Youn Yuh-jung returns to the silver screen in 'Dog Days'

Youn decided to make “Dog Days” her comeback film to domestic cinemas because of her longstanding relationship with director Kim Deok-min, whom she first met decades ago when they were both “no-names” in the industry, according to Youn.

Actor Youn Yuh-jung, right, plays Min-seo, a world-renown architect who owns a pet dog, in the upcoming film "Dog Days." [CJ ENM]

Having landed an Oscar, a Bafta award and many other accolades from Hollywood and beyond, actor Youn Yuh-jung is returning to the silver screen in upcoming domestic film "Dog Days," playing a world-renown architect who is obsessed with her pet dog in a comedy drama about the modern craze regarding pets.

And Youn has felt the effects of her rise to global fame.

“I have received so many scripts and offers since the Oscar win and other awards for ‘Minari’ [2020],” Youn said during an interview with reporters on Friday ahead of the release of “Dog Days” on Feb. 7. “I had only really played supporting roles before, but after the Oscar I was being offered the main role. It did feel a bit bittersweet, because I have been in the industry for so long yet just now I was getting all these opportunities.”

Youn decided to make “Dog Days” her comeback film to domestic cinemas because of her longstanding relationship with director Kim Deok-min, whom she first met decades ago when they were both “no-names” in the industry, according to Youn.

Actor Youn Yuh-jung [CJ ENM]

“We met when I had almost no recognition as an actor and director Kim was an assistant,” said Youn. “So we developed a camaraderie of sorts, and I said that I would appear in his work when he debuted as a director. It took 19 years for that to happen, but here we are.”

The character of Min-seo, the famous architect obsessed with her pet dog, was written specifically for Youn — to the point that the character’s name was originally Youn Yuh-jung also. Youn may be a globally famous actor, but the actor said that she feels uncomfortable when people say that they look up to her.

“When younger actors in the industry say that they see me as a role model, I don’t really buy it, nor do I think that people should have role models,” Youn said. “I think that people all need to be their own selves and not emulate others, no matter how appealing it may seem to follow someone. You need to do something different. Everybody does.”

Although her character is a loving pet owner and her life revolves around her dog, Youn herself does not care much for animals now because of a sad memory, the actor said.

“I used to have a dog and it ran away, and I spent nearly a year looking for it, and it was a very stressful and traumatic memory,” Youn said. “And taking care of a dog is akin to raising a child. I am too old and tired for that now.”

A scene from "Dog Days" [CJ ENM]

Along with “Minari,” for which she won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actress in 2021 along with nearly 30 other awards in the United States and in Britain, Youn’s best-known works globally include the Apple TV+ series “Pachinko” (2022).

As the actor had not given interviews after “Minari” or “Pachinko,” she addressed her involvement in the two works Friday.

“With ‘Minari,’ I was so glad that it won as many awards as it did because I came to know Lee Isaac Chung personally and consider him a son of mine, and I knew how much he had gone through to make the film happen,” Youn said. “In ‘Pachinko,’ it almost didn’t happen for me because they wanted me to audition, and I said I don’t do auditions anymore.

“But they reached out to me eventually and I played the older version of Sun-ja, the main character. It was a difficult role because of two aspects — first, I had to speak Japanese, and second, I wanted to express my own idea of the dignity of life in playing Sun-ja,” Youn said. “Sun-ja is a person who had gone through a lot of hardships and sells kimchi in the marketplace as an old woman. I wanted to depict through her how as we get older we have to live with a strong sense of dignity and self-esteem.”

Watching Korean talent gain more and more recognition in Hollywood in recent years has delighted Youn, as the first Korean actor to win an Oscar herself. Steven Yeun, whom she acted alongside in “Minari,” won a Golden Globe and an Emmy award this year for the Netflix original series “Beef,” and she personally congratulated him.

“I texted Steven my congratulations and we exchanged messages,” Youn said. “I also met Celine Song, the Korean-Canadian director of ‘Past Lives,’ which was nominated for Best Picture at this year’s Oscars. She is a very smart woman. I told her that her father must be very proud of her.”

Although Youn kept saying that she is “too old” to have goals and ideas for her future, she did say that she feels lucky to have had the opportunity to keep expanding her talents in her profession and that “everybody needs to keep growing every day.”

“Growth is good and necessary for everyone,” Youn said. “My character in ‘Dog Days’ also grows through meeting her neighbors and interacting with them. You can say that ‘Dog Days’ is a story about development and growth. I also strive to keep growing, and I have many projects lined up which I hope to show people soon.”

BY LIM JEONG-WON [lim.jeongwon@joongang.co.kr]