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Kim Hye-soo Excited to Take on New Challenge

Kim Hye-soo is a brave actress who is not afraid of taking on new challenges. Her filmography reflects her bold character and undying commitment to acting.

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She played unusually charismatic female roles in "Tazza: The High Rollers" (2006), "The Thieves" (2012) and "The Face Reader" (2013). She is set to come back with a new noir film, "Coin Locker Girl", which will be released next week.

Kim called her latest endeavor "a new challenge that makes my heart race and scares me at the same time".

"It was an unfamiliar experience, but every time I stepped onto the set I could feel a surge of excitement", Kim said. "Even when I had to spend two to three hours to get dressed up for filming, I could feel a strange sense of excitement that I had to suppress when I was acting".

Kim plays an immigrant woman who lives the tough life of a crime boss. She didn't mind looking unattractive for the role with lots of age spots on her face and a funky hairstyle. She also wrapped prostheses around her waist and hips to look plump.

"It wasn't easy to decide whether to join or not because I wasn't sure if I could do it", Kim said. "But once I made up my mind, I didn't worry about how I would look for a single moment. I think it is a great privilege as an actress to take on a role that makes you dare to do anything".

"Coin Locker Girl" is a full-on noir film that is rare in Korean cinema. Gloomy and bleak images depict the world of underground criminal life, and maintaining heightened tension is a very important aspect in this particular genre of movie. "I was very focused on how to portray the character vividly and realistically", she said.

Having been in showbiz for almost 30 years, Kim has now become one of the leading actresses in Korean cinema. "There were times when I felt uneasy about being overrated as an actress. I am not as perfect and great as many people may think, but I'm trying to get better every day. This may be why I can still work".

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