hitoritabi
Source: Marie Claire
Translation note: Part 2. It’s been a while. :)
After a period of continuous work, Lee Jong Suk is now enjoying everyday life. In the midst of this rest period, he traveled to Paris after the autumn rains.
Lee Jong Suk has always been running. Ever since ‘School 2013′ , the speed of his running has only been picking up through ‘I Hear Your Voice’ all the way to dull-speed dashing in ‘Pinocchio’. Right now, he is taking a breath. A temporary breath since he was afraid he was using up all his energy. However, once he started to truly rest, he immediately started to miss the feeling of putting all his passion into a project.
During this blank period, we met up with Lee Jong Suk while he was in Paris. He wears comfortable long trousers while sitting in coffee shops; his hair has become longer. Lately, when he is flipping through the channels, he would see reruns of his own dramas then marathon the entire series throughout the night. He is still taking classes with students who dream of becoming an actor, exercising every day, passing his days like this. It is through this that he has understood something very important to himself: “I realize now that compared to rest, I would much rather with all my heart. Three months after my rest period began, I’ve been wanting to act so much that I’m going crazy.”
We will most likely see Lee Jong Suk running at full speed again next year. He’s just catching his breath before he starts up again. For the sake of those passionately burning days, he is living an everyday life for now.
MC: How is your trip in Paris?
I actually don’t really like travelling. Usually, when I’m on a trip, I only wake up after noon and start moving quite slowly. However, for this trip, I woke up really early every day. I went to Montmartre and also Eiffel Tower.
MC: You rested for a long time after ‘Pinocchio’.
Yes. I felt like I was dying. (points at chest) Here, all the passion for acting didn’t get to be released. Even yesterday, I watched three episodes of ‘Pinocchio’ back-to-back starting from 4am until the sun rose. I even said the dialogue I remember back then. All this time spent not acting feels like such a waste.
MC: So you didn’t take such a long break on purpose? You’ve done a shocking number of dramas and films before.
At first, my thinking was like this. Generally, actors do not take two dramas a year, so I was wondering if viewers were getting tired of me. I wanted to take a break before coming out again. I wanted to put more thought into my choice of projects and show a new side of my acting. Ever since I debuted, I have always been acting in movies and dramas alternately. Naturally, I would want to do a movie after ‘Pinocchio’. Even if it wasn’t a lead role, I’ve been looking forward to acting with veteran actors, Ah, I had no idea I would just pass the year like this. It’s a shock to me as well. (laugh)
MC: Are there any particular genre you would want to do in your next project?
No matter what it is, if it is an opportunity to work with veteran actors, I would learn a lot from it. That was how it was with ‘The Face Reader’. Since I was a rookie actor then, I would often be more reserved in my acting. Since I didn’t have much experience, there was still a lot lacking in my performance. When I watched ‘The Face Reader’ back then, I was very dissatisfied with the way I acted, to the extent that I found it difficult to watch myself on the screen. I can reveal this now. After that, I improved a lot; I think something in my acting had an awakening after ‘The Face Reader’.
MC: What kind of awakening?
When I stand on the side and watch veteran actor, I will feel the substantial difference with the acting of our ages. It’s totally in a different league. The skills are so different. When veteran actors are doing a scene, I would observe their skills and even the way they breathe… the more I watch, the more I learn. Of course, even if I learn it, I may not be able to present it in the same way. However, as I mimic them, I can get a general idea and direction, right?
MC: For an actor to act, the time he spends not acting are just as important.
Even when I was working nonstop, I make it a point to watch the projects of other actors around my age. Just to learn even one thing more from them. I wanted to know, for people who have lived the same amount of life as I have, how do they express their emotions? I’ll watch it well and then maybe use it somewhere, that’s what I thought. Although I had no breaks between projects, I continued my learning in such a way, making for the parts I am lacking in.
By the way, during this blank period of nearly a year, I somehow can’t think of any particular thing I would like to try next time. It’s almost like, the more I rest, the more I can’t come up with what weapon to use in the next project. While not acting, I didn’t experience much growth or satisfation. This is my biggest concern right now. Before, I would rest for at most a month between projects. Sometimes I even think if I had used up all my spirit on my previous works. When I am flooded with work, I would want to take a break. But now that I have rested for more than three months, I realize I am not the kind of person who can ever stop acting.
MC: Are you still taking acting classes lately?
I take classes with rookie actor friends every week. I also take the acting classes at university. It’s so much fun. At school, I take classes with students who mostly have no acting experience. On a technical level, I might do better than them, but their acting feels good even if they are slightly green. Among the students, there is an exchange student from China; although his (her?) Korean isn’t that fluent, you really feel his emotions purely through his acting. When it’s my turn, I really put my all into it. Everybody is focusing on me a lot.
My pronunciation isn’t great, but I would pronounce every word precisely in class. I even got praised for my pronunciation for the first time in my life! I actually don’t like talking all that much, or perhaps I should say that I am too lazy to speak? Usually, my diction is a bit slurred; even when I’m at home, I don’t like using the phone and prefers texting instead.
MC: It’s not easy being so objective about yourself. Aren’t all stars really used to being praised? You don’t usually see people being so upfront about their shortcomings.
I actually have a strong inferiority complex, especially when it comes to things I really want to do and do well in. Thus, I must look at myself with more objectivity. That’s the only way for me to turn something impossible into something I can do in my own way. Take this example. My voice is not as broad as other actor’s so I can’t really do well in scenes with a lot of shouting. If such a scene comes up in my script, then I will try to approach it with a different method. I will check and monitor my work very closely, watching it again and again. When I watch my scenes repeatedly, at some point the ‘me’ on screen will start to feel like a separate person, then I can truly be objective about my acting.