“I felt my blood start to flow again when I returned to acting after nine years. Parasite was a gift. But I do not want to be seen as someone who became this way because one project succeeded. I want to show that I am truly working hard.”
Actress Jang Hye-jin, now in her 28th year since debut, said this in a recent interview. She made her screen debut in If It Snows on Christmas (1998) and later became known worldwide through Parasite (2019), which won four Academy Awards.
Jang reunites with actor Choi Woo-shik, with whom she played mother and son in Parasite, once again as a mother and son in the upcoming film Number One. The film targets the Lunar New Year holiday box office. The interview took place on February 3 at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, where she spoke not only about Number One but also about her long journey as an actress.
Number One tells the story of Ha-min (Choi Woo-shik), who begins to see numbers decreasing one by one every time he eats his mother’s food. He eventually learns that when the number reaches zero, his mother Eun-sil (Jang Hye-jin) will die. The film follows his desperate effort to protect her.
In the film, Jang plays Eun-sil, the most precious person and “number one” in Ha-min’s life. Through warm, realistic acting and delicate expressions of complex emotions, she delivers a performance that leaves a deep and lingering impression.
Speaking about reuniting with Choi Woo-shik after about seven years, Jang said, “There was no need to get to know each other again. We skipped the so-called ‘getting-to-know-you’ stage where you feel tense and cautious, and that was nice.”
She continued, “I kept wondering what had happened to him in the meantime. His acting was so good. Watching him on set surprised me, and I thought, ‘I want to act like that too.’ His range has deepened so much. I could tell he had gained a lot of know-how over the past few years.”
She added, “More than anything, he seemed to feel a stronger sense of responsibility for the set. He took care of many things and guided the other actors well. I think he has changed positively in every way. At the same time, his quirky charm and politeness are still there, which made it even better. His attitude of not taking things at face value, of trying to see characters from different perspectives and avoid making them predictable, is still the same.”
Jang has previously mentioned several times that her real-life son resembles Choi Woo-shik. During the interview, she even showed a photo of her son on her phone. His facial features and overall image were strikingly similar. Smiling brightly, she said, “Woo-shik is also a late-born child. He has that unique cuteness.”
She went on to talk more about Number One. “It could easily have become melodramatic, but we deliberately blocked excessive emotional immersion. That is the charm of this film,” she said. “The idea that a mother will die when the number reaches zero is cruel, but because the number is visible, the characters can do their best. People live as if there is no end, even though there is always an end. Today could be the last day. That aspect really resonated with me.”
She added, “After watching the film, you may feel like becoming a kinder person. It is a work that families can enjoy together during the holidays.”
Last year, Jang received praise for her subtle emotional performance as the mother Kang Tae-seon in the independent film The World of Love (2025).
Reflecting on that experience, she said, “After finishing The World of Love, I was emotionally exhausted. The story itself was heavy. Number One also depicts difficult situations, but the tone is different. Eun-sil in Number One is someone who thinks, ‘Yes, it was hard. But if I do my best with what is given, another tomorrow will come.’ Acting in this film was healing for me, and it made me feel at ease. It came at the right time.”
Looking at her filmography, it would not be an exaggeration to call Jang the next ‘national mother’ following Kim Hye-ja. She has portrayed countless mothers on both television and the big screen, whether in leading roles, supporting roles, or special appearances. Above all, she has proven her acting ability by making each mother character distinct.
“In real life, I am also the mother of two children,” she said. “Life gives you a certain range in acting.”
She also showed humility, saying, “I know that I am not an actress who is exceptionally good.”
Jang is a first-generation graduate of the School of Drama at the Korea National University of Arts. She began her acting career with a minor role, but later stepped away from acting for about nine years, returning to Busan and working at supermarkets and department stores.
While she was in Busan after giving up acting, director Bong Joon-ho asked her to work on Memories of Murder, but she declined.
Later, director Lee Chang-dong suggested she appear in Secret Sunshine, marking her return to acting. After more than a decade of minor roles, she finally encountered Parasite.
“Parasite was a gift,” she said. “But I want to show that I am still working hard. Acting on set is when I feel happiest.”
Jang concluded, “Whether I am happy or depressed, I have always watched films and dramas. I hope people will say, ‘Jang Hye-jin was there.’ I want to be an actress who is always present, someone who shares emotions with people of the same era. I do not want to be a star. I want to be remembered as a friend.”
Number One opens in theaters on February 11.
Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press
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