Squid Game actor Lee Jung-jae meets with viewers at Florence Korea Film Fest

The special guest of the 20th edition of Florence Korea Film FestLee Jung-jae, Korean movie star and actor of “Squid Game”, Was a guest on the third day of the festival with a Masterclass dedicated to the successful series. La Compagnia cinema sold out for this appointment where the great actor saw the very hot audience and was eager to hear curiosities about this year’s most watched series.

To greet the star, some fans wore the iconic jumpsuit of the protagonists of the series, and in the audience of many Koreans living in Italy. Furthermore, surprisingly, ACF Fiorentina delivered the purple jersey personalized with the number of the player he plays in the TV series with the name.

Lee Jung-jae, answering some questions about it Pusit GamAt he said: “For me that character is very important because in reality starting from a stage of weakness, thanks to a path of growth it becomes stronger. It gives me hope that love and empathy are still an important part of our society.“

The actor then went on, again about the series, that “certainly thanks to Netflix and web platforms, we have become closer to the Italian public, also because Korean content is not always easy to distribute. I think these platforms can offer relevant content around the world. Also, due to the pandemic, the distribution of many films has been halted, but I hope that now these art forms will reach the homes of viewers around the world. “

He then went on to say about his working process: “When someone proposes to me a new project, I first try to understand the character, I train my body and I sweat a lot, it allows me to free my mind. To prepare the character of 456, Seong Gi-hun, I walked a lot on the city streets, in the markets, this is the pandemic season, I observed how people live and how their lives change. So I got ideas and inspiration. Walking and sweating help me get rid of old ideas in my mind and make room for new ones.“

The explosion of international fame provided by Squid Game reminds him of 1995 when with the drama Moraesigye (⁇– Clessidra) had great success in Korea? And compared to then how has the industry making teleseries changed?

Lee Jung-jae: “1995 was an important year for me, I had a lot of fame, similar to what I have now. In those years I shot two important works, one was “Young man” and the other was the “Moraesigye” series, two of my most important works. Today I had a big break with the “Squid Game”, which gave me great exposure. For me from ’95 until now nothing has changed, even if there has been an evolution at the cinematic level. I am always focused on creating new and fun things. The love of the fans always drives me to work hard. And I want to thank you because thanks to your love I am here today and it is an honor for me.“

The worldwide success of the “Squid Game” has returned the Korean audiovisual industry to the heart of the world. We know that this is one of the most important industries, the series came a few years after the success of “Parasite”, winner of four Osars. Several themes unify the two works, one in particular is that they narrate a society where social differences are very bad, and these differences create serious problems. Of course, this extreme inequality is not the only protection of Korean society. Is this way of telling about social differences a peculiarity of the Korean audiovisual industry?

Lee Jung-jae: “In Korea, there are certainly movies that show, as in “Parasite” and “Squid Game,” the big difference between social classes, because it’s a very heartfelt theme. But clearly there are other types of highly successful films and dramas, in Korea and abroad, that address different themes. I think people share the ideologies contained in these films and series, because they are topics we fully understand, and something that touches us all and we want change. The message the “Squid Game” wants to send is: let’s try to think more about others. Surely this is a survival game where there is friction between people, some games are shown where if there is no union you will not win, the director wants to show that in this world you cannot live alone . Many people think that there are scenes of violence to achieve success, but we have not put these scenes together to attract attention but to clarify where the evil comes from. So show the cause, the source of evil. No one can change the world alone, but slowly we are all coming together.“

Stars in “Squid Game” include Oh Yeong-su, who won a Golden Globe for his performance as player 001, Oh Il-nam. In Italy, the actor is also known for his performance in the movie “Spring, summer, autumn, winter … and more spring” by Kim Ki-duk. How did you know you were working with him?

Lee Jung-jae: “He is a highly respected man in South Korea, has spent his entire life on one stage, has acted in many films. He is a wonderful actor who devotes all his time and knowledge to what he does, an old but very young way of thinking. When we shot the “Squid Game” we had so much fun.“

A girl from the audience asked how the actor chooses the characters to play, specifically referring to Gi-hun from (Squid Game) and Ray (Save us from Evil), two completely different characters. “There are many reasons why a person decides to play a character, if there is only one type it is pointless to choose the roles and the viewers will be bored. Sometimes I want to be a certain type of person, and so I accept to be that character, sometimes I also choose him just for his style and look.“, Lee Jung-jae’s Declaration”The choice comes naturally to me, then I try to perfect the character and make him mine. As for Ray, I tried to make this character unpredictable, I made an effort here. While I was shooting “Deliver us from Evil” I got the proposal to perform as Seong Gi-hun in “Squid Game”, I accepted because I wanted to change character and style.“

If the Squid Game were real and he joined, would he be like Seong Gi-hun?

Lee Jung-jae: “I often get this question. But I will choose not to join that game.”