"Method acting" Lee Dong-hwi said he learned a lot from watching senior Don Lee after participating in the film's production.
On the morning of the 16th at a cafe in Palpan-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, an interview was held with Lee Dong-hwi, the lead actor of the film "Method acting."
"Method acting" (written and directed by Lee Ki-hyuk, produced by Runup Company, distributed by By4M Studio) follows the story of the "funny actor" Lee Dong-hwi, who rose to fame as a comedian but dislikes doing comedy, becoming overly immersed in a role to be recognized for sincere acting. Based on a short film of the same name, it is an expanded feature project completed by director Lee Ki-hyuk and Lee Dong-hwi reuniting after the short film, creating a meta comedy about over-immersion.
In particular, Lee Dong-hwi plays a character named Lee Dong-hwi in the film, offering a fresh kind of fun with a clever setup that moves between reality and fiction and a delightfully twisted development of events. In this film he not only stars but also participated directly in production.
About his feelings as both lead actor and producer ahead of the release, he recalled, "From the process to the moment it has come to now, it is a miracle. I had many doubts, like 'will this really be released?' Of course there was hope in this situation, but I think a miracle happened," and added, "Looking back on my memories, I was injured and in the emergency room on Dec. 31 last year. On Jan. 1, when the year was turning, we were supposed to exchange New Year messages, but I couldn't tell many people that I was injured. I went to the emergency room with a week left until the theater performance and wondered, 'From the start of the new year, where is my life heading?' The performance was uncertain, and there were moments of despair thinking this year would not be easy. As I recovered and was convalescing at home, I heard the news that a release date had been set and cried my eyes out. There were moments when bad things and good things overlapped and it was touching," he recalled.
When asked why he participated in production, Lee Dong-hwi said, "I learned so much. It wasn't just a vague decision to try producing; there was a specific trigger," he began.
He continued, "As an actor personally, you receive opportunities and work hard to act, and there may be a life lived for my own honor and certain things, but seeing my colleagues made me feel two things," and said, "First, senior Don Lee constantly makes works, challenges himself, develops many projects and plans, which creates many jobs. Staff get work, actors get work, and seeing senior Don Lee take care of struggling and difficult actors around him made me feel we should live by sharing."
He said, "I still have many colleagues around me who are struggling and in difficult circumstances. I thought that from my 40s onward I should live thinking about those people," and added, "So I thought I should try once. I thought about creating conditions where more people could work. That sense of purpose arose. For now, this is difficult and the responsibility is great, but it became a bigger opportunity to be humble," saying he was positively influenced.
Meanwhile, "Method acting" opens on the 18th.<
[Photo] Runup Company, By4M Studio provided
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