Lee Jung-jae presents his film, “Hunt”, at the Cannes Film Festival. Photo by AP
South Korean actor Lee Jung-jae had no US agent at the time Squid Game (the squid game) he did achieve world fame, in September 2021, but less than a year later he said he was open to opportunities around the world and directorial debut at Cannes.
His debut feature, Huntwhere he also writes, stars and produces, is an espionage thriller set in 1980s South Korea and follows two intelligence agents looking for an infiltrator in their ranks.
A failed assassination attempt on the president of South Korea on a trip to Washington raises suspicions of the existence of a “mole” and unleashes a plot full of explosions, chases, mistrust and special effects.
Lee Jung-Jae exploded with joy when he received SAG for his acting in “The Squid Game.” Photo by Reuters
“As an actor, I’ve always been a fan of spy films and I had the opportunity to buy the original script for this film, which I think has a lot of potential,” he told the agency. EFE this Sunday the interpreter in Cannes, where his film was screened out of competition in the 75th edition of this contest, which ends on May 28.
Dare to take the lead
He didn’t think of being a director, but this time, while rewriting the script, he mustered up the courage to think he might as well get behind the camera.
Lee (Seoul, 1972) admitted that being an actor, director, screenwriter and producer at the same time is a tedious experience: “Because I have so many different roles, I don’t have time to rest, I have to prepare for the next scene”.
He speaks South Korean, accompanied by an interpreter and convinced that language would not be a problem when working abroad.
identity issues
“In the past, people might say your pronunciation was weird or you didn’t express enough because of the barrier in that language, but now I think that language is not as important as your identityyour personality, your charisma and talent, and you can use that to express yourself. “
Platforms like Netflix, where it premiered Squid Gamehas helped audiovisual productions in different languages jump the border, he assured.
“They allowed travel to different cultures and I was so happy it happened. Finally we have easy access and a deeper understanding of other cultures And I hope that better understanding will lead to more exchanges. “
Popular and offer
The premiere of the series helped him be recognized around the world and received “good deals from many different places”, He added. “On a professional level, I have and am open to more opportunities.”
the creator of Squid Game, Hwang Dong-hyukconfirmed this past Wednesday in an interview with the magazine Vanity Fair that the second season will be released in late 2023 or even 2024 because the script is still in its infancy.
In the short term, Lee is not considering directing again: “I identify myself as an artist. I really like acting and I want to focus more on thatalthough if there is an opportunity to direct again, I could take advantage of it, “the actor concluded, where being in Cannes for his first film” is really an honor. “
Origin of EFE
CJL
Source: Clarin
