A Funny Yet Not Ridiculous Movie, 'Method Acting' First Review and Press Conference Highlights

Not every movie needs to be 〈Extreme Job〉, nor does it need to aspire to be like it. There’s no need to mix action and comedy on a grand scale like 〈Extreme Job〉, nor to arm itself with popular humor to cater to everyone’s tastes.

The movie 〈Method Acting〉, which will be released on March 18, is a work that seeks to find what it does best, even if it’s not mainstream, within a modest scale. The film is a meta-comedy that digs into the backstage of comedy films like 〈Extreme Job〉. 〈Method Acting〉 is a tribute to comedic actors and a 'funny yet not ridiculous movie' dedicated to all characters who live their lives doing 'method acting'.

'Method acting' refers to a style of acting where the actor psychologically identifies with the character to achieve extreme realism. In the movie 〈The King’s Affection〉, actor Park Ji-hoon, who played Lee Hwi (the deposed king), embodied a character who appeared emaciated by eating only one apple a day for two months, while Lee Dong-hwi in 〈Method Acting〉 plays 'Lee Dong-hwi' within the film, truly showcasing 'method acting'.

Lee Dong-hwi in 〈Method Acting〉 overlaps with actor Lee Dong-hwi. At least in the public's memory, that is. Despite showcasing a fierce villain's face in 〈Casino〉 and 〈The Outlaws 4〉, the first descriptor that still follows Lee Dong-hwi is 'comedic actor'. 〈Method Acting〉 takes that point as its starting line. The actor, who has risen through comedy and has been consumed by it, now plays Lee Dong-hwi, who wants to break free from the image of a 'comedic actor'.

In 〈Method Acting〉, Lee Dong-hwi is a comedic actor who has made a name for himself but is a character who has fallen into a rut because he doesn't want to do comedy. He became famous through the comedy film 'Alien', but what he truly wants is serious drama. In the film, Lee Dong-hwi finally declares that he will do method acting while fasting for the historical drama 'Gyeonghwa Suwol' that he has been offered. He hides triangular kimbap in his pants, but it gets discovered right from the first shoot.

However, 〈Method Acting〉 is not just filled with playful satirical scenes. It clearly establishes itself as a 'meta-comedy' that disturbs the line between fiction and fact through an early sequence featuring Park Ji-hwan as 'Talent Kim', but after the midpoint, it adds a significant weight by incorporating the director's reflections on 'method acting'. The story that 'we all live our lives doing method acting' is conveyed through the character who wants to do 'method acting'. Whether it’s the daily struggles of wanting to do what we love versus what we must do, the professionals who cannot quit and run towards the finish line, or the mothers who hide their pain from their children, we all live our lives playing our respective roles. Thus, the protagonist of 〈Method Acting〉 is essentially all of us.

On March 13, a press screening and press conference for the movie 〈Method Acting〉 were held at Megabox COEX. On this day, director Lee Gi-hyuk and actors Lee Dong-hwi, Yoon Kyung-ho, and Kang Chan-hee attended the press conference to respond to questions from domestic reporters. Here are the words shared by the director and actors.

“Life has both onstage and backstage” Director Lee Gi-hyuk

〈Method Acting〉 features not only the comedic actor 'Lee Dong-hwi' who wants to do serious acting but also various characters who struggle to live their own lives. There’s Lee Dong-tae (Yoon Kyung-ho), who has long dreamed of being an actor but now works as an acting instructor; Jung Tae-min (Kang Chan-hee), who started as a child actor and became a top star; Jung Bok-ja (Kim Geum-soon), the lively mother of Lee Dong-hwi and Lee Dong-tae; Park CEO (Yoon Byeong-hee), the only agent whose work for Lee Dong-hwi has dried up, even taking on delivery jobs; and Director Lim (Gong Min-jeong), who has to shoot a drama no matter how the writer arbitrarily changes the settings. Each character struggles with their own dilemmas.

What does 〈Method Acting〉 say about various lives? Director Lee Gi-hyuk summarized the film in one sentence: “Life has both onstage and backstage.” He shared, “I too constantly ponder what it means to be myself and how to live authentically. Because everyone sometimes lives according to the image they want to show or have to show to others, and behind that, there is my true self when I am completely alone. That is the essential duality that everyone possesses as a human being,” conveying a point that audiences can resonate with in 〈Method Acting〉.

“A story of all of us who struggle between what we want to do and what we have to do” Actor Lee Dong-hwi

Actor Lee Dong-hwi participated in the planning and development stages of 〈Method Acting〉. He shared that while planning the film, he thought, “I hope this story doesn’t only contain the struggles and concerns of actors,” and aimed to create a narrative about the story of many people struggling between what they want to do and what they have to do, developing the script together with director Lee Gi-hyuk.

At the same time, Lee Dong-hwi also revealed his own perspective on 'method acting'. “I got injured on December 31 and welcomed January 1 in the emergency room. But for a long time, I couldn’t tell my parents. While I was in the emergency room, I was sending texts saying, ‘Happy New Year,’” he said, adding that the moment was 'method acting'. Lee Dong-hwi concluded, “Method acting is not just an acting style for actors. Aren’t we all living our lives doing method acting every day?”

“I didn’t know it would be this hard to act as myself” Actor Lee Dong-hwi

Lee Dong-hwi candidly shared his thoughts on the experience of acting as himself in 〈Method Acting〉. “At first, I thought it would be easy. But when I actually did it, I found it to be more cautious and confusing. I had much bigger concerns about how much to show and what to hold back,” he said, laughing, “I don’t think I will ever act as myself again after this project.”

The film starts from the 20-year relationship between Lee Dong-hwi and director Lee Gi-hyuk. “We have been friends and colleagues since college. I was surprised when he suddenly said he would direct, but I was moved when I received the first script and saw his dedication and passion,” Lee Dong-hwi shared.

A Feature Film Originating from the Short Film of the Same Name

The movie 〈Method Acting〉 is also a feature film that originated from a short film of the same name. Director Lee Gi-hyuk's short film 〈Method Acting〉 features actor Lee Dong-hwi, just like the feature film, and tells the story of Lee Dong-hwi, who fasts to portray a character with anorexia while performing 'method acting'.

Director Lee Gi-hyuk cited the advice of director Yoon Jong-bin as a turning point for expanding it into a feature film. “In a mentoring program, I was told to ‘expand the front and back of the short film.’ That became the driving force,” he explained, stating that during the process of expanding it into a feature, he incorporated the real struggles of actor Lee Dong-hwi, as well as the atmosphere and perspectives he felt while working as an actor, and emotions regarding family into the characters.

Additionally, regarding the differences from the short film, director Lee Gi-hyuk stated, “Unlike the short film, we have unfolded many characters who are assigned roles and live their lives while acting in a life that doesn’t go as planned.” He also pointed out that the narrative of the brothers Lee Dong-hwi and Lee Dong-tae and their mother Jung Bok-ja occupies a significant portion of the film, saying, “The family story is one of the key aspects that sets it apart,” highlighting a point of interest for viewers.