[Edaily Starin Choi Hee-jae Reporter] “I don’t really want to compare myself to Mr. De Niro, and it would be sacrilegious for me to even bring it up myself. Heh heh. But wasn’t Han So-hee’s portrayal of Seon-woo just wonderful?”

Actor Choi Min-sik spoke about what sets *The Intern* apart at a press conference held on the 4th at CGV Yongsan I’Park Mall in Seoul.
Choi Min-sik then praised Han So-hee, who took on the role originally played by Anne Hathaway, saying, “Anne Hathaway is a truly great actress. ‘The Martian’ and… But Han So-hee has her own unique strengths,” adding, “It was Han So-hee’s Seon-woo.”
“The Intern” depicts office life that transcends both generations and job titles, beginning when “Ki-ho” (Choi Min-sik), a silver intern with 37 years of experience, joins the company of “Seon-woo” (Han So-hee), who has rapidly risen as a dark horse in the fashion industry just three years after its launch.Director Kim Do-young, who helmed *If We*, took the helm for *The Intern*, crafting a delightful K-office ensemble that resonates deeply with Korean audiences.

“The Intern” is a Korean remake of the 2015 film of the same name, starring Robert De Niro and Anne Hathaway. Choi Min-sik plays the veteran intern Ki-ho, while Han So-hee portrays Seon-woo, a third-year rookie CEO who knows nothing but work.
On the day of the screening, Choi Min-sik shared his thoughts ahead of the release, saying, “Rather than evaluating the film itself, I was moved as I recalled the production process. I gave it my all.”
Han So-hee also said, “I was so nervous while watching it,” adding, “Now that the release is approaching, I feel more excited than worried. I hope you all enjoy it.”
Kim Jun-han, who plays Young-hwan, the vice president of Utuutu, drew laughter by saying, “I was moved even more than I expected. I cried so hard that my face is a mess...” He continued, “I was deeply moved. I hope to share this heartwarming story with many people.”
Ryu Hye-young, who plays Mina, added, “I felt such a pleasant, warm emotion as I left the theater—it was wonderful. I thought this movie was going to be a huge hit.”

Regarding the Korean remake of the original film *The Intern*, Choi Min-sik said, “I started out feeling a lot of pressure, but I thought if I let that pressure define the end result, it would leave a lingering sense of unease.”
He continued, “I recently listened to a song called ‘Peak’ by the late Kim Min-ki. Senior Han Young-ae covered it, and I was deeply moved. I thought, ‘This is it.’”
He added, “I don’t think Senior Han Young-ae thought she had to sing it better than Senior Kim Min-ki when she performed it,” and continued, “It’s the same for us. We came together with the mindset of setting aside the audience’s judgment and the excellence of the original work to express it in our own way. I hope you’ll understand even if there are some rough edges. We did our best.”

Han So-hee said, “It’s true that I started out feeling a tremendous amount of pressure, but in reality, those worries seemed to disappear entirely as we filmed.” She continued, “We did it our way, and there were definitely key points that we could convey through our own sensibilities. Trusting those points, I focused on the combination and harmony between the young people running the company and the senior intern.”
Regarding the aspects he focused on, Director Kim explained, “We took the good elements from the original work and changed what we wanted to change. I viewed it as a narrative of Seon-woo’s growth,” adding, “I wanted the characters to feel more grounded than in the original. While the events unfold similarly, the details are different.”
“The Intern” stars Choi Min-sik, Han So-hee, Kim Jun-han, and Ryu Hye-young, along with Kim Geum-soon, Park Ye-ni, Kim Yo-han, Im Sung-kyun, and Yoon Sang-jung. It opens on the 16th.