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The Korea Times

By Kwak Yeon-soo
Lee Sung-min is one of the most diligent actors in the entertainment industry. Not only does he take on leading roles, he makes frequent guest appearances in various films and television series.
This summer, he made cameo appearances in Lee Jung-jae’s directorial debut film, Hunt, and Netflix series Narco-Saints. This month, the 53-year-old plays a man in his 80s suffering from dementia and looking for belated revenge in crime action film Remember.
He has two more projects under way: Disney+’s Shadow Detective and JTBC’s Reborn Rich.

“I can’t say no to people,” he says. “I spend long periods of time pretending to be somebody else, so I feel emotionally comfortable when acting. As long as it doesn’t ruin my career, I am willing to help out fellow directors.”
Lee says it is important for him to work with a director who he trusts.
Some say I need to empty myself before taking on another role, but for me, meeting a new character feels like a break.
Lee Sung-min on keeping busy
“I genuinely believe that in a film, a director’s role is more important than actors. I have worked with director Lee Il-hyung twice because he inspires me on what I could add into the scenes and knows how to extract my best performance. We enjoy working together,” he says.
“Whenever I feel like ‘this looks like an intriguing character’, I choose that project.”
Lee is well known for taking on roles with a bromance angle.
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“Yeah, I’m well-suited for portraying bromances, not romances,” he says with a laugh.
In Remember, he and fellow lead Nam Joo-hyuk form a close bond, saving each other from danger while on a journey of revenge together.
Their off-screen friendship made portraying this easy. “Nam and I worked well together, and we worked hard on creating this deep relationship between [our characters],” he says.

In the film, Lee’s character, Pil-joo, uses millennial language and slang.
“Until a few years ago, I wasn’t familiar with new terms like inssa [which refers to those who are social and active]. But I learned such vocabulary after appearing in TV shows. My teenage daughter also taught me some words,” he says.
“But the ugly truth about getting old is that you become hesitant about absorbing new things. I know that’s bad for an actor, but I can’t help it.”
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Lee says he hopes the film can help bridge generational gaps in Korean society.
“Our film is about an old man and a young man going on a journey together. I hope the audience relate to the characters in the film and find a way to live in harmony together – respect older people and embrace younger people,” he says.
The actor says he remains cautious about its anti-Japanese theme. In the film, Pil-joo, who lost his family during Japan’s colonial rule of Korea (1910-45), goes in search of the pro-Japan collaborators that he believes were responsible for the death of his family.

“I was a bit worried that the audience would say they are tired of watching films that contain anti-Japanese messages,” he says. “To be honest, I didn’t star in the film because I had some sort of historic responsibility. I just want people to see it as one man carrying out murders to take revenge for the killing of his beloved family.”
Lee says he underwent hours of make-up each day during the shoot to look like a man in his 80s.
“I don’t have many wrinkles, so creating them by make-up was challenging. I intentionally frowned a lot, maintained a crooked position and talked in a raspy voice while shooting. In the end, I got cervical disc problems,” he says.
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His efforts shine through in the film, and Lee says he was satisfied with his transformation.
“I think filmmaking should be tough and relentless. I normally don’t get emotional when watching myself on the big screen, but I teared up a little bit.”
Asked what one last thing he wants to remember in case he gets dementia, Lee says: “The fact that I am an actor. I barely take a break in between acting gigs. I think I have spent about one-third of my life pretending to be somebody else.
“Some say I need to empty myself before taking on another role, but for me, meeting a new character feels like a break.”
Read the full story at The Korea Times


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Lifestyle

K-drama

Entertainment

Culture

Film & TV

K-Pop


Lee Sung-min, the star of crime action film Remember, is arguably one of the most diligent actors in the entertainment industry in South Korea
He reveals why he takes on so many acting roles, what helps him decide to take on a project and why he thinks filmmaking should be tough and relentless



Korean actor Lee Sung-min has been busy taking on leading roles and making cameo appearances in many shows and films. He reveals his take on bromances and why he enjoys pretending to be somebody else.


Asian cinema: Korean films

K-drama news

‘I can’t say no to people’: Korean actor Lee Sung-min on bromances, being somebody else and how long it takes to make him look like he’s in his 80s

Lee Sung-min, the star of crime action film Remember, is arguably one of the most diligent actors in the entertainment industry in South Korea He reveals why he takes on so many acting roles, what helps him decide to take on a project and why he thinks filmmaking should be tough and relentless

Lee Sung-min, the star of crime action film Remember, is arguably one of the most diligent actors in the entertainment industry in South Korea

He reveals why he takes on so many acting roles, what helps him decide to take on a project and why he thinks filmmaking should be tough and relentless