Actor Lee Hun said his mindset changed after appearing on Ask Us Anything Fortune Teller. He decided to let go of more pride and stubbornness and vowed to continue his work as an actor by showing various sides of himself.
Recently, Lee Hun sat for an interview at the OSEN office in Hapjeong-dong, Mapo-gu, Seoul. Earlier, he appeared on last month's KBS Joy Ask Us Anything Fortune Teller and spoke about projects being shelved for three years, revealing his worries about retiring from acting.
At the time of the broadcast, Lee Hun, who had lost 10kg to pursue a Hollywood breakthrough and then bulked up again, appeared having lost 3kg in about a month. He said, "Because of the film and the four-part drama I shot, I have to maintain it. As I get older, my body doesn't get in shape quickly. In the past I could do it in three to six months, but now it takes a year to lose weight. When I went on Ask Us Anything Fortune Teller, I had bulked up to about 86kg. But that felt burdensome for other projects, so I cut down to about 83kg and plan to maintain it in the high 70kg range."
Lee Hun, who usually does weight training four times a week and judo twice a week, exercising six days a week, said, "I go to the gym whenever I have time. If I don't, I can't stay at home. Not only me, but all actors seem to fall behind if they remain idle, and then they get sluggish and depressed. That's why I exercise. It makes me feel like I'm doing something. Honestly, I cry while exercising because I don't want to do it. I'm at an age where my body must hurt. Because I can't go often, when I do go I have to do a lot, so I do weight training for about three to three and a half hours, and after about two hours I reach a state of no self. But this is our job. Office workers go to work even if they're in pain or if it snows or rains; we're the same. It's fundamental for an actor to have the physical condition."
On Ask Us Anything Fortune Teller, Lee Hun said, "A drama we were filming in 2024 was shelved, and a project scheduled to shoot in the United States in 2025 was indefinitely postponed due to various issues. This year's project was also indefinitely postponed due to production funding problems." Saying there was still no progress, he added, "That's how our work is. When a film or drama is postponed, it can be delayed for years. I actually shot two films that still haven't been released. We filmed up to episode four of a 16-episode drama before it was halted, and then the lead actor went into the military. He says he'll film after he gets out of the military, but by then several years will have passed. That happens a lot. I can't wait anymore, so I've informed them I'll look for other work."
Lee Hun said, "I shot a Hollywood film three years ago. Back then I wanted to be sharp, so I lost more than 10kg. The director said, 'It opens next year, so we can do a sequel the year after. Please keep this image,' so I maintained 70kg for a year or two. Then a drama came in where the role was vicious and cold, and it fit perfectly. I worked hard on it, but production stopped at episode four due to lack of funds. The next project that came in was a gangster role, so I built my body for it and kept preparing. Usually when you're cast in a project you prepare for a year. Of course I do other work to make a living, but if you prepare for a year and it's shelved, a year is wasted. We don't get compensation. We can't demand it. If you demand it, which producer or director would hire you? Top stars or leading actors with high pay may get advance payments, but supporting actors, older or middle-aged actors like me can't demand that."
Having lost three years as different projects kept falling through, Lee Hun said, "Originally I had a theater offer. I wanted to do it so badly, but it looked like it would overlap with film work, so I gave up theater. I gave it up and waited for this film, but it was indefinitely postponed. This spring I talked with my manager and asked, 'Should I keep doing this work?' If no work comes in for three years, you look for other work, right? But work did come in. Those projects were all indefinitely postponed and shelved, so I thought, 'Should I keep doing this or find something else?' Then my manager joked, 'Brother, shall we go on Ask Us Anything Fortune Teller and ask?' and I said, 'Okay, let's go.' I'm close with Seo Jang-hoon and Lee Soo-keun, and especially with Jang Hoon I've known him for more than 30 years. He's a year younger but feels older than me. He's clever and smart. Soo-keun has a lot of experience in this field, so I wanted to ask the two of them."
On the broadcast, Seo Jang-hoon and Lee Soo-keun said, "We've known Lee Hun since he was young. He's a decent person. The problem is he has a very strong pride and is very stubborn. He should know how to let go in accordance with his age," and advised him to continue acting but actively seek roles regardless of the circumstances. Lee Hun said, "I got an answer as soon as I went in. That strict Jang Hoon was wearing a wig, cross-dressed, wearing a hanbok with white and red makeup and sitting there. The Jang Hoon I know is a friend who lives by his pride. He's really cool-headed. But seeing that Jang Hoon wearing a wig and a woman's hanbok with white and red makeup, I thought, 'What am I?' Jang Hoon is also a building owner. Even the rich work so hard, so I thought, 'This won't do. I have to do something. I have to do this work.' I felt I had to do any role, no matter how much they paid."
Lee Hun said, "It's not just me. It's hard for middle-aged actors to find work. They're too young to play the lead's father, and there aren't many roles as a workplace senior or the lead's senior. Some seniors are tall and look world-class, but they ruined it by gaining weight. They don't even dye their hair. So they end up playing the lead's father. Middle-aged actors need to find ways to survive. In my case, I still want to work on set, I still want to throw myself into physical roles and do intense acting, but that's why I can't work for years. Now I can't do that anymore. I can't be picky about roles. It's a matter of life and death."
Seo Jang-hoon personally contacted him after the Ask Us Anything Fortune Teller recording to send encouragement. Lee Hun said, "He said, 'You're doing well. The recording went well today. If you go on Ask Us Anything Fortune Teller, you'll get a lot of contacts,' and encouraged me. He's a really cool friend."
