Skin: “Squid Game” star Lee Jung-je in his directorial debut “Hunt”

Lee Jung-jae, leader of Breout squid game And the star, who has been in South Korea for nearly 30 years, didn’t want to become a director. Still, his debut in a feature film, a political thriller of the time. ᲜhuntingThe world premiere is scheduled for a prestigious venue in Cannes.

Chosen in the festival’s midnight section, which favors a soft film genre, Lee starred in the film as a Korean National Intelligence Service agent in the 1980s, when South Korea’s military dictatorship was at its height. When Lee’s character and fellow agent Ace are given the same task: discovering North Korea’s carpet agency, they gradually uncover dark truths about their own country.

facing the skin, the hollywood reporter Chat with Lee in Seoul via Zoom to discuss Hunt’s inspiration, how he was seduced into the director’s chair, and his hopes for a second season. squid game.

Therefore, not much is known about his film yet. What was your origin and inspiration?

I started with an initial draft of a screenplay written by another writer. I was very inspired when I first read it and really liked the concept of the story. I thought if we could develop it further, it would become a really interesting movie.

We live in a world where we come across a lot of news and information and it made me wonder what it was like in Korea in the past when information moved much slower and was much more controllable. While the abundance of our information today is beneficial, people are overwhelmed and we have a problem with fake news and people don’t know what to trust. I often read how these issues affect my values ​​and thoughts, and how I perceive what is real and what is real. This is the problem with so many conflicts and confrontations between different groups today. These ideas inspired me to write this screenplay. I was worried that it would become too much of a message-driven film that preached too much, so I used the spy-action genre form to ensure it had a strong entertainment aspect.

What is meant by extension of the original treatment?

First and foremost, I wanted the film to be accessible and fun for all generations of Korean viewers, so I adapted the story to be more accessible that way. But then, as Korean content gained so much popularity around the world, I felt like I also needed to make adjustments so that you didn’t have to know the Korean social and political context of the 1980s to get it. So, my goal was to make the film clear and understandable, pleasing this large audience. To get all these changes, I introduced new characters and made all sorts of changes. In total, it took four years to write.

And what were the benefits of staging a story in the 1980s?

Korea in the early 1980s was very different from Korea today. All important information was then strictly controlled and filtered by the authorities. I thought the movie, which is about a period when information was strictly controlled by a few powerful people, would allow viewers to think about our present time.

Was writing and directing something you always wanted to do?

To be honest, I really wanted to be the producer on this project. Most directors in the Korean film scene write their own projects. So I wanted to develop this story with another director to write and direct. Initially, I tried to find the right director who would share my thoughts on the direction the story should take. So I met a lot of directors, a lot of candidates. Some thought he was wrong and others denied it. He even worked for a few months, but then resigned. Eventually, I got to the point where there weren’t any other major directors that I knew of. At that point I gave up and decided, well, I’m going to have to write and direct this work myself.

You’ve been involved in the filming process for decades. How does the actual experience of writing and directing a movie compare to your expectations of what it would be like?

Well, I had no previous experience writing the script. I was trying to write from the viewer’s point of view, I was always wondering if I would like to see this movie in the audience. But it was a very long process. As I put a lot of effort into writing, directing wasn’t that difficult because I had it all figured out in my head. And communication with the crew and the rest of the cast was very smooth because I had all my intentions very clear.

Did you like the creative control that comes with directing rather than acting? Are you busy driving right now?

Oh no, I’m more of an actor than a director. (Laughter). But if I come up with something out of the ordinary, then you have to rethink your position.

You mentioned how the growing Korean content inspired international popularity to try to make the film more accessible globally. I had the first experience of seeing squid game Will this help you become so awesome globally?

well I don’t think so squid game The experience has influenced the making of this movie or my creative process, in and of itself, but the show’s success has really made my name better known worldwide, so it seems like more people are paying attention to the movie and interested in seeing it, and it was really helpful. for everyone involved. .

Little time has passed since then squid game explored. How did the whole experience affect you?

It affected me incredibly. I think it also opened the door for Korean content to an international audience. Personally, I’m more cautious with the projects I choose. I feel like I need to be a little more selective and work even harder to make the most of this opportunity.

But on a human level, I’ve been very active as an actor in Korea for the past 30 years. So when it comes to recognition or something, I’m pretty used to it. But I think it made me feel even more grateful. Every time people came up to me and asked for selfies, I tried to respond as positively as possible because this whole experience reminded me how lucky I am.

You walked the red carpet in 2010 for that famous erotic thriller Sang-soo. Housewife. How do you feel when you come back?

Cannes is a festival to which anyone in the film industry dreams of being invited once in their career. So I was excited when we chose housewife and It was a fabulous and fascinating experience. I have great memories of him and I remember how I wish I had come back someday. But I never dreamed of driving again.

Another question squid game Fans… The show’s creator, Hwang Don-Hook, has talked a lot in the press about losing the script and direction of the first season; he even said it was so stressful that he lost some teeth in the process. Now that the show has resumed, have you had a lot of contact with him about plans for season 2? How does this all happen?

I’m in constant and ongoing negotiations with the production company for the second season, but I try not to talk too much with the director. Because like you said, the creative process is very intense for him and right now, due to the added pressure of the show’s worldwide success, I know he’s going to have a very difficult time. So I don’t want to be another factor that adds to the pain of the creative process, which I know so well from my experience as a writer. But I have full confidence that he will write a great story for the second season and I look forward to everyone doing so.