‘Ogame2’ Lee Jung-jae “Two months of practice for the Jegi Kick... The truth about the 1.3 billion won per episode guarantee”[Interview]
Photo courtesy of Netflix
Since its release on the 26th of last month, ‘Squid Game’ season 2 has set a record by taking ‘overall #1’ in 93 service countries and regions, a first for Netflix. Director Hwang smiled and said, “There hasn‘t been any good news in Korea recently, so it’s a blessing to be able to deliver some good news in Korean, not English.” Lee Jung-jae also emphasized, “I‘m grateful for all the responses that will help us create an even better season 3,”not only for the current global success, but also for the various responses that will help us create an even better season 3.”
○“Stuffy Sung Ki-hoon? A conscientious person
Lee Jung-jae’s Sung Ki-hoon enters the game once again in season 2 to stop the merciless murders. His bright and innocent appearance in season 1 is nowhere to be seen, and he has become infinitely dark and serious. While some say that this character has become “a bit boring,” Lee Jung-jae also reflected that he put a lot of thought into how to convincingly portray Sung Ki-hoon‘s changed appearance.
“Compared to season 1, the image I can show is limited, but that doesn’t mean the entire series has just one tone. There are characters like Jung Bae (Lee Seo Hwan) who replace Ki Hoon‘s bright appearance, so I think it made the show shine even more with teamwork.”
There are reactions that Sung Ki Hoon’s actions, which only cry out for justice, are ‘ frustrating,’, but Lee Jung Jae emphasized that “the pursuit of moral ideals” is Sung Ki Hoon‘s essence.
“The word that came to mind the most in Season 2 is ‘conscience.’. Ki Hoon feels guilty about the people who sacrificed themselves even after receiving 45.6 billion won. And he tries to act instead of running away. There are too many people in our society who abandon their conscience and try to avoid it. I wanted to show through Ki Hoon that we should know how to act according to our conscience.”
One of the points to watch in Season 2 is the contrast between Ki Hoon and In Ho (Lee Byung Hun), the frontman who hides his identity. Director Hwang Dong-hyuk also compared these two characters to the relationship between the Jedi, the symbol of justice in Star Wars, and Darth Vader, the axis of evil. Lee Jung-jae, who starred in the Star Wars spin-off Acolyte, also agreed with this analogy.
“Ki-hoon and Frontman are like mirrors, like decalcomania. They look the same, but they are complete opposites. Acting with actor Lee Byung-hun was also really great. Actor Lee Byung-hun is an actor who knows how to look at a character from many different angles and aspects. Even on set, I saw him constantly talking with the director and thinking deeply about the character.”
Photo courtesy of Netflix
In season 2, where various games he enjoyed as a child appear as terrifying games of death following the first season, he created tremendous suspense with ‘Jegi Kick’, and he laughed as he looked back and said, “I practiced for two months to kick five.”
“As those who have played Jegi Kick will know, it’s not easy to kick even two. It was also difficult to use a body double because it was like playing with air in the angle. I practiced for two months, but because I‘m old, my pelvis started hurting. Haha.”
Lee Jung-jae drew attention by saying, “It’s true that I received a lot of money (1.3 billion won) per episode” regarding some reports that he was paid $1 million (1.3 billion won) per episode,”but”There‘s something I really want to say about that”.”
“The contract for season 1 was handled by my agency (Artist Company), and season 2 was handled by my US agency (CAA). From the beginning, I only asked for one thing from CAA. ‘Please give me a flexible contract that won’t affect my relationship with Netflix. If you ask too much, I‘ll get criticized in Korea.’ I don’t want the ‘Lee Jung-jae case’ to cause difficulties for other actors in their contracts. I just want them to know that I signed a contract with such flexible terms.”
Reporter Seungmi Lee smlee@donga.com