When asked how he made ends meet while projects fell through, he said, "Fortunately I had two regular programs. I lived off those, but because I kept going abroad for films, I had to give up one program I really wanted. If I kept pulling schedules, it becomes hard to cast someone in my place, right? I gave that up when it seemed the Hollywood film would definitely happen, but when it was shelved I had trouble making a living. I tried to pick up other work, but it's hard to do something regularly. So for three years I stayed away from cultural variety shows and reduced other work outside projects. Still, I had a regular spot on TV CHOSUN's Alkong Dalkong for four years, so I managed to get by, and I also host events."
He regretted giving up the theater. Lee Hun said, "That play is doing very well now. Not long ago I had a drink and called my agency and said, 'I should have done this, I regret it so much.' It was my judgment error. I told my manager, 'Let's be more ruthless.' I thought, 'A better project will come next,' but if I had done that one, a better project might have come. I would have had the justification to appear on variety shows. The cast included well-known actors. But I had an unnecessary sense of responsibility. I wondered what would happen if it overlapped with a film. Back then I thought I would join the film, so I was complacent. If you miss one opportunity, there might not be a second. I analyzed missing this opportunity properly and reflected that I was complacent, and I decided to leave schedule adjustments to my manager and do any work that comes in."
Lee Hun is currently preparing after receiving offers for new projects. He said, "Waiting for a big project kept making the gap too long, so there seems to be a new genre these days called short-form drama. Short-form dramas keep coming in. So I said, 'Let's do everything. Just do it. Don't pick roles.' I'll do anything. There are many diverse roles. It looks like a 70-minute work is being divided into about 10 parts. There are roles like the lead's father, gangster roles, Japanese yakuza roles, which seem fun. I've had about three offers and I told them I'd do all of them. Filming finishes within a week, so I just asked the company to sort out the schedule."
About variety shows, he said, "I'll do them if the opportunity comes," but added, "It's not fun enough to go on variety shows. How could I be funnier than Yu Jae-seok or Kang Ho-dong? How could I beat Shin Dong-yeob? So as an actor, you need a reason to appear on variety shows. I don't have that reason now because I'm not working. Even if I go on a show, I'll probably talk about 10 or 20 years ago." He candidly described his difficulty and added, "But I do like those kinds of shows: health programs, mukbangs, hiking or travel programs. I think I'd do those well."
He also revealed plans for YouTube. Lee Hun said, "It's difficult to join a production company to produce YouTube together. Even if it succeeds, there are revenue-sharing issues, and if it fails there are losses. So I plan to run my personal channel where I film and edit alone. I'd be grateful if I could earn money from YouTube, but more than that I want to leave a record of Lee Hun. I want to show my unexaggerated true self."
He said, "I'm in my 50s, and men in their 40s, 50s and 60s may find suitable YouTube channels, but there are too many professional exercise YouTubers. The same goes for golf. I want to swing like a pro, but at our age it's not possible. Pros have swung that way since they were young, and if we try to do it, we can injure our bodies. Golf is a hobby, but it can become a stress when pursued as if professional. I have my own golf swing because I've had cartilage surgery on both my left and right knees and don't have cartilage. I found what suits me. Many in their 50s and 60s have body pains like mine. I want to share 'how should you do weight training then?' I plan to start a YouTube channel showing results from experiments on my own body."
He said he wants to make videos sharing a variety of tips, from belly-fat-reducing diets tailored for people in their 40s, 50s and 60s to appropriate outfit coordination. Lee Hun said, "I want to leave those things as my records. I feel like I'm being left behind if I stay idle. After three years of preparations being delayed and messed up, I thought I should at least do my own work. I've heard people who succeeded on YouTube sometimes move into broadcast, but wanting that too much causes stress. I have a main job, so I tell my managers, 'Bring me any work.' If it doesn't get a good response, it's still experience, so I'll keep showing my face." He added he'll use leftover time to exercise or work on his YouTube channel, saying, "Whether it makes money or not, at least I'll be moving. If I stay idle I'll get depressed, so whether I succeed or fail, it's something to experience."
Now more than 30 years into his career, Lee Hun recalled advice from the late Lee Soon-jae and spoke of his passion for acting. He said, "Even before Lee Soon-jae passed away, he said there was never 100% satisfying acting. I actually have many complexes as an actor. I didn't study theater and film, and I'm not from a theater-actor background. Acting is both a skill and a discipline, and I didn't study; I was grateful for good opportunities and learned on set. Lee Soon-jae told me, 'Hun, the moment you say "I acted so well," you become a crappy actor. Actors are never satisfied. Always keep striving.' That's my motto. Lee Soon-jae lived like that until he passed away. So my aim is to always do my best."
He said, "How can you act perfectly? If you take a killer role, would you really kill someone? You act similarly. But give it your all. After a project ends, whatever reviews you get, you should be able to say, 'I really did my best.' The first thing is to build the body. If the director says lose weight or gain weight, I do that 100%. Then I become that character. If audiences later say, 'Well done,' I'm grateful; if not, I accept it and analyze what was lacking."
About his future plans, Lee Hun said, "None. I'll do everything. We must work. Doing any work opens the next opportunity. You mustn't stay idle. I'm already in my mid-50s, and I don't know what path my acting and entertainment career will take, but if you do nothing, nothing will happen."
He said, "I look forward to what life will unfold. I want this to be a turning point. Recently I appeared on a program selling products and enjoyed it. I think I have the makings of a shopping host. I told my manager, 'Let's do this a few more times.' If that goes well, I might succeed as a shopping host. Some shopping hosts buy houses worth $10 billion, but I probably won't reach that, and you never know. I'll do everything: sell products, catch octopus if asked, take boat trips if asked, wear a wig if asked, gain up to 120kg for a role if asked to play an obese character, lose down to 50 or 60kg and take on a homosexual role if asked. I'll try everything. I feel at ease."
[Photo] OSEN reporter Park Joonhyung
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