(Continuation of interview ①) Actress Lee Chae-young revealed that after a one-year hiatus she is taking on film production.
Lee Chae-young met with OSEN on the afternoon of the 26th for an interview. After leaving SBS 'Shooting Stars' (hereafter 'Shooting Stars') in January last year she halted activities and, after about a year of rest, rejoined 'Shooting Stars' in July this year.
Putting a period on her activity suspension and announcing her return, Lee Chae-young thanked fans who waited through SNS, saying, "The year-long adventure was really good. It was a time I truly needed." When asked about that 'adventure,' she said, "I carried my laptop and traveled to several countries writing scripts. By meeting good people it's moving toward becoming a finished product," attracting attention.
She said, "Filming starts early next year. Of course it's a small story. I originally wrote it as a full-length commercial film, but because it contains so much, I'm thinking of directing a spin-off version as a short film first. The CEO of a company called Video Brothers and I quietly formed a small creative group, and we started moving in September last year. In that time we also steadily held meetings with staff who would work with us. Originally we should have started casting actors in November, but due to situational issues it was postponed overall. We were supposed to start filming in February or March, but it will probably be delayed; however, it will crank in during next year," she confessed.
Attempting directing for the first time with this work, Lee Chae-young said with a laugh, "When I was young my dream was to be a cartoonist, but that didn't happen. I originally liked stories themselves, and I thought the roughly one-year break was a good opportunity. From my teens to my 30s, for about 20 years I didn't take the initiative in my life and was dragged around by making a living, so I didn't reflect on what I wanted or what kind of person I am. But a woman's 40s seemed to have a somewhat special meaning. I thought about how to welcome this and that some other development was needed. When I rested mentally from physically running, interesting stories seemed to come out, and since it wasn't terribly bad it could be turned into live action, right?" She added, "It's not an enormous story, but I plan to create small stories."
When asked how she began working on the screenplay, Lee Chae-young said, "At first I had never directed and I liked writing, so I overlaid this and that imagination. I like making words, so I had collected some material little by little. I also noted good expressions. Then when you work you tend to focus only on that. I had a rest where I didn't have to disperse my attention, so I thought, 'Shall I try what I want to try?' and started writing. Many people around me work in this field, so a few people reviewed the screenplay. If they said, 'You really have no talent,' I would think, 'Right, I should quit,' but the reaction was, 'It's not as bad as I thought.'"
She continued, "I kept revising and revising and showed it to directors I had worked with before. At first I showed it to Director Jang Cheol-soo and then to Director Lee Ji-seung, and they said, 'Not bad.' Since it was my first time I shouldn't squander investment funds, so I was studying hard to make it well," she confessed.
Asked whether she plans to appear in the film herself, she said firmly, "I don't plan to appear because it doesn't fit the image. I'm coldheaded about that. I am so grateful to the directors who cast me. In the past I wondered, 'Why don't I succeed?' but I think I understand now. If the image doesn't fit, even if it's a work I wrote, I can't appear in it."
She said the genre is "horror thriller drama." An occult enthusiast, Lee Chae-young said, "You should do what you like and are confident in. Actually, it's hard for me to make a sweet melodrama," and added, "Commercial films are appropriate. Giving profit to those you work with is the reward for the energy spent. If it were an art film I would have made it with my own money. But a revenue structure needs to exist so you can share real dreams and hopes with friends who worked hard."
She continued, "I admire directors around the world so much. Honestly, when working on a piece you analyze an already written script to create characters, so there can be a sliver of excuse. But this has no exit; I have to get everything right, so I'm aging. Still, I used to push myself, but I'm going to take time and do it slowly. My dream is to debut as a director within my 40s. My 40s haven't even begun yet. It starts next year," and she added, "The truth of life is that impatience leads to failure. The same goes for film: if you make it hastily and the work isn't good, investors will think, 'They can only make this much,' and future investment won't come. There is absolutely no need to be impatient. But I'm creating cultural creative spaces and continuing to make interesting things. Doing it is important. Revenue is a matter for later," she said as a matter of principle. (Continues to interview ③)
[Photo] Lee Chae-young
[OSEN]