korean historical action dramas! Talented director without limits! Director PARK Heung-sik After being an assistant director in <Christmas in August>, director PARK Heung-sik made a dazzling directorial debut with <I Wish I Had a Wife> which won him the Best New Director Award at the 37 th Baek Sang Arts Awards. He also won the Grand Prix at the 16 th Yubari International Fantastic Film Festival for <My Mother, the Mermaid>, and received international acclaim. Also, he received much rave from viewers for his excellent portrayal of characters emotions and his detailed look on the world through films such as <Bravo, My Life>, <Sorry and Thank You>, and <Children of Heaven>. Furthermore, he even took TV by storm with the series, <My Sweet Soul>, and made himself known as a master director. Taking on a variety of genres including melodrama, fantasy, and comedy, he makes his return to the big screen with a historical action drama to write new history. Claiming, I wanted to take on a new challenge of the action film genre and expand my realm, director PARK Heung-sik honed the sword for 11 long years for <Memories of the Sword>. With the idea that swords have stories and working long on the script, PARK was able to capture the story of three swordspersons at a time when great swords ruled near the end of the Goryeo Era. His uniquely delicate portrayal of emotions, brilliant action scenes, and intense drama give birth to a new historical action piece like never before. Director PARK Heung-sik is set to shock the Korean box offices once again with <Memories of the Sword>. MOVIE Children of Heaven (2012), Bravo, My Life (2005), My Mother, the Mermaid (2004), I Wish I Had a Wife (2001) DRAMA My Sweet Seoul (2008)
Interview Q. How did you come to first conceptualize <Memories of the Sword>? A. During the production of <My Mother, the Mermaid>, I read the novel, The Legend of the Condor Heroes by Louis Cha. There is a quote from Yuan Haowen s poem in the book s preface: I ask the people of the world. What is justice that it so walks with life and death? That phrase really struck me, and the film started off from there. I wanted to bring together emotional parts into the action genre and expand my domain as well. Q. Your reasons for casting LEE Byung-hun, JEON Do-yeon, KIM Go-eun, and LEE Jun-ho? A. Yu-baek is a villain with many different layers to his character. I wanted an actor who can portray various sides. I think LEE Byung-hun suited the role perfectly. To portray Wol-so, the actress had to have motherly love, femininity, and strength. I think JEON Do-yeon is the only actress who can express all that. Hong-yi is young and she has to have great energy to take on LEE Byung-hun and JEON Do-yeon. Although KIM Go-eun is a new actress, she has uniquely peculiar charms. I found traits in her that I wish Hong-yi, the character, had. LEE Jun-ho s healthy and masculine appearance overlapped with his character Yul perfectly. I think his sincere acting without use of techniques was more appealing. Q. What historical facts did you refer to in preparation for this historical drama? A. There s not much historical facts left on the Goryeo Era. Since there s not much to refer to, I worried a lot on the art, costumes, and props for the production. Naturally, we had to rely on imagination, and thus were able to avoid the typicality of historical pieces. Q. The actors show of emotion is very important in this film. What did you focus on the most in directing? A. The emotions are the most important in a film. Good action films convey the emotions. The actions are used as tools to carry out the emotions. Otherwise, they re just movements. The actors wanted to focus on the characters emotions while doing the action scenes. And of course they were all outstanding actors with no need for me to draw out the emotions from them.
Q. Any memorably good or difficult scenes? A. Each scene was difficult and the actors worked really hard. Since it was my first time directing an action piece, it wasn t easy and the weather was difficult too. I personally really like the scene where Yu-baek threatens the king. It s a scene where Yu-baek s anger from being of low birth and self-pity comes through in the complex character. Also, the ending scene where all the stars filmed together is also memorable. All the actors and staff all worked hard during filming and everyone loved it after monitoring it. Q. What makes <Memories of the Sword> unique and appealing to watch? A. Set in a difficult era with complex fates, I drew out a story of three characters who had to boldly confront their destinies. Though it is a heavy film, I think such seriousness is the film s charm. Like a Greek epic, it is very solemn and yet lyrical. Though it may be a tragedy, I think it could be a beautiful film.