[News Culture] “The most dangerous moment would be realizing that I no longer love what I do. That hasn’t happened to me. I still love this work, and I still find myself waiting and hoping for what comes next. It is a profession that depends on being given another opportunity, but I want to keep doing it for as long as I can.”
Thirty-four years into her acting career, Uhm Jung-hwa is still looking ahead. At 56, she remains one of the few Korean stars who can command both the screen and the concert stage, but she speaks less about what she has already accomplished than about the role that may open the next chapter of her career.
News Culture recently met Uhm at a café in Seoul’s Samcheong-dong ahead of the release of “Okay! Madam 2.” During the interview, she reflected on returning to the franchise after six years, the physical demands of action filmmaking and the deeper dramatic work she still hopes to pursue.
“Okay! Madam 2” follows Mi-young, a former elite agent who sets off on a luxury cruise with her family, only to become caught in a kidnapping crisis. Once known by the codename “Magnolia,” Mi-young now runs a Korean doughnut shop while trying to keep a struggling business afloat and look after an immature, unemployed husband and a teenage daughter. When danger erupts at sea, however, the instincts she thought she had buried quickly return.
The role once again allows Uhm to move between broad comedy, emotional drama and full-scale action. Mi-young may appear overwhelmed by the pressures of ordinary family life, but beneath that exterior is a seasoned operative capable of taking control when everyone around her begins to panic.
“We talked about making a sequel as soon as the first film ended,” Uhm said. “Then the pandemic came, audiences stopped going to theaters and simply getting a film made became difficult. Being able to return with the series six years later feels almost miraculous. We approached the sequel hoping to make it strong enough for the story to continue beyond this film.”
Leading a comedy franchise brings both pride and pressure, she admitted. “It is exciting to return as the central character, and I feel proud that this has become a series. At the same time, it is frightening because you feel responsible for keeping it alive. I would love to continue making these films.”
Asked how long she hoped to play Mi-young, Uhm laughed and replied, “Like Tom Cruise?” The answer was playful, but the ambition behind it was clear. She hopes “Okay! Madam” can continue as a long-running action franchise rather than ending with its second installment.
Uhm is also encouraged by signs that audiences are returning to cinemas and that the Korean film industry is beginning to recover. “I am so happy to see people going back to theaters and the industry regaining its energy,” she said. “I hope we can make a third film much sooner this time.”
‘I Wanted the Action to Feel Stronger’
Although “Okay! Madam 2” is built as a comedy, Uhm’s expanded action performance is one of its main attractions. She personally asked the filmmakers to make the sequel more physically demanding than the original, believing that the second film needed to raise the stakes rather than simply repeat what audiences had already seen.
“While the screenplay was being developed, I kept saying that I wanted more action and stronger action than in the first film,” she said. “For me, the challenge was making sure I could perform it convincingly.”
The shift from an airplane to a cruise ship gave the production far more space to work with. The original film confined Mi-young to narrow aisles and enclosed sections of an aircraft, forcing her to rely on quick reactions and improvised movements. The sequel opens up the scale of the action, allowing her to run across the deck, change disguises and move through a wider range of environments.
“In the first film, the action was about reacting quickly inside a very limited space,” Uhm explained. “This time, we were able to use the cruise ship itself. The setting gave Mi-young more room to move, and we paid particular attention to making each fight feel more forceful.”
Uhm was determined that the choreography should never appear softened simply because the central action hero is a woman. “I did not want audiences to feel that the action was weaker because it was being performed by a female lead,” she said. “I wanted Mi-young to be someone they could believe in and follow without hesitation. I hope ‘Okay! Madam’ can earn that kind of trust as an action film as well as a comedy.”
The most difficult sequence was filmed inside a real cave rather than on a constructed set. The choreography required rapid punches, blocks and reactions, all performed in a dark and unfamiliar environment. “There was lighting, but it was still difficult to see and adjust,” Uhm recalled. “At one point, the next movement suddenly disappeared from my head. The stunt director even had to tell me to pull myself together.”
Despite the strain, she said action remains one of the most satisfying parts of filmmaking. “I love action films. The work itself becomes exercise, so in that sense you get two things at once,” she said. “The process can be exhausting, but when the timing is right and the choreography falls perfectly into place, there is an incredible sense of release.”
Her stamina drew admiration on set, although Uhm dismissed the idea that she recovers more easily than everyone else. “After a difficult shoot, I am only as tired as the other people working with me,” she said with a laugh.
