"Questions from Sohn Seok-hee" Lee Young-ae said she felt the popularity of 'Dae Jang Geum'.
On the 17th broadcast of MBC "Questions from Sohn Seok-hee," actress Lee Young-ae appeared and revealed behind-the-scenes stories about her life drama "Dae Jang Geum."
Lee Young-ae has appeared in more than eight works on MBC alone, and among them "Dae Jang Geum" is considered her life drama. Sohn Seok-hee said he felt the popularity of "Dae Jang Geum" through a conversation with a Vietnamese mother and daughter on the plane after returning from an overseas business trip.
Lee Young-ae also said she felt the popularity when she went abroad. She said, "Overseas compatriots welcomed me so warmly. Thanks to the drama, the expatriates' businesses did well, and when a woman's family does well and she comes home happy, it's like the motherland doing well makes you feel proud and business goes well too, so I felt proud," she recalled.
Sohn Seok-hee then asked, "Did you feel the popularity when you saw the 'Dae Jang Geum' script?" Lee Young-ae replied frankly, "Maybe it's an invisible fate or timing. Filming historical dramas is hard, isn't it? Actors find historical dramas two to three times harder, so they try not to do them. It's not a priority when choosing. I was doing well with other works too, so there was no need to specifically film a historical drama."
Continuing on why she chose "Dae Jang Geum," she said, "When I read the script, it felt like riding a time machine and going to the past; the character Jang-geum was a real person. I wanted to bring out and introduce that person," and added, "I felt a thrill in introducing a remarkable person. 'Was there really such a person in the past?' I was surprised too, and I think that's why I was drawn to it."
Above all, Sohn Seok-hee said that "there is another unbelievable story. At the time, North Korea's Chairman Kim Jong-il said that if you haven't seen the U.S. movie 'Rambo' or South Korea's 'Dae Jang Geum,' don't say you've seen films," he mentioned.
He added, "Of course, this wasn't said publicly; it seems he said it to North Korean filmmakers gathered together. If you don't act like actress Lee Young-ae, there's no need to act. So when former President Roh Moo-hyun met him during the inter-Korean summit in Pyongyang, he gave him a gift."
During the 2007 inter-Korean summit, former President Roh Moo-hyun gifted DVDs of films and dramas starring Lee Young-ae, and in particular, regarding the "Dae Jang Geum" DVD set, Chairperson Kim Jong-il said, "Thank you for bringing these rare originals," drawing attention.
Lee Young-ae said, "I remember. I remember signing. I remember not writing 'To the chairperson' but writing something like, 'What is this? What's going on?' and signing a few of them," she revealed.
[Photo] "Questions from Sohn Seok-hee" broadcast screen capture
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