Kim Hye-ja initially rejected her first film role in 9 years — a director's letter changed her mind

Kim Hye-ja almost didn't do it.

The 82-year-old veteran actor makes her screen comeback after nine years with 여전히 찬란하게 (Still Radiant), opening October 21. She turned the role down first. "I hadn't done it before, and I was afraid not to do it," she said. What changed her mind was director Song Il-gon's handwritten letter. "Don't be scared," he told her. "Just do it the way you know and look."

After finishing the drama 천국보다 아름다운 (More Beautiful Than Heaven), Kim had wanted to step back entirely. "I want to stay still like wildflowers in front of my house," she said at the time.

What the film is about

Still Radiant follows two friends who spent their most brilliant years together and reunite after 60 years. The film draws on the subject of comfort women victims during the Japanese colonial period, tracing the story through the memories of a character named Soonok. Kim stars alongside Park Seo-kyung and Choi Joo-eun.

Kim has been thinking carefully about what the film should do to an audience. "If it ends only with sadness, why watch a movie?" she said. "You watch to feel relieved. Even while crying, there are moments like 'something is okay'—I was thinking a lot about the thread of hope." Her hope for viewers is direct: "When people cry their fill, their hearts become pure. I hope this film plays that role."

The press run, and a cold that kept her away

Kim attended the 31st Busan International Film Festival on October 6 for the opening ceremony. The three leads recorded an interview for the YouTube channel 문명특급 (MMTG) during the festival period, which went up October 16. She skipped the October 15 press screening at Megabox Coex in Seoul's Gangnam-gu.

Director Song Il-gon explained her absence: "Due to a cold, she was unable to attend due to unavoidable circumstances. I spoke with her on the phone before the meeting, and she feels very sorry and regretful. I wondered if she would attend even with support, but her physical condition was not good."

Kim's agency described the health issue as a simple cold.

Still Radiant opens October 21.