Lee Jong Suk’s Taking a Breath (Marie Claire Dec 2015) - Part 2
Source: Marie Claire
Translation note: Part 1. As usual, honest and to the point! I miss him <3
MC: Do you pay effort into your appearance? Most male actors will go the gym for leisure.
I exercise almost every day. During this rest period, I wanted to really train up my body for once, so I even went for bulking up exercises. However, now I feel my body is too broad so I doing it less. I also tried horse-riding and rock-climbing, but gave up both in the end. Riding a horse made my butt hurt more than expected and my fingers got all scratched up after rock-climbing. (laughs)
MC: Actually, I got a bit flustered when I first came in and saw you, since it looks like it’s been some time since you cut your hair.
Well, since there’s nothing particular to cut my hair for, so I didn’t do so. I also had no idea what kind of project I’d be doing next, so I just let it grow long. Maybe I’ll need long hair for my next role.
MC: You could just wear a wig.
That would look weird and unnatural. I still regret not letting my hair grow long for my role in ‘The Face Reader’. (T/N: Er, how about Namsoon which was filmed at the same time…)
MC: Do you think acting gets easier with experience?
No. I feel it gets harder. It’s getting quite serious; I’m more nervous now than I was when I first debuted. Back when I began to act, it wasn’t hard for me to look my acting partner in the eye, but gradually I started escaping for his/her gaze. It was so difficult for me to stare straight into both eyes that I actually started to look at one eye of my partner. The audience can’t really tell through the camera lens but I just focus on his/her right eye… I can’t receive all of the emotions from the other person though.
MC: You’re overthinking it. At your age, you are allowed to be slightly self-possessed and more brash with your actions!
You’re right. Even when I am acting, I can’t act in a direct manner. I go to acting class with Go Kyung Pyo and even when we are acting from the same script, that friend and I have extremely different styles. I would analyze the scene in detail and plan out my movements before beginning; meanwhile, he acts on pure animalistic instinct. I can’t do that. Whenever I see actors with such raw talent, I look up to that. Even now, if my acting exceeds the boundaries I’ve set for myself, even for just a little bit, I would start to blush with embarrassment. I feel so ashamed and frustrated, perhaps it’s because I have such a desire to act well. I will search for the interviews done by sunbae actors; when they talk about their own struggles, it becomes my source of strength. I would think, ‘Ah, so even sunbaes talk about this’.
MC: Have you ever imagined yourself growing old like those sunbaes?
Many times. When I was checking the photos we took in Paris, I saw the creases/wrinkles around my mouth, and it shocked me so much. I thought about it a lot in my hotel room… I think I’m not the type to grow old in a handsome way. I feel like I can’t become a handsome veteran actor with wrinkles.
MC: What are you afraid of? Compared to many actors your age, you’ve taken many more characters that require you to wreck your looks. You’ve done a role with mop hair and another one dressed in old-fashioned, 70s school uniforms.
I picked those roles on purpose. Ever since ‘I Hear Your Voice’, I’ve been terrifed that people will only see me as a ‘rising star’. I wish to become a real actor so i wanted to show them – “I can do it to this extent”. Not only those handsome but superficial roles, I think these ‘image-wrecking roles’ can display my acting potential more clearly.
MC: Is there anything you want to change for the coming year?
I become really awkward when I am with people I don’t know well. Even though I really want to be close with sunbae actors, but once I’m in a place with lots of strangers, my face flushes red and I just want to escape. At award ceremonies that are filled with strangers, I would be asked to give a speech although I’m dying inside. Even before I go on stage, I’m already thinking of how I can convey my thoughts earnestly but concisely, so that I can get off the stage. My speech would be as short as possible, without crossing the line into sounding insincere.
I really want to change now. I want to be able to say hi to my juniors and seniors comfortably, listen to their advice on acting. I want to be able to confide all my troubles in someone, but it’s still not easy. Therefore, I tend to listen to my fans a lot, since they are my source of strength.
MC: No matter what, you should be more comfortable with friends. What’s Lee Jong Suk like when he is with friends?
Hm… I hate the whole push and pull for the bill when I go out for dinner with friends, even as a joke. Even back when I didn’t have money, I would pay for it. Even if I end up with no taxi money. That’s it.
MC: Soon it will be the last month of this year… how will Lee Jong Suk remember year 2015?
I probably won’t. Because there’s nothing to remember. A project to a year is like… if I filmed something that year, I’ll remember that year when I think of the project. I didn’t leave anything behind this year.
MC: You’ll probably become busy next year.
I’ll do many projects next year. After this period of rest, I think it’s only right to work a lot. I am not a person who can rest. When I have a lot of time, it doesn’t mean I am relaxed. Now my head is full of all kinds of thoughts, I want to get rid of them; fill my head with nothing but work.
