A Look at Han Hyo-joo’s Transformation into Big Knife in ‘Believer 2’

Han Hyo-joo has a substantive presence on screen; she is a dynamic risk-taker never at odds with trying things new. Being successful consists of her will to jump through hoops to fulfill a role—mostly very demanding, often difficult, and unconventional. A look at her transformation into Big Knife in the upcoming crime action film Believer 2 on Netflix [again] vouches for Han going the extra mile—forgoing glamor and trappings of stardom—to bring off the character.

Believer 2 follows Believer (2018), which involves police investigator Won-ho (Cho Jin-woong) from the narcotics squad as he heads off to locate whoever is responsible for the murder of his source. Seo Young-rak (Ryu Jun-yeol) joins him in the chase in pursuit of the murderer, Brian Lee (Cha Seung-won), a shadowy drug mafia chief who is utterly evil and skilled at disguising himself. Five years later, Believer 2 delves into the inner workings of the illusive drug syndicate via Won-ho’s inquiry into the disappearance of Young-rak upon Brian’s arrest. This time, Big Knife, Lee’s closest associate, is managing its activities.

Big Knife is a crafty adversary with intricacies. For Han, playing her has been a particularly arduous ride. She underwent extensive training to be able to wear clothes that she hadn’t ever worn before. The actor disclosed in an in-depth interview about her professional trajectory with N Entertainments, a Korean news portal, that she worked very hard for Big Knife, shed a lot of weight, built lean muscles, and hardly drank any water.

Director Baek Jong-yul claims that Big Knife’s character is kind of tragic. Han elaborates that she has a borderline personality disorder and that, to make the role seem more real, she studied a lot of books about the condition and its symptoms.

To reiterate, Han found it rather challenging to assume the physical form of Big Knife during the role-playing process. She said that in trying to get Big Knife’s toned, slim appearance, she took on intense workouts, including regular weight training. In addition to adhering to a rigorous diet, she skipped water for three days in a row to get the dehydrated, rugged look and skinny body she had been focusing on for a while.

As part of the “Korean Cinema Today: Special Premiere” section, Believer 2 had a premiere early last month at the 28th Busan International Film Festival. It will be available to stream on Netflix starting November 17.