2021.03.01 | Interview
It's been almost four years since "Goblin", the last meeting with "Arena" was about 3 years ago. You have worked a lot in the past, looking back at that moment, I wonder what is the most memorable?
The most memorable thing is that it was very busy. So far, I've done 3 dramas and 2 variety shows, just like the movie breakup scene, things seemed to bite their tail, overlapping things. It's a memorable scene, ha ha.
Just listening to it sounds great. In previous interviews, there was a story that now, you would enjoy life alone. But when I heard the amount of works, what has that life been like?
I was really alone. I come home from work and I am alone, I exercise for a while, I go out and I go to work again. Still, I was able to spend time alone more comfortably. In the past, I often contacted them because I wanted to worry about my parents and my family. Now it is a little more comfortable in that sense. This is because the life of each family member has become clearer.
You should have played a bit on your own during your break time, did you enjoy it?
Oh, now it is more convenient to stay at home. It would be nice to go on a trip after a week off, but it was really nice to hang out at home. For the past few years, I have been almost like an idol. Aren't they so busy all year long? In addition to releasing albums and preparing for performances, they keep doing something out of sight. Then I came to understand what those friends really meant when they said, "I'm so glad I have a week off." Because I just did it every now and then, while talking to the agency rep, I was like, “Oh, what kind of idol-level schedule is it? Now that I am my age, it is difficult to do this. "
After "Goblin", did you really live such a life, why was it so popular?
In 2017, I did a tour of Asia in about 7 countries, it was a lot of fun going to the airport. At first, I knew what country he was going to, but at some point, when I said, "I'm leaving tomorrow," I asked him in the car: "By the way, where are we going now?" It seems to be the case when you roam many countries. However, at some point, that hustle came to me with gratitude. Rest and recharging are good, but the reason I'm busy is because someone recognizes and finds me.
Just looking at actor Lee Dong Wook's filmography, I thought it would be a quiet life because there was a gap, but today I realized that it was not at all.
2019 has been a very busy year. While filming the drama "Touch Your Heart", I took on the role of MC for the audition program "Produce X 101". During the broadcast, I started the drama "Strangers are Hell", and towards the end, I prepared the talk show "Lee Dong Wook Wants to Talk". As soon as this ended, we started preparing and filming for "Gumiho". And yesterday (the day before the interview, February 6) the filming of the movie "Single in Seoul" ended. Whoops!
2019 was a busy schedule year as an actor.
Was. In particular, the drama filming environment is very different now than in the past, and it is not like in the past that it was filmed all night and only three months (this is because the production environment has changed due to the contract standard working hours and compliance with 52 weekly hours of work). Naturally, the production schedule was lengthened. Now it takes about 6 months to get into a drama.
If you look at the drama's recent production process, it looks like it's turning into a full pre-production or semi-production. How about this system for actors?
In fact, I think it is right to gradually change that way, I am an old man, I have been doing this since 1999. How many nights must have passed and how hard the schedule must have been. There were times when I was afraid to do a drama. You will have to stay up all night for four months. Living with only 2 or 3 hours of sleep a day, during that period is a real pain. However, as the system changed, I was able to rest about one day a week, sleep 6-7 hours, and be active. It means that not only me, but also the hardest working staff, have become like this. I think it's good to improve like this.
"Lee Dong Wook wants to talk" was carried out. Personally, it was cool. It must have been quite a challenge to do a talk show with the actor's own name.
It was a challenge. In fact, it didn't have to be done. He knew that scraping it (in one respect) would make it brittle. Hopefully it's the real deal, how many ratings will you get, how many shots will you get at once, etc. But I like talk shows. Do you remember when we were young? Talk shows with names like Joo Byeong-jin, Lee Hong-ryeol, and Johnny-yoon. I grew up watching that and I also watched American talk shows. I thought it was cool. I used to dream about it too, but suddenly, an offer came to me, I said I would do it without much thought.
“At some point, my hustle came to me with gratitude. Resting and recharging is good, but the reason I'm busy is because someone recognizes and finds me."
So you've deleted an entire list of talk shows.
It's like a dream come true. Of course, talk shows are difficult, it would be easier if only the actors appeared as guests, but it is difficult because it is not. I also had the opportunity to reflect on my time listening to the stories of people who have achieved social success, such as politicians, Gentlemen of Go, and boxers. It was a very meaningful program. Read 100 to 150 pages of material to meet a guest, and have a meeting with the staff. There are many things to do, such as study sessions and outdoor sessions. I had to spend almost 3-4 days or more to launch a program. It was difficult, but meaningful and fun.
While preparing for the interview, I watched "Goblin" again. It was fun and sad to see him again. I focused more on the character of Lee Dong Wook, and looking at the Grim Reaper you took, I was able to confirm that Lee Dong Wook's spectrum of acting expanded. This is because various genres such as romantic comedy, thriller, melodrama, and historical drama were merged into one character.
