(continuing from interview②) Actress Lee Jung-eun expressed admiration for Lee Hyori's unusual passion for acting.
On the afternoon of the 20th at a café in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, an interview was conducted with Lee Jung-eun, the lead actor of The Journey to Gyeongju.
The Journey to Gyeongju (written/directed by Kim Mi-jo, presented by Lotte Entertainment, Michigan Venture Capital Co., Ltd., distributed by Lotte Entertainment, produced by Studio High Five, co-produced by Euphoria ENT), which is set to open on the 26th, is a film about four mothers and daughters who, for the youngest daughter "Gyeongju" who never returned from a school trip, set out on a murderous trip after eight years of waiting, portraying a family revenge drama.
In the film, Lee Jung-eun gave a passionate performance as the mother "Oksil," who lost her youngest daughter "Gyeongju" and has lived only for revenge. When asked about her efforts to portray the character of a "mother who lost her daughter," she said, "For appearance and such, I tried to create the image of a person whose time has stopped. Doesn't the hair make you think a bit of 'Oldboy'? I also read many reports and books researching the psychology of victims' families and so on."
She continued, "At first I thought, 'Doesn't it look too much like 'Oldboy'?' but when I thought about it, I realized that people who cannot take care of their hair, who don't have time to do so, people who cannot even worry about those things could have that kind of hair," and joked, "And whenever I got a bit angry my hair stood up more. So I thought, 'Oh, hair has emotions too. It can express emotions (with the hair).'"
Lee Jung-eun said, "I have a lot of hair. I thinned it a lot now, so it looked angrier. But I was told a lot that I looked like Lee Sang Soon. I actually met him because of radio promotion; he was very nice and similar to me. He said, 'We're so alike that I feel a bit sorry,' and even now I often think we look alike. He's friendly," referring to the 'lookalike' Lee Sang Soon with a laugh.
In particular, Lee Sang Soon even showed his loyalty by attending the The Journey to Gyeongju screening in person. Lee Jung-eun said, "He contacted me separately and told Lee Hyori that if she had time she should come too. We are not people who contact each other often, but wouldn't it be good if this became an opportunity for us to keep in touch?"
Long known as Lee Hyori's acting teacher, Lee Jung-eun said, "Lee Hyori once said that she wanted to create a story about a pro wrestler who retired and then lived as a housewife. I don't know whether my advice helped or not," adding, "Lee Hyori would imagine putting a pro wrestler's clothes on herself and say, 'Unni, how about this idea?' So I thought, 'She really wants to create stories. She has a desire to be an actor.' I think she has talent," she said in praise.
[photo] Lotte Entertainment
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