Actor Gong Yoo and actress Jeon Do-yeon are coming together for a tale of forbidden love, set in snow-covered Finland.

Titled “A Man and a Woman,” the melodramatic film stars two seasoned stars, Cannes darling Jeon and actor Gong, who is returning to the screen after a three-year-hiatus since box-office hit “The Suspect” (2013).

Gong Yoo and Jeon Do-yeon (OSEN)

On Tuesday morning, the two stars and the director Lee Yoon-ki (“My Dear Enemy,” “Come Rain, Come Shine”) talked about the film at a press conference in Seoul.

“It’s been a while since I starred in a melodrama. The film is a very passionate, ardent love story. Director Lee’s (film) style is dry, but I was curious to see how he will create a passionate love story,” said Jeon, who is working with director Lee for the second time since “My Dear Enemy” in 2008.

“It became difficult to find melodramatic genre in the film industry here,” said Gong. “I have always wanted to do a traditional melodramatic film and hoped to work with Jeon. There were no reasons not to do the film.”

Jeon Do-yeon and Gong Yoo (OSEN)

Gong said when he first received the script of the film, he knew it was something he wanted to do, making the decision right away. “But when I began shooting, I felt some pressure to do well and worried if I am not capable of inspiring Jeon. I didn’t want to cause damage to the film,” he said. “This might sound like a cliche, but I am usually influenced a lot by the coactors. But thanks to Jeon, who perfectly turns in to her film character, I was able to focus on my role well.”

“A Man and a Woman” tells a tale of forbidden love between Ki-hong, played by Gong, and Sang-min, played by Jeon. Ki-hong, an architect living in Helsinki with his wife and daughter, and Sang-min, a designer who is in the Nordic country for her son’s school camp, unexpectedly encounter each other in Finland and they fall for each other.

The film opens in theaters in February.

By Ahn Sung-mi (sahn@heraldcorp.com)