There are only three characters that I played in "Goblin." A king from the past, an angel of death, a reincarnation character. This ultimately leads to agility. The filming of the drama does not progress in sequence and sometimes while he is playing the Grim Reaper, he suddenly disguises himself as a historical drama. Coping with character changes like this has been a great help to me.
It seems like Lee Dong Wook's movie story can't be put aside. The filmography of movies was not as good as I thought. Although filming has just finished, the movie "Single in Seoul" comes to mind in a very different way, what kind of movie is it?
It is a love story that everyone has lived in his life. There is a story of a man in his 20s who is a bit shy, and there is a story of a man who lives in his 30s. Would you say it's like a growth drama? It could be a story about people's point of view.
In the past, there were many differences between film and drama filming sites. That is why actors prefer cinematographic mediums. How are you? It's been a while since I've been on a film set.
Of course, it was nice to shoot a movie after a long time. But now, I felt that it was not much different from the drama scene. First of all, the equipment used in both media was almost identical. Not only the equipment, but also the production environment are almost the same. As these changes accelerate, it seems that the distinction between movies and dramas loses more and more sense. These are the things I felt while filming this movie.
The change appears to be due to the fact that the level of Korean dramas has risen significantly.
In the past, the boundaries between movies and dramas were a little clearer, but it seems that now there are very few. With the advent of OTT services, it has been a long time since the cost of production itself surpassed that of movies.
Still, the movie has its own merits.
Doing everything perfect and presenting a two-hour story to the audience, and filming around 10 episodes and ending with a bit of fighting when the broadcast starts and ends. There seems to be a slight difference in timing and completeness of post production. Through this experience, I also thought about whether a better result could be presented to viewers by discarding the stereotype that a drama is a 16-episode drama and narrowing it down to 10 or 12 episodes. Although the production period is the same, there is a qualitative difference between airing 10 episodes and organizing 16 episodes. It's been a long time since I've been on a movie set and I've had these thoughts. Thinking about systemic things.
If you could choose your next movie again, what would you like to try?
I've played a number of characters so far, but I've talked about it elsewhere as well, and I want to try a bit more rough action.
By what action?
I broke my prejudice against action while doing "Gumiho". In the past, I thought, "Only my body is going to be hard." However, there is a certain narrative that can be felt through the action. I realized that it wasn't just about punching and kicking. Then I thought I'd like to try a rough action that can go all the way. 'Gold action 19'.
There are several categories of action genres.
I want to do an action that forces me to do everything with my real body.
As we move into 2020, we have experienced some really strange changes in our lives. Have you had any changes due to this COVID crisis?
First, the opacity of the shooting schedule continued to emerge. I know that the difficulty of selecting a filming location has increased significantly. This is because public institutions and multipurpose facilities where cooperation and patronage were good in the past have been closed during the pandemic. For example, let's say the next filming location is an apartment complex. Cooperation, which was easy in the past, is now difficult due to opposition from residents. "Single in Seoul" should have ended a week ago, but it was delayed a bit because I couldn't find a location. Of course, courts, police stations, and airports became difficult, not to mention Namsan Park and Hangang Park, which were easily accessible. Finding an alternative location has become a chore.
It seems that there was a problem with the actor's schedule due to the problem of adjusting the schedule due to the situation on the site.
As usual, he just needed to know when to open and when to promote. However, as the post itself was delayed due to the pandemic, it was unclear what would happen to the PR-related schedule. So the change caused by the opacity of plans and schedules is enormous. I think this is probably the biggest change the pandemic has had in my work.
“Today, like yesterday, passed without incident or accident. I want tomorrow to be like today. Now I realize how precious this is."
So are there personal changes?
You have no choice but to remove your mask when you perform. But when I wear makeup, I wear a mask. You should also use it when you go to the bathroom on set. Right now, as we interview, aren't we wearing masks for each other? In the photoshoot with "Arena", everyone is wearing a mask except me in front of the camera. It's nothing, but this little thing made a big difference.
What many people want to say in the current situation. It's "I want to die because I want to go on a trip." That's because it is an era in which the scope of the movement has shrunk. Anyway, if a little more free time comes along, what would Lee Dong Wook want to do?
I want to go fishing even though he's not abroad. On the island of Jeju. Of course, now the locals can hate the arrival of foreigners, so they don't dare to approach. In fact, the end of February is the best time to go fishing, but it's a shame.
In the past, he said that his life was monotonous. Still, he was incredibly busy. In the midst of this, what is his focus or his thoughts on his life?
In the past, when you take a break, you have to do something and enjoy at least one hobby. I've been thinking a lot lately about what a happy life is for me. In the midst of being very busy, I felt that a normal day was very valuable. Today, like yesterday, it happened without problems, without incidents or accidents, and nothing happened. I want tomorrow to be like today. I realize that this is very important. I think it's more because I go through a lot of dynamic and active things due to the nature of my work.
Source: Arena Homme + Magazine
Translation: Latin Fan Community
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