Over the last three decades, Lee Byung-hun has established himself as one of the most bankable actors in Asia, with roles in high-profile projects like Joint Security Area and I Saw the Devil. But even he will admit that it wasn’t until the meteoric success of Squid Game, which kick-started a global love affair with all things Korean, that he really became a household name.

One of the most prominent figures in the rise of K-culture across the globe thanks to his villainous role as the Frontman in Squid Game, last summer’s turn as Gwi-ma in Netflix smash hit KPop Demon Hunters has undoubtedly cemented that status for a whole new generation of viewers.

The actor continues his hot streak with the critically acclaimed black comedy, No Other Choice, which sees him reunite with veteran director Park Chan-wook. The film follows Man-su (Byung-hun), a veteran employee of a papermaking company who is suddenly laid off after 25 years. After months of unsuccessful job hunting, and in a desperate attempt to maintain his lifestyle, he goes to extreme lengths to eliminate the competition for his desired job.

Byung-hun was drawn to the movie’s exploration of what happens to an ordinary man when his way of life is threatened. “He’s in a rollercoaster-like situation and it crashes hard from the beginning. In order to overcome this situation, he attempts various methodologies and ends up making this uncommon extreme choice,” says Byung-hun. “Throughout this very extreme process, the biggest task was to persuade the audience of what he’s going through, but it was also a motivating factor and why I wanted to play him.”

Infused with comedy and wit, No Other Choice subverts the classic revenge thriller subgenre by distancing the audience from the protagonist’s motives and highlighting the absurdity of his actions. “[He’s] eradicating people with whom he has no relationship. He might actually be very similar to these other people and feel sympathy towards them and have empathy for them,” says Byung-hun.

“However, he ends up being forced to eliminate these people. I thought that the audience, while following the protagonist’s story and his emotions, would start deviating and they would no longer be with him, but observing him as a third person.”

Having premiered at the Venice International Film Festival 2025, where Chan-wook was nominated for the prestigious Golden Lion award, it also appeared at high-profile film festivals in Toronto, Busan and London, where it received critical acclaim from fans and critics alike.

Adapted from Donald Westlake’s 1997 novel The Ax, which delves into the human psyche and tackles universal themes of unemployment anxiety and finding purpose in society, Byung-hun explains that, even though the novel is almost 30 years old, the themes it explores are still “important and necessary” today and that the “story really transcends time”.

“[The movie] also poses a question about [societal] systems. We create these systems to enable a better world and make life easier for ourselves,” says Byung-hun. “However, we can question whether the outcome made our lives better and whether it made the world a better place or made people happier.”

With No Other Choice, Chan-wook also contemplates the potential effects of artificial intelligence on society and the impact it could have on workers — an issue that felt like a dystopian future just a few short years ago but is now very much becoming a reality, especially in the film industry. While AI has a necessary place in entertainment, there has been a concerning shift in recent years towards creatives being replaced by automation and technology.

“The last [issue] posed by the film is the development of technology such as AI, which can be problematic,” says Byung-hun. “For us in the film industry, this is not an issue that will come to us in the near future; it’s a threat that is already here. My colleagues and I try to laugh it off, but it’s the beginning of a huge threat that’s coming our way and that gives me the chills.”

The increased use of AI in the film industry has made headlines and divided opinions. Take the example of the world’s first AI ‘actor’ Tilly Norwood, who made headlines when she was nearly signed to a Hollywood agency before a backlash from unions and actors, with Emily Blunt describing the move as "really, really scary".

“I’m not sure [what can be done]; that’s why it’s a problem and a threat. Obviously, you may require regulations and rules, however, I fear that the development of technology such as AI is too unpredictable. It’s incredibly rapid and, the way it gets upgraded, I wonder if by establishing precise legislation we could catch up with the speed of the development of the technology.”

Following the global success of KPop Demon Hunters, which became the most-watched title in Netflix history, and Squid Game, which broke viewership records and brought K-dramas to a new global audience, Byung-hun has seemingly got the Midas touch when it comes to picking roles.

However, he says that when deciding on his next project, it is not a big discussion with a large group of people where they “analyse it to death”. Instead, it’s much simpler than that: “It’s actually based on a very subjective judgment of how I feel after reading the script. That really determines my decision; that was the case for Squid Game, KPop Demon Hunters and No Other Choice. It’s very instantaneous.”

And, while he has no official projects in the pipeline at the time of writing, given the voracious appetite for all things Korean, don’t expect Byung-hun to be away from our screens for too long. “It’s been awe-striking for me too to see all of this happen. To be part of it feels great. I have really experienced, yet again, how [K-culture] is no longer niche but in mainstream culture.”

No Other Choice is in cinemas now.

Read more: Christine Adams on Hijack and diversity in acting