Isabelle Huppert: “Hong Sangsoo’s films are finely polished”

Korean director Hong Sangsoo presents In Another Country In Competition: a film in which Isabelle Huppert plays three different roles at a coastal resort in South Korea. The film crew attended a press conference to answer journalists’ questions.

Isabelle Huppert on filming in Korea:
“The adventure was a type of enchantment for me. I set off not knowing what would happen to me. Hong Sangsoo works in a very particular way without a script. All I knew was that I would be playing three roles. I left France with just this information and only a few costumes. Hong Sangsoo’s films are not at all improvised, on the contrary, they are highly polished, both in how they are filmed and in what they require from the actors. I felt very welcome in Korea. I worked alongside some great actors. Their extreme kindness was deeply touching.”

Yu Junsang on acting alongside Isabelle Huppert:
“Working with Isabelle was a real joy. She is like a child: so happy. But once filming started, she became focused. Then, when the camera stopped filming, she was back to being joyful again. I was worried that she would get bored during filming so I gave her a tour of the Buddhist temples …”
 

Hong Sangsoo and zooming:
“Zooming allows me to film from a distance and get closer to the actors’ faces, I use it to create a rhythm.”