‘Dark Nuns’ Director “Song Hye-kyo Insisted on Smoking Herself, Saying ‘I Hate Faking It'”

On the morning of Jan 23rd, Director Kwon Hyeok-jae sat down for an interview at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, where he discussed various aspects of the film “Dark Nuns”.

“Dark Nuns” tells the story of individuals who embark on a forbidden ritual to save a boy possessed by a powerful evil spirit.

Reflecting on his experience working with Song Hye-kyo, who returned to the domestic big screen after 11 years with “Dark Nuns”, Director Kwon said, “It had been a long time since Song Hye-kyo’s last film appearance. She had many concerns, especially since the way films are promoted and the way she interacts with the public have changed significantly over the years. I think she found those aspects quite refreshing.”

He continued, “The character Junia seems to have left a strong impression on her. Following ‘The Glory’, I feel she gained confidence in tackling genre works.”

“Once Hye-kyo makes a decision, she doesn’t second-guess herself but fully commits to the present moment. This was evident in the smoking scenes as well. Although she’s a non-smoker, she readily agreed to smoke for the role.”

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Earlier, it was revealed that Song Hye-kyo began learning how to smoke six months before filming and performed all smoking scenes herself.

Director Kwon shared, “Song Hye-kyo said ‘I don’t want it to look fake’ and coolly stated that she would practice smoking. She mentioned that if Junia were real, this is what she would genuinely do. Of course, we could have used nicorettes or CG, but her determination to do it herself was strong. As a director, I was very grateful.“

He added, “There were many aspects of the character Junia that needed preparation, and smoking was just one of them. However, since it’s also the first scene of the movie, it has been viewed as quite bold. Hye-kyo made decisive and refreshing choices for every aspect of the character.“

“Dark Nuns” will premiere on Jan 24th.