[HanCinema's News] Lee Hanee Talks About "Phantom"

Lee Hanee had not been an active force in South Korean popular culture in 2022, as she was pregnant and gave birth during that year. But the thirty-nine year old actress is well on her way to a comeback that begins with the release of "Phantom" on January 18th where she plays a credited leading role. In a recent interview, Lee Hanee remarked that working again felt like a form of cosplay because it's been so long. Nevertheless, Lee Hanee described herself as extremely happy.

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"Phantom" takes place in 1933, and deals with an anti-Japanese spy organization during the Korean Occupation and efforts to identify a spy at an isolated hotel. Lee Hanee plays the highborn daughter of a Korean family who works for the government's correspondence and cryptography departments. When asked to explain why she joined the project, Lee Hanee said there was no good reason not to as he character was good, director Lee Hae-yeong and her co-stars were all good.

Lee Hanee had especially high words of praise for Sol Kyung-gu, saying that working with him was an honor. Lee Hanee admitted to having doubts about herself as an actress, but claimed that looking at the people she was working with, it was hard to see herself as anything but a success. Lee Hanee mentioned that she often thinks of pride that she is an actress who can breathe the same space as Sol Kyung-gu.

Lee Hanee claimed that this hyping up of herself was highly necessary, as the two characters needed to feel like equals for the climax to be satisfying. In regard to the character played by Park So-dam, Lee Hanee made a cryptic statement about love and living for death rather than life which seemed design to obfuscate potential spoilers. This may also have been a reference to the thyroid cancer diagnosis Park So-dam received in December 2021 after filming for "Phantom" was complete.

Park So-dam has since recovered enough that she is now helping to promote "Phantom" in South Korea. Lee Hanee claimed that everyone was surprised to hear about Park So-dam's undergoing such a tough filming, and worried about her as the youngest lead credit. Lee Hanee also discussed her daughter, noting with surprise that she looked like a sweet potato when born and with relief that she looks more like her husband now, despite sharing Lee Hanee's distinctive smile.

Written by William Schwartz

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"Phantom" is directed by Lee Hae-yeong, and features Sol Kyung-gu, Lee Hanee, Park So-dam, Park Hae-soo, Kim Dong-hee, Seo Hyun-woo. Release date in Korea: 2023/01/18.