Actor Lee Seung-gi poses prior to an interview with The Korea Times at a Seoul cafe, Thursday. / Courtesy of CJ E&M |
Actor Lee Seung-gi talks about his latest film, career
By Park Jin-hai
Lee Seung-gi, 31, who was previously nicknamed "nation's little brother," has successfully left that image behind and moved on.
After being discharged from mandatory military service as a special warfare command officer last October, Lee has been working around the clock.
The actor/singer/show host says he wants to be remembered just as an "entertainer," who takes on various sectors of entertainment with equal devotion.
"It is encouraging that my nickname has gradually phased out. I wish people would know me as Lee Seung-gi and a rare entertainer who does all three (acting, singing and hosting TV shows) well," said Lee who debuted as a K-pop singer in 2004, during an interview with The Korea Times, Thursday. "Like SMAP, now disbanded Japanese boy band, there are many multi-entertainers overseas, whose appearances are naturally accepted as who they are, crossing the boundaries of different entertainment sectors. I think that is the way I should follow."
The actor starred in the recently finished tvN drama "A Korean Odyssey" a modern spin-off of the Chinese classic novel "Journey to the West," and he is currently cast for a variety show "All The Butlers." Lee is also busy promoting his latest romantic comedy film "The Princess and the Matchmaker."
In the Joseon Dynasty period film, Lee takes on the role of a a renowned diviner hired by the king to find a perfect match for her daughter princess Song-hwa, who is said to be born with an unfortunate fate. It has attracted more than 1.2 million viewers since Feb. 28 release.
"I was intrigued by the subject of the story, ancient form of divination _ four pillars of destiny Saju," said the actor. Saju analyzes the cosmic energy at the hour and date of a person's birth from Chinese astrological records.
Regarding his signature diligence and passion, Lee says it is because of his personality. "From rehearsals, I'm always in full gear, harnessing my feelings and getting immersed into my character 100 percent, because I don't know otherwise," he said. "I tried hard not to botch scenes or forget lines, which could make people think it's because I'm doing a drama and a variety show at the same time."
He says he tends to keep control of his daily schedule. "Unlike office workers who improve their profession with repeated daily practice, entertainers don't have any work manual or daily workload. But, I personally set my daily workload, trying hard to invest a set amount of time to improve myself, like other professionals."
About the incidents at the "A Korean Odyssey" shooting site, where a staff member was injured on set and wires attached to actors have been seen on screen live, raising controversy about the poor shooting environment of Korean dramas, Lee said the safety issue should not be left as a controversy itself. "The poor conditions of the drama production staff have been here for many years. Since they surfaced publicly because of the drama, people and related organizations should come up with measures to prevent such unfortunate incidents. Knowing and leaving it as a controversy is tantamount to negligence of duty," he said. "We need a system for the sake of K-drama content as well as happiness of all production staff."
Asked about the possibility of the actor's Hollywood debut, he said he would like to focus more on Asian entertainment market. "In a recent event, I've been surprised to see my Malaysian fans wearing the bracelet that appeared in the drama and singing the drama theme song. I felt Asian countries have gotten really close, with fans around the world watching my drama in real time. I hope K-dramas can make inroads into more Asian countries," he said.