The physical foundation for her performance comes from a training routine she has maintained for years. After finishing the first “Okay! Madam,” she returned to boxing because she felt she had more to achieve as an action performer. She now alternates between yoga, Pilates, surfing and weight training three or four times a week, and has recently added F45 to her schedule.
“I get bored if I only do one form of exercise,” she said. “I like switching between different routines.” She then added with a laugh, “I also take a huge number of supplements.”
For Uhm, maintaining that level of preparation is part of the responsibility that comes with leading a film. She said she does not want to avoid a scene simply because it is physically difficult, particularly when the audience expects the central character to carry the action with conviction.
“I feel an enormous responsibility whenever I begin a project,” she said. “Rather than avoiding a difficult action sequence or giving up halfway, I want to do everything possible to give the audience something satisfying. I want them to believe in the character and remain with her until the end.”
The sequel also introduces Choi Sooyoung, whom Uhm had known for years through their work as singers. Their friendship deepened after Sooyoung moved further into acting, and Uhm began following her career with greater interest.
“When we were both promoting as singers, we were usually too busy to do more than exchange greetings,” Uhm said. “After Sooyoung began acting, we became closer, and she even started visiting my home. Once you become close to someone, you naturally pay more attention to their work.”
Uhm said she admired the way Sooyoung gradually expanded her acting range rather than rushing into major roles. “She built her career step by step, and I thought that was wonderful. She has done a very good job in every project.”
When Sooyoung emerged as a candidate to play Banya in “Okay! Madam 2,” Uhm was eager for the casting to happen. “Everyone was beginning to agree that Sooyoung would be right for the role, but I became impatient before anything had even been decided,” she said. “I sent her a direct message saying that I hoped we could make the film together.”
She spoke with equal affection about Park Sung-woong, who returns as Mi-young’s husband. Uhm initially found him intimidating, wondering whether his imposing appearance and reserved manner might make him difficult to approach. That impression quickly disappeared once they began working together.
“He is someone I can trust and lean on,” she said. “When I first met him, I thought he looked frightening. It was not that I was genuinely afraid of him, but I wondered whether he might be difficult to work with. Then I discovered how warm and affectionate he is. We are so close now that we feel more like brother and sister.”
‘I’m Waiting for the Role That Opens a New Door’
Uhm made her film debut in 1992 with a small role as a radio DJ in “Marriage Story.” Over the following 34 years, she built a filmography spanning romance, comedy, thrillers and action, earning two Baeksang Arts Awards for Best Actress in Film and a Grand Bell Award for Best Actress.
Her ability to remain a leading actor into her 50s is exceptional, particularly in an industry that has historically offered fewer substantial roles to women as they age. Uhm, however, does not speak as though she has reached a comfortable final stage of her career. She believes another defining role is still waiting for her.
“I am still waiting for a turning point as an actor,” she said. “I would always welcome another comic action film like ‘Okay! Madam 2,’ but I also want a project that allows me to go much deeper emotionally.”
Rather than dwelling on why certain roles have not come her way, she chooses to concentrate on the work she has and remain ready for the next opportunity. “My approach has always been to give everything to what is in front of me while continuing to search for what comes next,” she said. “That is probably how I have made it this far.”
“I do not want to spend my time asking why the role I want has not been offered to me. I would rather move forward feeling excited about the time and possibilities that are still ahead.”
Her drive, she explained, comes less from a need to prove herself than from genuine enjoyment. She still loves being on a film set, living as an actor and moving between different forms of performance. “I am not sure it is even passion,” she said. “I think I continue because I simply love doing it.”
That affection remains her clearest measure of how long she intends to continue. “The most dangerous moment would be when something I once loved no longer brings me joy,” Uhm said. “That moment has not come. I still love this work, so I continue waiting and hoping for the next opportunity.”
Alongside her acting career, Uhm has built an equally formidable legacy as a singer, earning the nickname “Korea’s Madonna” and becoming a model for younger performers balancing music and acting. She responded modestly to the idea that many younger artists view her as a role model.
“I think people say that because I have been working for a long time,” she said. “The younger artists doing both music and acting are all doing so well. Watching them alone makes me happy.”
Uhm also made it clear that her door remains open to junior performers who want advice or simply someone willing to listen. “I may not be able to offer full life counselling, but I am always willing to hear their stories and share some of my own experiences,” she said. “Any younger artist who wants to talk should feel comfortable reaching out.”
Uhm is now waiting to begin filming her next project, “The Only,” while also preparing new music. Thirty-four years after her debut, she is not settling into the role of an industry veteran looking back on a completed career. She is still training, still searching and still waiting for the role that may change its direction once again.
Reported by News Culture M.J._mj94070777@nc.press
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