[26th BIFF] Lee Je-hoon "Evaluation is an Actor's Destiny... Always Fresh and Sincere" [Interview]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Busan=Asia Economy Reporter Lee Iseul] "I will act until the moment I die." Actor Lee Je-hoon shouted these words after receiving his first-ever Best New Actor award. The fiery gaze has faded, but that gap has been filled with flexible experience. The rings of time are becoming darker, but his heart remains the same. The initial intention is precisely the driving force and strength that supports him.

On the afternoon of the 7th, at the KNN Theater in Haeundae-gu, Busan, during the 26th Busan International Film Festival (BIFF) Special Talk Program Actors House, Lee Je-hoon said, "Evaluation as an actor is a fate I must endure," adding, "If even one audience member supports me, I want to keep acting until the moment I die."

Lee Je-hoon debuted in 2007 with the film Night and the City. After appearing in numerous short films, he made his name known by sweeping newcomer awards with his first feature film The Frontline (2011). In Architecture 101 (2012), he rose as an icon of first love and gained fame. He later starred in dramas such as Signal (2016), Tomorrow With You (2017), and films including Paparotti (2013), Detective Hong Gil-dong: The Missing Village (2016), Anarchist from Colony (2017), I Can Speak, Time to Hunt (2020), and Dok-gul.

He also challenged himself as a director. Recently, he directed the short film Blue Happiness, expanding his domain. It is one of the projects under the "Unframed" series, produced by Hardcut, a film company established by Lee Je-hoon, director Yang Kyung-mo, and producer Kim Yu-kyung, and will be released as an original series on the online streaming platform Watcha this December. Alongside him, Park Jung-min, Choi Hee-seo, and Son Seok-gu each take on directing roles to present their works.

Lee Je-hoon shared his thoughts, saying, "I have always dreamed of making films, and after only thinking about it in my head, I planned, produced, wrote the script, and directed a short film myself. I feel nervous and deeply moved." He added, "It will be shown to audiences at the Busan International Film Festival, and I am curious about how they will receive it."

He also expressed a unique sentiment about attending the film festival not as an actor but as a director. He said, "When I came as an actor, I could just talk about the parts I acted in, but writing and directing broadened my perspective. It's interesting to have more stories to share, but I am concerned about revealing my bare face. I wonder what kind of feedback I will get after people watch the film. Maybe because it's my first time, I feel confused, scared, and have many thoughts," he confessed.

[Image source=Yonhap News]

[Image source=Yonhap News]

What kind of story did he pack into his first directed short film Blue Happiness? Lee Je-hoon said, "When you think of happiness, you might feel a warm, bright red heart-like sensation. I definitely wanted to include the contrasting color blue in the title. I'm curious about how viewers will react to the match between the film and the title."

Regarding using the concerns and themes of people in their 20s and 30s as material, he said, "At the early planning stage, I gathered and organized words about what the current generation is interested in and likes. On set, I hoped to work flexibly and shorten the process by collaborating with actors who are good at acting."

Yoon Sung-hyun, the director of his breakthrough films The Frontline and Time to Hunt, visited the set of Blue Happiness to encourage Lee Je-hoon. He said, "While directing, I came to understand Director Yoon. This process must have been painful, difficult, and agonizing, but he didn't say a word. That also influenced me," he said.

It has been 14 years since his debut. Lee Je-hoon has continuously broken free from constraints and expanded himself while the world changed. He cited "reality" as the top priority as an actor. "Standing in front of the camera is fiction, but I asked myself whether the emotions I felt while acting were real or not, and I tried to find the answer. I made relentless efforts to approach the truth. With every work, I ask myself if I am improving, and my desire and greed to discover something new grow."

[Image source=Yonhap News]

What Lee Je-hoon fears the most is losing the public's expectations. He said, "As a creator, I always feel a thirst for something new. I can't change my appearance, but I want to receive reactions that I am new, and I want to be satisfied through that process. I'm afraid of hearing that I am an actor who just does what I have always done because my acting resources have run out, that there is nothing new, and that I am not anticipated."

He gained popularity with a fresh romance through Architecture 101. He dreams of another kind of love. Lee Je-hoon joked, "What's the use of exercising hard?" Then he added, "I believe there is a feeling of love that can be expressed in my 30s, not in my 20s. I am waiting to meet a good romantic work."

Busan=Reporter Lee Iseul