2020.06.20 | Interview
I sprayed Chanel perfume a couple of times in the air from the corner while you were wet and filming. The sun is fantastic today and it smells good, so the interview feels luxurious. How did you feel about it?
This scent is perfect for this season. It's a bit loud at first, but leaves a subtle reverb over time. I like that. I like perfumes that last a long time. The scent of "Bleu de Chanel" tends to last a long time.
What smell do you like?
Cotton scent. It smells like when the clothes are dry. I don't use fabric softener when I do laundry, but when I smell cotton, I have a sense of security just like my original scent.
Is there a reason not to use fabric softener?
The fabric hurts. Also, if the scent is wrong, it smells pretty bad sometimes, so I don't use it even in winter.
Do you feel like you do a good job? Is washing clothes the simplest household chore?
No, I'm good at everything. Wash, clean, wash dishes, cook ...
I heard you were filming tvN's "Gumiho" for a while. It is currently scheduled to air in early September, is this a pre-production job?
You can't say it's completely pre-production, and everyone wants it to be shot to some degree before the first broadcast. There's a lot of CG work to do, so I don't know what's going to happen, so I don't feel relaxed.
It is interesting that Lee Dong Wook plays the role of a Gumiho. You are a Gumiho who has settled in the city, and just looking at Jo Bo-ah's stage as a PD on a TV show investigating urban ghost stories, it seems like a completely different job than what we've seen so far.
It's a genre called "Urban Fantasy Melodrama." It is not just a fantasy or a melodrama, it is complex. It is the first time that I know the scenario of a "Male Gumiho". Also interesting are the intentions of the director and the writer, who changed conventional wisdom.
So in Lee Dong Wook's career, is there a grim reaper and a nine-tailed fox?
Yes (laughs). It is a fun experience.
Last year was the 20th anniversary of your acting debut. It was in the mid-2000s when he appeared on an entertainment information show and you said something like, "Hi, I'm a rising star," but time flew by.
Wow, do you remember that? As I listened to you, I began to slowly remember when I said that. You are good at memorization subjects and have a different memory than your original school days. It's amazing to hear something like this from the past.
At that comment, the audience smiled and remembered. That's why I was curious about your honest feelings when tvN's "Goblin" was a hit. Haven't you felt pride and remorse in saying, "As a result of living faithfully, I finally got this kind of reward." After that, he even became an ambassador for the iconic Chanel brand.
First of all, speaking of that time, I honestly couldn't feel the popularity of "Goblin" because I was too busy filming while the work aired. This must happen to many other actors.
He also shared that he couldn't feel it properly until sometime.
When I finished the job, I realized that there were a lot of schedules, like stacked advertisements and photos. Then I thought: "I'm going to be busy now" and "The work went well, so good morning is coming." But at the same time, he was quite careful to be drunk with joy. I still tell people and Gong Yoo, that "Goblin" is Gong Yoo's drama and Kim Eun-sook's drama. It's important to keep a good mood, but I never thought "this result is all mine."
Are you the type of person who when things go well, takes a different attitude instead of enjoying the situation?
There is no need to waste time. When I did "Goblin", it was about 16 years after I started doing this. It's nice to know that things are going well, but I was old enough to realize that my life doesn't get turned upside down just because things aren't going well.
The age of an actor and the number of works are not necessarily proportional, but if you look at your list of activities, not only dramas, but also variety shows and radio appearances are considerable. This means that the audience had many opportunities to observe Lee Dong Wook. For a long time, the great feeling I had about you was that you weren't "narcissistic." After "Goblin", I was hoping there would be a bit of intoxication ... (laughs)
The fact that we still talk a lot about "Goblin" means that the drama is excellent and fun work. It is my duty and my task to get out of it quickly. Anyway, it's a thing of the past, it's a past glory, and even that was a shared drama (laughs).
There are times when it is difficult for a person to have a job with glamorous surroundings and attributes, even without too much vanity. If it is a celebrity, a bit of narcissism or an appropriate illusion could act as a driving force and charm.
