Lee Byung-hun has a chance to make history. He is the first Korean actor to be nominated for Best Actor, Best Comedy, and Best Musical at the Golden Globe Awards. The “No Other Choice” star said he found out about the nomination from a friend. The actor was sleeping in South Korea when the nominations were announced. “I was sleeping, and I got an email from a Korean friend. Then I realized that I was sleeping, so it was like I was dreaming! It was amazing. I was very happy, but I’m trying to be satisfied with just the nomination. I think acting is about winning and losing. Everyone has their own values, so I’m just trying to enjoy the day no matter what.The Golden Globes is a new experience for me, and I’m looking forward to meeting a lot of great filmmakers. ”
He also received a Gotham Award nomination for “Choice” and voiced Gwima in “KPop Demon Hunters,” which received a Golden Globe nomination.
In Park Chan-wook’s No Other Choice, Lee plays Man-soo, a dedicated manager at a paper mill who, after 25 years of climbing the corporate ladder, is fired, putting his family, his home, his wife and children’s good life, and even his talented daughter’s cello lessons at risk. While the paper mill’s new owners say they have “no other choice” in laying off their employees, Mance is tasked with eliminating a potential rival for another job he desperately needs and wants. But his plan goes pear-shaped in the darkest of comical ways.
Fun fact: Lee projects “Squid Game,” “KPop Demon Hunters,” and “No Other Choice” were all nominated for this year’s Critics’ Choice Awards. “The last couple of years have been very productive for me and I’ve been busy just pushing these projects forward, so I think it’s been surprising and very exciting as well,” he says.
A few days before the ceremony, Lee spoke to Variety over Zoom about No Other Choice, which is nominated for Best Foreign Language Film, Best Motion Picture, Best Musical and Best Comedy, through translator and cinematographer Izue Shin.
What drew you to the character of Mance in “No Other Choice”?
Park’s previous films didn’t feature as much comedy as No Other Choice. Of course, there are dark themes and depressing scenes, but I was really looking forward to it because I knew it would have a lot of comedic elements and I knew I would laugh a lot during the process of making the movie.
How do you balance comedy and drama?
There is a lot of comedy in the story that naturally arises from tragic or dark and depressing moments. And I think if you look at it from a distance, from a third-person perspective, you might be laughing at Mance. But if you were Mance himself, it would be a completely different reality. And I really like this aspect, this duality of the story, that the main character has no comedy for him at all. He is very hopeless. But as the audience follows his story, they are able to empathize with him, and while it takes us in a darker, more depressing direction, they may even laugh at him at times. In this way, you will experience different emotional arcs.
I played Mance and really lived within his own emotions, so I tried to fully enter Mance’s point of view. Of course, one of the things that I was completely wary of is that in the process of creating these comedic moments, they’re really forcing laughs and trying to get the audience to laugh. I think this can exaggerate the performance and distort the emotional development.
What was the key to unlocking the character of Mance?
In terms of getting closer to my character, I wanted to mention the first scene of the movie. Well, life is kind of comfortable. They have this barbecue party at Mance’s father’s house (which he) originally had to sell, but Mance is able to buy it back. And he hugs his family and says: “Oh, I achieved everything.” And I think this is the moment when we realize that Mance is a character who truly wants to protect his family. He is the head of the family. And you can also see that with a little bit of foreshadowing, he might be overlooking a problem that they might have. And if you look at his mustache, you can see that he’s a little macho. I think all of these details really come together to create this character of Mance, even in the first scene, and allow the audience to start getting to know Mance.
There are also dogs running around in the garden, a golden scene reminiscent of the American Dream.
This, especially the long takes, took the most takes of the entire movie. We shot this one-shot for 30 takes, so it was tough both physically and time-wise. Many in the industry say it’s very difficult to photograph with animals and children. Well, it was both. Therefore, it was difficult to execute this shot and understand Director Park’s intentions because there was a slight miscommunication between the dog and the children.
What is your favorite scene in the movie?
I think many audience members will choose the music room scene as the signature scene of “No Other Choice.” (Mance’s first murder attempt involves disguising a gun with an oven mitt and collapsing into an absurdly comical wrestling match that ends up being fatal, but not in the way you might think.) I think this scene is very important to the story, and of course we get a good laugh. However, what I personally wanted to mention is the first interview scene in the movie. We see Mance dealing with the light reflecting off the building on the other side (where he is confronted by three interviewers in his office). He is trying to endure a nagging toothache. His legs are shaking too, and I feel like the whole time this is going on, he’s bluffing about the resume he’s about to give to the interviewer. That is, there is not only a gesture, but also a lot of complex emotions and a mixture of emotions. He is unpleasant, but also very desperate. He has to be proud and wear this smile. So I think this was a moment that showed Mance’s desperation, and this scene was able to really convey his perspective to the audience.
You have a wide range of films and characters on your resume, including Squid Game and KPop Demon Hunters, how do you choose your projects?
I think one of the criteria when deciding on your next project is whether it looks interesting. And of course, this idea of fun is completely subjective. It could be a very depressing story that is still fun to read and learn about, or it could be dealing with very serious and deep social issues. And some might say, “What’s fun about that?” But maybe that’s what’s really fun and interesting to me. Therefore, this is the most important factor. Of course, other factors come into play as well. So when I look at my own filmography, people might say, “Oh, you kind of go in one direction and then go in another direction.” I think it’s because most people have very specific tastes and interests in certain genres. But I’m really looking for this kind of playfulness. I mean, I get into one genre, I get into another, and I find it unpredictable where I’m going to go next.
Who are the up-and-coming Korean directors we should keep an eye on?
Yoon Gaun. She has already produced three or four features and we have met many times. She directed ‘The Owner of the World’ and I think she has a really unique perspective and brings something fresh to the world of cinema.
What is your favorite movie of 2025?
I liked “One Battle After Another” and “Train Dreams.” Train Dreams has a deep pain that lingers from beginning to end. It’s a little difficult to describe in words, but it feels like you’re being stuck with a needle throughout the movie. It’s not like there’s a big climax or an inevitable sob-inducing feeling, but the consistency of the feeling was what was really remarkable to me.
Do you have any plans to work with Director Park again?
of course! I would love to do that, I would love to!
