A Grueling 'Seven Days' for Kim Yun-jin

“Seven Days,” starring “Lost” star Kim Yun-jin is getting an explosive response. With a fast-paced storyline and a complicated plot, the movie released on Nov. 14 appeals especially to movie fans in their 20s. Overseas markets have also shown interest: at the American Film Market recently, U.S. production firm Summit Entertainment, the maker of popular movies such as “Mr. & Mrs. Smith” (2005) and “Vanilla Sky” (2001) snapped up the right to a remake for US$1 million. It plans to spend $30 million on the Hollywood version.

Kim Yun-jin recalls the moment when she was offered the lead during shooting of “Lost” in Hawaii. At first, she says, she didn’t think she could take the offer due to the tight shooting schedule for the drama series. “I printed out the screenplay, just to give it a shot. But once I started reading, I couldn’t put it down. I finished reading the last page standing beside the printer and decided to take the offer immediately.”

In the movie, Kim plays a top lawyer who has to fight against a kidnapper to rescue her daughter. She has seven days to swap her daughter for a convicted murderer. “The leading character is unusually strong for a Korean movie; that’s why she’s so attractive,” Kim says. The heroine pushes ahead with her impossible mission to release a murderer on death row rather in the style of Hollywood warriors like Jodie Foster and Sigourney Weaver. Kim’s charismatic performance and explosive presence are instantly riveting. “Once the camera is on, I never lose my concentration for a moment,” she says.

To maximize the speed, director Won Shin-yeon shot a large amount of scenes with three cameras. That did not allow Kim to consider reactions from her co-stars and required her to perform impeccably at all times. The fast pace of shooting was exhausting. “I got completely worn out while shooting a running scene in mid-summer. But I didn’t feel it was too much, because we all believed that Won will make a great movie,” Kim recalls.

Kim Yun-jin, winner of the best actress award at the 2002 Cheongryong (Blue Dragon) Film Awards for her role in “Deep Loves,” suddenly upped sticks and went to the U.S. in 2003, and there she made the rounds of Hollywood agencies with her portfolio by herself.

She says she can cool-headedly give up anything when she comes to the conclusion that it doesn’t work. But if she decides to do something, she puts it into action without fail. Despite the worries of her acquaintances, she did not quit in her efforts to become a star in the U.S. and eventually she established a worldwide name for herself in “Lost.” But Kim says she has not forgotten her Korean fans or that her starting point was Chungmuro, Korea’s Hollywood. Asked whether she has achieved her dream, Kim says she is just getting ready for another leap forward.

(englishnews@chosun.com )