I think the narcissistic aspect is necessary for this job. As I am always in a position to be chosen and evaluated, it is difficult to endure if I do not think "I am a good person, I have something superior to others". If the degree of intoxication is too high, it must be a personal matter. You can't please everyone by doing this. It would be great if I could satisfy only 50% out of 100, but it's easy to get hurt by the 50 who hate me or aren't interested in me. Even for that reason, I think it is necessary to say, "I am a good person."
Is the rigor of self-assessment a separate issue from self-esteem?
No, not connected. So it is also difficult. There were times when I was severely depressed and didn't leave the house for two or three months. It was after the JTBC drama "Life."
It was the second half of 2018. You mean it was so difficult?
I was afraid to leave the house. I felt like people would point fingers at me and there was no one next to me, so I went downstairs. I didn't see anyone and stayed home or just exercised.
Did time solve it?
In that regard, when I fell into the thought of why I was so ugly, the people who encouraged me to say that I was a good person helped me a lot. Gong Yoo is one of those people. In times of crisis and difficulty, I realized once again how important people are.
As I get older and the years of work accumulate, I know that the traits that have emerged are not easily changed. Have you not thought about reducing the number of times of suffering by going with that personality?
First of all, I have to be good. I must be satisfied with my performance.
They all want to be better than they are now. Isn't concretion necessary to develop beyond simply surviving with the "vibe that comes out of nowhere"?
After such deliberation, I started making some changes from OCN's "Strangers from Hell" from last year. In the past, I tend to prepare a lot for acting. From that point on, to a certain extent I thought, "Let's do it." Even if I prepare meticulously and go to the field, it doesn't just work the way I prepared it. It seemed that increasing flexibility as an actor would help my development as an actor. Based on the great scope that we discussed with the director and the other actors, we plan to work together with them on set.
If the result was not good when you tried a change that only you know, I wonder if you felt good because you did an impressive performance like the preface to "Strangers from Hell".
That said, there are two emotions. As a professional, I felt a sense of accomplishment when I received good responses like "I saw a new side of Lee Dong Wook." After gaining momentum, he continues that style in "Gumiho". But another feeling is that the suffering is great. From the beginning of the job, I thought that I shouldn't fall too in love with Seo Moon-jo. There are many villains, but the character manipulates others and has a different environment than other villains. Such a person should not exist in the world! It seems like she was trying to prepare less ahead of time because she thought she had to dig into it in moderation.
Because the character that could be a turning point in acting is the "Aesthetic Killer"...
After the job was done, I thought I was in good shape. However, while drinking with friends or people around me, I would only look at him once, but there were times when I would say, "Why are you looking at me like that?" One day when I looked in the mirror, it didn't seem like I was looking at myself and I felt strangely unfamiliar. Oh, I thought it wasn't completely okay.
Didn't you know that no matter how much you fall for a role, you shouldn't go crazy and feel the need to commit suicide?
I know, but it is difficult to get out of that character. The pain is known only to the person involved. I remember it was quite difficult when I was doing the drama "Sweet Life" 12 years ago. It was like a dry and fallen leaf to the extent that I thought I was really going to die. It is as if it will burn or fall apart if someone hits it. He was afraid because he was caught up in such emotions in a state of little experience socially and mentally mature.
If he had the temperament of a "narcissistic artist," he might have felt pain like a medal. If you get used to feeling "the person in pain," your pain threshold may change.
I also believe it. There is definitely a sense of accomplishment. If something difficult happens again after acting, is it okay to say so? I want to go once.
A middle-aged actor who suffered the pain of exiting character said that meeting his childhood friends helped him get back to normal.
That is a word that I agree with. In my school days, my classmates got married and live and work in different fields, so we don't see each other often, but we keep in touch. A friend who works for a food company brings a new menu and sends it to me. The friend is good at fishing. Since last year, I have developed a hobby of fishing, so I often get help from that friend.
Has he finally entered the path where once he falls, he cannot return? What is the appeal of fishing?
That I don't think of anything. I usually think that fishing will allow you to have a quiet moment for yourself while you organize your head. But I thought, "I'm going to catch a fish."
Does it mean that you can stop thinking about things and just focus on the things in front of you?
