[SBS Star] Lee Byung Hun Shares He Regrets Turning Down Offers for 'Oldboy' & 'Parasite'

Actor Lee Byung Hun revealed which films he regrets turning down offers. 

On April 19, Lee Byung Hun attended 'The Future of Hallyu: Korean Film on the Global Stage' conference held at Stanford University in California, the United States.

At the conference, Lee Byung Hun interacted with about 300 international fans, discussing directions for Korean films and dramas. 

While on the topic of films, Lee Byung Hun was asked an interesting question, "Have you ever regretted rejecting an offer?" 

Lee Byung Hun chuckled, and listed out the films right away, "Ah yes, I certainly have. Those are 'Oldboy', 'Parasite' and 'Decision to Leave'." 

All forementioned films are in fact globally-recognized movies that won various awards at prestigious film awards like 'the Oscars', 'the Cannes Film Festival' and such.

When he was asked why, the actor replied with a bitter smile, "Well, it was because I was already scheduled to film other projects. I unfortunately couldn't take part in them due to my schedule." 
After that, Lee Byung Hun told what goes on between him and his script before he chooses to participate in films. 

Before 'Joint Security Area', a film that helped get his name out there, Lee Byung Hun said he paid more attention to the characters when going over the script to decide whether he will take part in it or not. 

But after 'Joint Security Area', he started considering the script itself more than the characters. 

Regarding his current criteria for selecting a project, Lee Byung Hun said, "Feelings are very important.", adding, “I tend to just go for it if the feelings I get right after reading the script are like, 'Oh, that was cool.'"
As he was wrapping up the topic, Lee Byung Hun stated, "I believe the development of the OTT (over-the-top) platforms has brought great opportunities for Korean actors, producers and directors. I'm very happy about that." 

It was easy to understand why he said this, because Lee Byung Hun was much less known around the world compared to how famous he was in Korea before the OTT streaming service Netflix's 2021 Korean series 'Squid Game'; it instantly made him a global superstar. 

Not to mention all the other Korean Netflix series making big success on a global level, including 'Kingdom', 'My Name', 'Hellbound', 'The Glory', 'Physical: 100' and more. 
(Credit= BH Entertainment, CJ ENM) 

(SBS Star)