[INTERVIEW] Actor Lee Hyun-jae - Pt. 2

Lee Hyun-jae [Lee Jin-hyuk/10Asia]

<#10LOGO#> Did you know about your love line beforehand? It seems like it just started.
Lee Hyun-jae (Lee): Ah, it's nothing. (laugh)

<#10LOGO#> While Doyle is known for his poker face, having a love story in the drama would be a great chance to express your motions through your character Doyle.
Lee: I felt very comfortable acting with actress Kim Jung-min, who plays my love interest Bang Woo-kyung because she has been in this field longer than me. I also learned a lot from her because we rehearsed many times together. But I think overall, Doyle is hurt from Ji-hyuk treating Woo-kyung in a cold way. He's only hurt inside. He doesn't even take action to that and just be jealous of the whole situation.

<#10LOGO#> It is more cool to watch someone from far like a prince. (laugh)
Lee: Well, he's not like a prince and he's just green-eyed. It is to win Woo-kyung's love! However, I don't see him doing anything different other than keeping his feelings hidden inside.

<#10LOGO#> "Shut Up and Let's Go" is a drama that covers various aspects even with its love line. I thought it would only fulfill women's fantasies though it has elements that could appeal to men as well.
Lee: The director and the film director tried hard to avoid only appealing to females, like those loveydovey scenes in "Cool Guys, Hot Ramen." That is why the angles are a bit rough and there are a lot of scenes that are dark and have shadows. I think the details in it make us look more masculine but the sad part is that we can't say bad words. It would be more realistic to do so if it was a movie but it is a bit difficult to naturally show different emotions since it is a drama. I made several mistakes while shooting because I was so immersed in my emotions that I accidently said bad words.

"I want to be a good actor"

<#10LOGO#> There is a fair share of action sequences. Did you feel any burden because you had to learn different techniques for the action scenes?
Lee: No, I loved acting out the action scenes. I thought about shooting action sequences even when I didn't have any dreams of becoming an actor. Just like any other guy, I imitated the action sequences from Jet Li movies like "Once Upon A Time In China" when I was young. Also, I think all guys fantasize about them without knowing. And I can see that male actors, including me, try to get a good angle by looking strong and fit when shooting an action scene. Later on the shows, you can see that we're trying very hard to look cool. (laugh)

<#10LOGO#> Are you more confident in kicking or punching?
Lee: Ah, I remember shooting a scene where I kick in the air with my legs. It took me ten takes in order to shoot it properly even while the other actors waited for me and the director complimented me. But they all laughed later, saying "where did Doyle's kicking scene go?," when we found out that scene was cut out from the episode. I really want to star in a real action movie with actual action sequences.

<#10LOGO#> So does that mean you are also interested in the roles other than a drummer?
Lee: I had no interest in acting in the beginning but I learned how much it is fun by working in this series. I suddenly feel like I want to act well and I have to prepare and study a lot in order to continue with acting. However, I think that I will be concentrating on my music for a while after finishing the drama. I didn't know that acting in a drama would be so hard. I don't have any time to practice my drums. I feel that my hands have gotten stiff and restless. I should focus on something that I'm good at.

<#10LOGO#> I read in an interview in which you said that you started to like drumming before liking "music."
Lee: I played piano and violin when I was young. I hated playing the violin and I remember that my neighbor caught me playing it with my feet. I learned how to play drums when I was in middle school and I've been playing it since. I bet my mom would have gone into shock had I told her I was going to major in drumming. (laugh) I feel percussion instruments have their unique ways of making people get excited. And the drums sound the coolest amongst them. I think I learned how to deeply appreciate music and its authenticity the moment I started to do jazz music.

<#10LOGO#> So, I'm sure you weren't able to express yourself freely when playing with MATE, compared to doing jazz music.
Lee: Jun-il was a jazz pianist but it's inevitable for us to walk on the different path of music from jazz genre. But it's really fun putting on shows. Jazz is always about self satisfaction. It's about the connection and enjoying the session. And our feelings change depending our the audience's response and it hard to give up being part of it after getting a taste of that joy. That is why you can see the wild and crazy side of MATE at our concerts. It can get even more wild depending on the audience's response and feedback.

<#10LOGO#> Basically, it's like feeling different kinds of satisfaction through different genres of music. Right?
Lee: Yes, I am greedy. (laugh) I miss rock when I'm playing jazz and when I'm performing rock I want to do jazz. I found a new joy in playing drums while recording a soundtrack to the movie "Sunny." I find myself wanting to do different kinds of performances. Other members of MATE have worked on their solo careers and I also plan to continue playing drums by using different methods in different teams. Being a member of MATE is like being home, it is a place where you go back to, after doing other projects.

<#10LOGO#> I'm sure that there will be days where you will want to act when you are drumming.
Lee: I dont know. I do think about drumming when I'm acting. (laugh) I'm not too sure right now. Remember that you have to ask me the same question next time when I'm drumming.

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10 아시아 Reporter : Yoon Hee-Seong nine@
10 아시아 Photographer : Lee Jin-hyuk eleven@
10 아시아 Editor : Lucia Hong luciahong@
10 아시아 Editor : Lee Ji-Hye seven@