53-year-old Lee Il-hwa, serious about self-management “Intermittent fasting + home training, exercise every day” [Photo shoot]

Actress Lee Il-hwa, who recently finished filming the drama ‘Beauty and Pure Man’, graced the cover of the November issue of Woman Sense.

In an accompanying interview, Lee Il-hwa said, “The cover shoot with Woman Sense was also the last schedule for the drama ‘Beauty and Pure Man’. That‘s why it was more meaningful, and I feel relieved now that it’s over. I did intermittent fasting and paid attention to my diet to prepare for the cover shoot, so I wonder how the cover will turn out.”

What does acting mean to actor Lee Il-hwa, who has been acting for 34 years? He said, “I really like my time acting. I‘m so happy when I’m on stage or in front of the camera. As I get older, I feel the preciousness of my work more deeply. After pouring so much energy into finishing a project, my time resting is also precious. At the same time, I yearn for my next project.”

When asked if he had a long-standing dream as an actor, he said, “If you ask me what my dream is, I don’t know how to answer. I think it’s a question that requires more thought. However, I always try to think like this. ‘Be grateful even if it doesn’t work out.’ I try to be grateful for the time I’ve been given,” expressing gratitude for his ordinary daily life rather than his special dream. He continued, “Actually, I didn’t say anything on the set of Woman Sense, but my long-time dream was to do a magazine cover shoot, and it’s been about 34 years since I started acting, and today, I finally achieved that dream.”

Lee Il-hwa is known to be sensitive and have severe mood swings. However, he said that such mood swings also serve as a driving force for his life as an actor. Lee Il-hwa said, “It’s the same with movies and dramas, but when I do plays, it’s hard, difficult, and I get hurt a lot, so being an actor feels like an extreme job. Of course, I felt catharsis after performing on stage without any trouble and finishing the performance safely,” she said. “I’ve also thought that one day, when I get really old, I want to die on stage. I’m happy about the process of meeting new characters through my works and saying goodbye to them. It feels like I’m continuously facing life and death,” she said. “Every time I finish a work, I can observe my mature side and my shortcomings. I feel that the job of an actor, where you can live countless different lives in this one life, is special. The actor who used to be a job has now become my life.”

You can see the pictorial that contains actress Lee Il-hwa’s still beautiful appearance and the depth of her 34 years of acting experience in the November issue of Woman Sense.

Jeong Hee-yeon, Donga.com reporter shine2562@donga.com