Korean actress Bae Doona on 'A Girl at My Door'
Bae Doona discusses the profound affect of making compelling Korean drama A Girl At My Door and returning to her native Korea.
Bae Doona is proven to be one of the greatest talents to arrive from South Korea in recent years. Her wide variety of performances across film and television has culminated an astounding and diverse acting career.
Born in Seoul, South Korea, Bae began her acting career in 2000 in Bong Joon-ho’s black comedy Barking Dogs Never Bite before landing a leading role in Sympathy for Mr. Vengence (2002), the compelling drama from renowned Korean filmmaker Park Chan-wook. In addition, Bae’s performances in Air Doll (2009) and As One (2012) got the attention of two of Hollywood’s most innovative filmmakers: Lana and Andy Wachowski. The actress would star in two of their later projects – Cloud Atlas (2012) and Jupiter Ascending (2015) – as well as their new executive-produced Netflix series Sense8 (2015-).
After a series of success in Hollywood and Europe, Bae now returns to her native Korea with the profound drama A Girl At My Door. The actress stars as police instructor Lee Young-nam whose recent relocation to the remote town of Yeosu causes a series of problems when an abused 14-year-old girl keeps showing up at her door. Bae asserts that it was her character’s desolation that intrigued her from the start. “It was her loneliness and how she keeps so isolated”, she states, “For some reason I could feel what she felt when I was reading the script.”
Following her recent portrayals of several fantasy characters, Bae asserts that she was excited about the prospect of playing the part of a Korean realist. “I absolutely love fantasy films but I missed that realist feel of a character.” The actress has been travelling the world across America, Europe and Asia , proving it had been a long time since she had worked in her native Korea. “When I read the script for A Girl At My Door”, she says, “It felt like my feet had touched the ground.” Used to the mass-budgets and wide productions in Hollywood, A Girl At My Door was a vast contrast. “I knew that it was going to be a really tight budget”, recounts Bae, “and I had never done an independent movie to this scale before.” Produced by award-winning filmmaker Lee Chang-dong, the actress asserts “I called him up straight after reading the script saying ‘I need to be in this movie.’”
Bae stars alongside Korean child actress Kim Sae-ron who plays the role of mistreated child, Sun Do-hee. Having already starred in a series of films and television dramas, Kim is swiftly making her way to the top on the Korean film market. “She’s very professional; I think more than me”, laughs Bae, and “She is one of the most promising actresses in Korea right now.” Bae discussed her enthusiasm and admiration for Kim’s compelling performance. “It was really natural to build up the relationship with her because she already knew the process.” However, despite developing a relationship onscreen, both actors were adamant about remaining detached. “I kept my distance because my character is so isolated”, affirms Bae, “As the film approaches to its end, it’s almost unbearable to experience that in a situation but the film flows naturally.”
Another actor to work alongside Bae and Kim is Song Saw-byeok, a respected theatre and Korean film actor. Song portrays the vile character of Park Yong-ha, the abusive and alcoholic father of Sun. Despite his despicable and repellent character, Bae asserts that it is strictly based on a strong performance. “He is the nicest person in real life”, she laughs, “When I heard that he was cast in A Girl At My Door, I was like ‘yes!’” The actress adds, “He’s a really great, method actor in Korea and just a very sweet person: Song was really struggling living in that character because he was so vile.”
First-time filmmaker and former script supervisor July Jung directs A Girl At My Door. “July is one of the quietest people I’ve ever worked with”, Bae laughs, and “She is really calm but very strong.” The actress confirms that, although portraying a compelling and challenging character, it was Jung and the film itself that she was truly drawn to. “If July had asked me to play another character I would have: I just wanted to be in this film and support it so I would have done anything.”
Made on a modest budget of just US $300,000, A Girl At My Door also developed around a modest production. “Compared to American films I have worked on, the production and crew was very, very small”, adds Bae. “There were no five star hotels or anything like that: I shared with the costume and make-up department. It was really fun and very intimate: it felt like family.” Due to its micro-budget, the production also meant reduced number of takes and less shooting days: which meant longer hours. “I broke my record: one day I worked 32 hours straight”, laughs Bae. “Lana Wachowski uses me as an example when actors complain, she declares: ‘complain to Doona, see what she says!”
A Girl At My Door premiered at the 2014 Cannes Film Festival as part of the Un Certain Regard section. The film established rave reviews and received a standing ovation after its initial screening. “I was surprised to hear that so many people loved this film internationally”, says Bae, “It proves that small budget films don’t mean small films.” A Girl At My Door is a profound Korean drama that creates awareness of fundamental issues such as alcoholism and domestic abuse. It is a film that has affected many people including its leading lady. “I did not have a manager when I heard about the script: I found it”, explains Bae. “I chose this film and I am really proud of my decision.”