'Perfect Crown' team apologizes for historical details in key scene
Jang Hye Jin shares her thoughts on her upcoming movie Number One, the time when she stepped away from acting, and more.
Number One tells the story of Ha Min (Choi Woo Shik), who begins to see a number that decreases by one each time he eats his mother's food. He struggles to protect her when he realizes that when the number reaches 0, his mother, Eun Sil (Jang Hye Jin), will die.
Regarding how she feels ahead of the film's release during the Lunar New Year holiday, Jang Hye Jin shared, "Movies always make me nervous because you can immediately see the audience's reactions." "Because responses come right away one after another, I constantly feel nervous about how viewers will respond," and "Since several films are opening at the same time during Seollal, I'm curious about how the other works will do and how our film will be received."
Talking about the film, she said, "When people who came up from the provinces get worn out by Seoul's smell of cement, what they end up thinking of most is their mom's homemade food, isn't it?" adding, "Even while filming, I could feel that kind of warmth."
"We did use 'mom's homemade cooking' as a kind of a cheat key [technique], but there's a reason it's a cheat key. We're beings born from our mothers," and "Whether your relationship with your mother is good or not, it's clear that the magnitude of heart that Mom gives is undeniable." She added, "It's a story about a mother and her son, but in the end it's a story about all of us, so I think it's a film that can warmly embrace audiences during the holiday season."
Jang Hye Jin has captivated audiences through roles big and small in a range of films and dramas, including Parasite, The House of Us, Crash Landing on You, When Life Gives You Tangerines, and The World of Love, among others.
In The World of Love, dubbed movie of the year (2025), she earned high praise for her portrayal of a mother who tries to ease her daughter's pain while swallowing her own suffering. When people around her praised her, she waved it off.
"Other actors change into a completely different person [when acting], like changing clothes, but I just can't seem to get out of myself. The way I speak, my voice, my gestures — they're all the same. But instead, I study the script meticulously and keep practicing. Because I want to bring out every little thing — each comma, exclamation mark, and even ellipsis between the lines. You'd be surprised if you saw how much I practice."
From a mother who is realistic and calculating, driven by a sense of responsibility to protect her family (Chung Sook in Parasite), to a helpless mother of a trauma-stricken daughter (Tae Seon in The World of Love), and to a spirited mother who gathers strength and keeps living on for her remaining son (Eun Sil in Number One) — they are all called "mom", but the mothers Jang Hye Jin has portrayed each carry a different face and a different story of their own.
"I think it's absolutely not right to just lump them all together as 'mom.' Each person is unique, and they're living their own lives, too. When you think of 'mom', it's not that every mom is self-sacrificing or that mothers have to be this way or that way. My job is to show that there are mothers like this, and there are mothers like that [moms of all kinds], too."
"Mom is a beloved person, someone you love so much, but sometimes it's also a love–hate relationship, and you develop this strange feeling toward someone who resembles you, right? This film isn't like, 'It's a mom story, so you have to cry.' It's the kind of film that makes you think, 'Ah… my mom must have lived a life like this,' and before you know it, you get choked up. After the preview screening ended, looking at the audience, it seemed like everyone needed time to gather their thoughts. If I had to describe Number One, I'd say it's a new kind of melodrama — one that's subtle and isn't excessive."
In the K-movie, Ha Min — born and raised in Busan — leaves his hometown early on to avoid eating his mother's homemade food. Meanwhile, Eun Sil remains in Busan and, while occasionally worrying if her son is eating well, cheerfully lives her life in her own way."
"Even though there's (physical) distance between her and her son, I hoped the feeling of her thinking about him would be portrayed in a cheerful way," adding, "Eun Sil's life is not one of constant sadness and worry. I hoped that Eun Sil's life — living earnestly to raise her remaining son — would be infused into each and every beat of the performance."
When looked at closely, Eun Sil's life resembles Jang Hye Jin's life as an actress — one that was never smooth. Having lost her husband and her beloved eldest son, Eun Sil still picks up her spoon to keep living. Difficult and painful times weighed her down, but in the end, Eun Sil pulls herself up and walks forward steadily, step by step.
Likewise, Jang Hye Jin also traveled through a long tunnel of darkness. She made her debut with a minor role in the film If It Snows on Christmas (1998). However, she suddenly left the industry for nine years. At the time, she concluded that acting no longer felt fulfilling, lost confidence, and believed many others were better than her.
"When I quit, I thought acting wasn't my path. I quit with the resolve to never come back," and "I didn't feel cut out for acting, and wherever I went, it seemed like there were so many people who were better than me." "Acting loses charm when you try too hard, but I kept tensing up," and "I kept wondering, 'Why am I not getting cast? Why do I keep failing?' and my confidence in myself plummeted."
"When I thought I'd have to do it for the rest of my life, the joy gradually began to drain away, and I kept feeling smaller," and "I decided I shouldn't act because I thought, 'At this rate, this could get really dangerous.'"
After quitting acting and returning to her hometown, she did jobs of all kinds — such as a supermarket employee, a department store salesperson, and even the head of a marketing team at an acting academy.
But in 2007, Jang Hye Jin returned to the industry through the film Secret Sunshine, after receiving an offer from director Lee Chang Dong. Letting go of her doubts and anxiety and stepping back into acting, Jang Hye Jin starred in the Oscar-winning film Parasite ten years later, and today, she has become the so-called "nation's mom". Reflecting on her journey, she said, "Life made me an actor."
"If my life had been smooth, I don't think I would've been able to express all those emotions. It's my journey that's been shaping my acting, isn't it? I've been through a lot, but looking back, I realize even the negative experiences weren't entirely without value. I also realized that strength lies in turning them into something positive. That's what helps you keep moving forward. Eun Sil is exactly like that. She's someone who has the strength to move ahead."
Jang also shared how her husband supported her when she was struggling in her acting career. She revealed that she met her husband during the time when she had given up acting in her college days and returned to her hometown, when she was volunteering at an evening school.
She explained, "At the time, I was the Korean language teacher for mothers, and that's where I met my husband. He was the math teacher. We used to call each other 'ssaem, ssaem,' and then we started dating and got married. Then my husband got a job at a company in Seoul, so we came up to Seoul and ended up living here."
Jang Hye Jin continued doing various jobs even after getting married. Then, at her husband's suggestion, she auditioned for the film Secret Sunshine, was cast, and from that point on began acting again.
Recalling that time, Jang said, "I went to the set, and it was so exciting. How should I put it? It felt like my blood was pumping. I thought, 'Geureochi, this is what I used to do it for, something this exciting. So why did I give it up in advance, without even trying, getting exhausted during the preparation process, and just assuming it wouldn't work?' As a lot of things passed through my mind, I told my husband, 'I'm sorry, but I think I need to keep doing this.'"
Her husband actively supported her. Jang Hye Jin remembered, "My husband told me, 'It's fine if you spend all my paycheck. Wear nice clothes when you go to auditions, go to the salon, and do what you need to prepare.' My close friends even pooled money and told me to wear pretty shoes. Everyone helped me."
But her acting career didn't go as smoothly as she had expected. She said she spent ten years doing only bit parts. "I was tired, and I also felt sorry toward my husband, so I asked him, 'Should I quit?' But my husband told me, 'I make money for you to spend. It's okay. Do everything you want.'"
Jang says she's now paying him back for that kindness. "I keep changing my husband's car. If there's a kind of one he wants to drive, I buy it for him. I also bought him nice clothes. But he doesn't really wear them and just hangs them up."
