‘Father 10 Years of Insulation’ Lee Geon-ju “Tired of Family-Related Questions...” (With Dad and Me)
‘My Dad and I’ Season 2 will premiere on TV CHOSUN at 10 p.m. on the 11th (Tuesday). Lee Gun-joo, who received the love of the entire nation for his role as Soon-dol in the drama ‘Three Families Under One Roof’, and is currently following the path of a shaman, is garnering much attention by foreshadowing his appearance. Lee Gun-joo had previously revealed on other broadcasts that he had been raised by his grandmother and aunts since he was 2 years old and that he does not have any contact with his parents, causing much pity. And this time, ‘Dad and Me’ will be the first to reveal the reason why he cut ties with his parents, which he has never told anyone before, so even more attention is focused on it.
Lee Gun-joo, who said that he was exhausted just from being asked questions about his parents, revealed that he finally decided to appear on ‘Dad and Me’ after declining several times. We heard more in-depth stories about Lee Gun-joo’s ‘Dad and Me’ through a Q&A session, as he begins his show with both honest feelings about his parents and worries that he might be making his father out to be a bad person.
Q. What were your thoughts when you first received the offer to appear on ‘Dad and Me’? And what made you decide to appear?
- First of all, I thought that I could never appear on the program ‘Dad and Me’. ‘My Dad and I’ I had been a regular viewer since season 1, so I knew it was a show about family relationships. So I honestly thought it wasn‘t for me at all. When I was offered to appear on the show, I was a bit puzzled, and at first I politely declined, saying it would be difficult for me to appear.
However, after the production team’s sincere persuasion several times, my mind began to change little by little. In fact, I had grown tired of just hearing questions about my parents. When I first declined the offer to appear, thoughts suddenly occurred to me, such as, ‘Maybe it‘s time for me to talk honestly about my family?‘, ‘Wouldn’t it be okay to open the Pandora‘s box of my parents in my heart?’. I asked myself these questions, and after much thought, I decided to appear on the show.
Q. You have shown special affection for your aunts who raised you since you were little. How did they react to your appearance on ‘Dad and Me’?
- When I told them I would be appearing on ‘Dad and Me’ as their son’s representative, my aunts were really happy. But on the other hand, they were also worried. They carefully asked, “It must be really painful and hard for you to talk about Mom and Dad. Are you okay?”. Since I am my number one priority to my aunts, I think they thought about how I felt first. I think they worried that I would be hurt when they talked about my parents, or that they might harm me.
Q. What kind of image do you plan to show through ‘Dad and Me’? And how do you want the viewers to perceive you?
- Since ‘Dad and Me’ is an observational variety show, there are many cases where expressions that you actually use are used without hesitation. I hope that when people see my 100% unfiltered, pure self, they think, “Lee Gun-joo is so honest and funny?”, “Lee Gun-joo can be like that too?” and just accept it in a fun and comfortable way. And I hope that they can sympathize with my story a little by thinking, “Lee Gun-joo was in this situation and felt this way.”
I think there are also viewers who are in a similar situation to me. I hope I can be a comfort to those people, and I also want to receive support from many people.
Q. What are you most worried about when appearing on “Dad and Me”?
- I think it would be the relationship between “me and my father”. I just want to be honest and open about my relationship with my father, but I worry that other people might see me as if I‘m picking a fight with my father by saying, “Can a son do that to his father?” I also wonder if I’m making my father out to be too bad of a person. Of course, it‘s been 10 years since I lost my father, and I still don’t understand and get angry, but on the other hand, I have complicated and subtle emotions because I‘m my father’s son.
Q. Although he‘s been active since he was young, not much is known about his parents. Will we be able to hear stories that haven’t been revealed before?
- Actually, I‘ve talked about my parents on TV, but I’ve never revealed the specific reason why I don‘t see them. I plan to tell you all my true feelings about my mom, dad, and family. I’m not sure how my feelings about my parents will change through ‘Dad and Me’. However, if he‘s become a father I can respect, not the one I knew 10 years ago, wouldn’t I be able to meet him now? That‘s what I think.
Q. If you’ve seen Season 1 of ‘Dad and Me’, who was the family member that left the deepest impression on you?
- The family member that left the deepest impression on you and resonated with you the most was Lee Seung-yeon. It must not have been easy to reach out to your family first, but I felt like I knew that feeling better than anyone else, and it was as if I was seeing myself. While watching Seungyeon Lee‘s story, I thought that maybe I had similar feelings, and I thought, ‘Should I also be brave?’.
From a national child actor to a shaman, and now middle-aged ‘Soondol’ Lee Gun-joo will reveal his hidden story with his parents for the first time, and it will air on TV CHOSUN’s ‘Dad and Me’ on Tuesday, March 11 at 10 p.m.
Choi Yoon-na, Donga.com reporter yyynnn@donga.com
This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.
