[Translation] Lee Dong Wook – Vogue Man HK April 2024 issue magazine interview

Returning Candour

Lee Dong Wook is back. Following his recent hit drama “A Shop For Killers”, he used actions to tell the audience that his return this time has created another breakthrough for his acting career. For many years since his debut, Lee Dong Wook has always been a gentle and affectionate male god in the eyes of the audience. This time he gave the audience a refreshing feeling through “A Shop For Killers”, playing as a mercenary with an unknown past, he gained 6kg of muscle for the series to match the masculine image, so as to break through the existing framework, take on a new challenge, and change the deep-rooted image of gentleness in the past.

Looking back at Lee Dong Wook’s debut journey, it’s actually quite dramatic. During his third year of high school, he participated in a modeling competition at the encouragement of his family, he won the competition and became a professional model, he then changed his career path and became an actor. From the youth series “School 2” and “School 3” till the romantic comedy series “My Girl” where he started to gain attention, and the legendary series “Goblin” in 2016 that let him reach the peak of his career, it just shows his transformation over the years. From the youthfulness of his debut, he gradually accumulated the experience of life, unintentionally exuding a faint feeling of someone who has gone through the ups and downs of life in the character he plays. The impression he gives people is never that of a typical handsome man, but one that is calm and dignified.

Gained muscle to play a mercenary for a breakthrough

In his new drama “A Shop For Killers”, he completely got rid of his past image as a romantic heartthrob and became rugged and masculine. “I starred in ‘A Shop For Killers’ because I hoped to challenge myself with a type of drama that I have never done before, and the role itself was also an extremely important factor to consider. I think ‘A Shop For Killers’ met these two conditions I had in mind, and I’m also able to film scenes where I shoot guns in the drama, which was quite fun. Jeong Jin Man, whom I play in the drama, has a lot of emotional scenes with his niece that offer me room to perform, their family relationship is also unusual, but what belongs to Jeong Jin Man exclusively, is Jeong Jin Man’s style of kinship. I spent a lot of effort in order to portray such special feelings”.

As an actor, what he hopes for the most is to play different kinds of roles. Before “A Shop For Killers”, his movie “Single In Seoul” had a very realistic subject matter, both works are like poles opposite with their own unique styles. In “Single In Seoul”, Lee Dong Wook plays a Korean language teacher who insists on being single and is against dating, which drew a lot of discussion and relatability. “The role is a bit similar to the real me, or rather, most single men are probably like this too. I’m also single now, I’m used to it and enjoy this kind of lifestyle.”

An ordinary attitude towards life

When Lee Dong Wook spoke about his own life, he constantly emphasized that he is an ordinary person who is just like everyone. When talking about his single status, he said that he is single just like an ordinary person. When talking about his activities and interests when he is not working, he also emphasized that he is just like ordinary people. “I’m really very ordinary, I just exercise, do housework, or meet up with friends for a drink.”

Although Lee Dong Wook kept emphasizing that he is just an ordinary person, his status and aura as a celebrity also bring a lot of pressure sometimes. This year marks Lee Dong Wook’s 25th debut anniversary, 25 years is definitely a testament to his progress and growth in his journey as an actor. “If you hadn’t mentioned it, I wouldn’t have realized that I’ve been in this industry for 25 years! Frankly speaking, I don’t feel much about numbers, I’ve been working hard every year all this while, living my life busily, I believe I’ve also accumulated experience equivalent to 25 years! How I feel now is that since I’ve been an actor for 25 years, it means I’ve also grown a lot older. What I hope for the most is to be able to continue my acting career, so we can celebrate my 30th and 50th debut anniversary in the future!”

Shutting himself away for a month and walking out of his slump

Being a celebrity is never easy, even though you work hard quietly without rest, but sometimes hard work and opportunities are not proportionate. Having debuted for a long time, Lee Dong Wook has also experienced a slump in his career before, and moments where he felt lost. “I had experienced not leaving the house for almost a month, and I didn’t meet anyone at all. After going through this period of shutting myself away, there was a moment where it felt like I suddenly woke up and realised that I still have to rely on myself to be able to walk out of the fog. Most importantly, I relied on other work to overcome my depression. Everyone will encounter many unsatisfactory things in life, what’s most important is how you depend on yourself to overcome it step by step.”

Over the past 25 years, he might not have too many regrets and recollections, because he always believes that it is most important to live in the present. “Gathering in the present and hoping to view myself more objectively are perhaps the current aspiration and motto of my life. I’m currently filming a new drama, so my most important job at this juncture is to act well in this drama. As for my future goals, I definitely wish to play some roles that I’ve never done before and bring surprise to the viewers.” From the end of 2022 till early last year, he participated in the movie “Harbin” with Hyun Bin, Park Jungmin and others, and it is expected to be released this year. The movie is based on the lives of Korean national hero Ahn Jung Geun and his comrades, and details the sacrifices made by this group of independence activists as they fought against the Japanese to save their country. “I’ve never really had a life role model all these years, but when I acted in the movie ‘Harbin’, I gained a deeper understanding about the great deeds of freedom fighters and I respect them even more.”

As the interview came to an end, when I asked Lee Dong Wook to list what he likes most and dislikes most about himself, he said, “What I like most about myself is that I am sincere and diligent, and what I dislike most about myself is that I don’t seem to be as sincere and diligent as before. Also, I always remind myself to continue working hard.” Being able to openly say what he is dissatisfied about himself is already very rare. If I were to use one word to describe Lee Dong Wook, “sincere” would be most appropriate.

Source: Vogue Man HK

Translated from Chinese to English by Gabby. Please credit if sharing on other platforms. Please do not duplicate my entire translation elsewhere without permission. You may translate to other languages.