“Squid Game” star Lee Jung Jae talks “Star Wars” role, his dream and goal, marriage plans, and more
Lee Jung Jae, who visited the UK for his directorial debut in “Hunt”, talked about his upcoming project.
Lee Jung Jae visited the UK to attend the 7th London East Asia Film Festival and had an exclusive interview with Yonhap News at a hotel in London on October 20th (local time).
When asked about his “Star Wars” role, Lee Jung Jae asked for understanding, saying, “I can’t say anything because I’ve signed all the top-secret agreements. There will be announcements soon.”
He said, “It’s my first time working on a foreign project, and it’s my first time doing such a big project, so I’m in a position where I have no choice but to follow what I’m told to do.”
Lee Jung Jae was selected for the lead role in the new Disney+ series “Star Wars: The Acolyte”, but the specific character he will play has not yet been revealed.
He said, “I’m still working on my English. I’m preparing every day because I’m going to shoot soon.” When asked if he was going to start filming in England right away without returning home, he replied, “Yes”. He said his visit to the UK was the first in a long time since COVID-19.
The British have completely different reactions to Lee Jung Jae before and after “Squid Game”. Lee Jung Jae said, “People in London recognize me a lot and talk about Squid Game a lot.”
In an interview with British media such as The Guardian and Metro that day, Lee Jung Jae said that he was asked many questions about “Squid Game”.
When asked about the British Academy Award (BAFTA) challenge following the American Emmy Award, Lee Jung Jae responded, “Isn’t there a TV category (at the BAFTA)? I have never thought about it.”
Originally, the main purpose of the interview with the British press on this day was to promote “Hunt”, which will be released in the UK early next month. “Hunt” was first screened as the opening film of the London Asian Film Festival the day before.
When asked about his dreams or goals in the UK as the director and actor of “Hunt”, Lee Jung Jae replied, “At our age, we don’t necessarily set goals or dreams. The idea of what to do in London is…I don’t know.”
He said, “When I was young, I don’t know if it was because I was less famous or if I didn’t know what success is, but only then did I have a dream and a goal, but now I know too well what doesn’t work out. The future is unknown, so the present situation is important. Now, I think my goal and dream is to do my best in any work.”
When asked what he would like Lee Jung Jae to look like in his 60s and 70s, he said, “I hope it’s just a healthy Lee Jung Jae. These days, walking is a little uncomfortable because of ankle pain, my shoulder ligaments are broken, my back hurts, and my eyes are dry.”
He said that the pace of “Hunt” could be fast for foreigners who are not familiar with Korea’s modern and contemporary history. He explained, “I thought the pace should be tailored to the Korean audience.”
He added, “It’s important for both Korean and foreign audiences to think it’s appropriate, but it is not easy.”
Regarding the expectations of British audiences who have seen “Hunt”, he said, “It would be nice if they could say, ‘There are spy things like this in Korean movies, it’s interesting’, and it would be better if they also looked at the hidden messages.”
He said, “These days, audiences say that even if they put the name of a Korean place name or event in the subtitles, they can find it right away, so it would be nice if they look up Korean history and culture.”
To the question of when did Lee Jung Jae become interested in modern and contemporary history, he answered that it was a natural thing to do as a Korean and a person who lived at that time.
Before the interview, the most asked question from those around Lee Jung Jae was whether he planned to marry his girlfriend, Im Se Ryung, vice chairman of Daesang Group. He said, “It’s a personal matter, so it’s a bit difficult to answer.”
Source: daum
