2018.11.16 | Interview
This is a long time hiatus after finishing the drama "Life". How do you usually spend your time after completing a project?
I usually spend my time doing nothing. I will try to regain the energy that I had expended on filming the drama and I will also meet up with friends that I couldn't see at the time because I was so busy. Other than that, I am alone most of the time. At first, being alone felt lonely and boring, but I became more comfortable as time went on. Because I didn't have to adapt to someone's state of mind and it wouldn't affect me at all.
This time you went to New York with "Leon". After being here for a few days, what do you think of New York City?
It is a huge and bustling city. It really feels that way now that I've personally been here. I watched people as I walked, they were all on the phone or texting so they seemed extremely busy. It feels busier than Seoul.
Deviating from your daily routine for a while has several meanings. It could mean breaking away from a job you've done as an actor, or it could also mean preparing for your next job, which of the two is closer to you?
This will be a time for me to part ways (from my previous job) first. I can't just extend after that so some kind of change should happen in that period. It hasn't been a month since I finished the drama, so instead of thinking about my next step, this is a moment where I want to put everything aside and do nothing at all. "Life" was a mentally draining drama in the first place, and probably because it involved an environment that I had never experienced before, which is why it left me very exhausted. Now, this will be a time for me to gradually come out of that place and gradually feel more at ease.
You are still in the process of exiting the drama.
Yes. It's actually a shame because it seems like I couldn't show everything that I expected and prepared for in the drama “Life,” but I also feel apologetic at the same time. I couldn't express as much as I had thought. I got to a point where I thought, "Have I stalled without making any progress?" and "Should I try to change the way I act?" It was a project that made me have a lot of those thoughts on both character and staff. At first it was quite difficult due to such concerns. "Why couldn't I have done better? Why couldn't he work harder? Even though I did the best I could… ”, I blamed myself as well. But not anymore. Because even if I keep blaming myself like this, it's already a thing of the past.
Although the story of "Life" went to the mountains further back, I liked 'Jinwoo Ye', who kept his beliefs. It was nice to see a different side of Lee Dong Wook besides the crush.
So, I chose this job, but I think I missed the problem of expressing the character. I don't want to blame anything else. The biggest problem is that I cannot trust myself because I have low self-esteem, but in the end there is no answer. I have to move.
What aspect did you think about the most when acting as Ye Jin Woo's character?
Because he is not a character who expresses (her feelings for him) externally, I thought a lot about how I can convey his emotions well to the audience. I needed to show through subtle facial expressions or through the look in my eyes, but I was missing more than I thought. I felt very distressed during the follow-up. He is a character with a major role in the drama, but it seems like the whole drama was negatively affected because of me. I still feel a bit like that even now. I'm still in a state where all my emotions are mixed up, so I can't say that I've completely discarded all of that.
But despite that, is there anything you have won?
The emotions, the situation, the thoughts and the state of mind that I am experiencing now can become valuable food later on. It doesn't end with just feeling disappointed or upset. After all, I am someone who needs to convince the audience with my performance, so the things and emotions that I have experienced this time should become a great help for my performance in the future. But in reality there has always been that kind of thing. While performing, I never thought it was easy. It was always difficult. I always had the feeling of hitting a wall, and I struggled to jump that wall. The emotions that I experienced in those moments affect me a lot. Whenever that happens, I will continually reflect "How can I turn this into something positive?" and "What should I do to jump this wall in front of me?"
What is the factor that makes you work on a new project?
I think it's just my body reacting. I will be filled with the desire to work on a new project now, and there will also be times when I will receive an appropriate script at a very appropriate time. It's even better if it's a character or genre that you've never done before.
If there are stages in an actor's work like stages in life, where do you think you are now?
It may seem that I have yet to come to my senses if I say it this way. It seems like it hasn't been long since I started. There are so many things that I have not done yet, and there are also many people that I have not yet met. If I have the ability, I want to keep doing this job. So if we were to consider this as a 100 meter run, does it feel like you've run between 20 and 30 meters?
Ever thought of going back 20 or 30 meters earlier?
I want to come back. I started without any preparation. Because I made my debut as a child actor in my junior year of high school. How much would you have known back then? How much did I plan or think about my future at that age? I think I was caught up in life and just acted relentlessly. I was not financially well off and there was also the burden of having to support my family. I want to come back. I want to go back because I want to go back and do better.
Is there an ideal type of man that you dreamed of from a young age? How similar do you think you are now to the ideal type you were back then?
My ideal type is a man with a lot of knowledge. Rather than simply being a man who has studied hard, I mean an intelligent, broad-minded, and bold man. I think I still can't be like this now. So I continually think and work hard to become such a man. I hope to have a strong will and I hope to be generous to others. If I get to this point, isn't it almost like reaching nirvana? (laughs). But as the years go by, I think I am less affected by various incidents and issues. I end up thinking "Well that might be the case" more often than before.
You used to have a strong image as a handsome flower boy in the past, but at some point, the public seemed to see actor Lee Dong Wook as a cool man or gentleman. When you look at yourself, when do you think you started giving off mature, manly vibes?
As it grew? (laughs). Actually, I think my mental age is not much different than before. But there are standards that society expects of you, right? I can't act like I'm in my 20s, I know that very well, so I'm adjusting.
After this interview, he would have completed all his official schedules in New York. How do you plan to enjoy this city now?
First you should walk a lot. Walking a lot in the city of another country is the best way to get acquainted with the geography naturally. Because even if you come back next time, it will be helpful for your trip if you can remember "Ah, there was something around here." Ah, I'm going to watch Ryu Hyun Jin's (baseball) game tonight. A few days ago, I saw Oh Seung Hwan's (baseball) game at this bar where we are having our interview now and I supported him, it was great.
What happens after I go back to Korea?
I'll keep spending time thinking alone and worrying again. The worries that I spoke about earlier and the emotions that I experienced while working on the drama "Life" ... are actually pain. It's very tiring and I hate it, but what can I do about it? I have to keep facing it head-on.
Source: Leon Korea
Translation: Latin Fan Community
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