Yes, I enjoy boat fishing, and have already started to balance myself on a boat. I can't think of anything else because it is dangerous to lose concentration and fall while the waves hit. The same goes for a calm day without waves. The captain said, "What is the target fish of the day?" and "To catch that fish, cast the line a few meters and then reel the line a few times ..." and so on. If you catch up and repeat it, there is no room for other thoughts to intervene. After leaving at 6-7 in the morning, swinging in the boat, and fishing, it's time for lunch.
Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" is not a vain masterpiece (laughs). An existential struggle mediated by fishing is described.
There were many types and levels of fishing. I feel like I am over 70 years old just by experiencing them one by one.
Now is the time to enter your 40s. Even if you don't think much about your age, doesn't it get a bit confusing when the first digit changes?
If I say this, you can see me as immature ... I really don't feel anything special. Oh, I measured my body age on SBS "Lee Dong Wook Wants to Talk" and it turned out to be 32. Seeing how I felt at the time, I thought I must have aged a bit now (laughs).
Have you ever thought about acting your age? Some male actors in their twenties expect them to go deep, saying that they will only know how to act when they are mature.
I wonder how old I can be to do romantic or fantasy comedies. In my experience, the romance genre often needs to be accompanied by the cuteness of a male actor. When I do something cute in terms of acting and ask myself, "How long will the viewers look cute?" I suddenly feel old. But I think I can still do well (laughs).
When you see something, do you often feel jealous or envious?
A person with great physical capacity. These days, I often feel it while watching the entertainment show "We must unite to be cold." Players from different sports come together to challenge soccer, but they have excellent basic physical skills, so they learn and grow at an extraordinary rate. I no longer believe that professional players are to blame. When I see a scene where Heung-Min Son dribbles alone and runs a long distance to score a goal, I think, "Does that make sense?" Even if you look at the singing trainees in our company, it is amazing to memorize and learn the dance in one go. "Is that possible?" (Laughs)
After more than 20 years of hard work and trial and error, what remains in Lee Dong Wook's heart?
"I" remains. I was like this in my 20s, and for quite some time, the sense of duty to take care of my family and other responsibilities accumulated, so I was unable to take care of myself. Three or four years ago, I felt a little more relaxed. Now, for me, I want to do what I want to do and what I like.
It seems to be the moment when I finally turn my attention to "me" because I have done enough for things outside of myself and for others. What did you discover about yourself?
Now that I think about it, I really don't know what it is that I really like. "What should I do for myself? What do I like to do?" I keep thinking. As a result, I like the time I exercise. If you exercise similar to fishing, you can fully use it for me for 2-3 hours without thinking. As we live in the world, the results do not come back as much as we do but no matter how much we exercise, they come back, that's so good to be etched into my body in any way.
What else do you like to do?
Watching a movie alone. Focusing on looking alone, feeling lonely, and searching for how other people felt, I enjoyed little things like that. "Lee Dong Wook Wants to Talk" was just because he wanted to. It's a talk show with a name on the air, so why was there no pressure? But most of all, I said "I want to do it"
It was released in 12 episodes in late February this year. The spectrum of Jins guests was wide, including actor Gong Yoo, Member of Parliament Park Ji-won, forensic scientist Yoo Seong-ho, monk Jeong-gwan, singer Boa, and more. How was the talk show?
Fun, and it was difficult. I had to invest about 4 days to meet with one guest a week. The documents I received just for research amounted to 200-250 pages at a time, and during meetings with the production team, I also collected the questions I wanted to ask. One day for studio recording and another day for outdoor recording. I had a pleasant experience meeting "good production team" and "good Jang Do-yeon".
There are many stars who leave a hit, but it will be rare for a star to leave a talk show with their name on it. What wishes does Lee Dong Wook have left?
The desire to be more recognized by the public and people in the industry. That will soon lead to success. I hope that one day I will feel satisfied with myself. That's not to say that everything I've built so far isn't great. I just want to be proud of myself and make each day more comfortable. To do that, first of all, "Gumiho" has to get it right, right?
Source: W Korea Magazine
Translation: Latin Fan Community
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