[Lee Hwa-jung’s Deep Detox] “I want to be a giant seedless grape, not a strawberry.” Meeting actor Lee Yeon, Part ② of “The 21st-Century Crown Princess,” “Tango at Dawn,” and “Gyeongju Trip”

▶ The meeting with actor Lee Yeon continues from Part 1.

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〈Juvenile Judgment〉 is a different situation, but it’s a portrayal of the dark side of teenage youths. I can imagine that darkness running counter to Lee Yeon’s brightness must have felt overwhelming.

The gap from reality was so vast that it was difficult even from the time we prepared for it. I kept placing their psychological states onto myself. In my imagination, I even let them hurt me, and I also tried to cut off the moral line—some kind of boundary. But when you imagine, real emotions surface, too. When that stacks up, I really end up feeling depressed. But we had to do it that way for the results to come out well. Through that kind of experience, I think, “Anything can be possible.” I think all those relationships, situations, and environments made who I am now. And if the environment had been different, nobody would know what kind of person I would have become. The more I keep putting those assumptions onto the character, the more I thought maybe it could actually turn into that.

A special role seems to be what’s calling Lee Yeon. And if that’s the case, I get the impression she makes a bold choice and invests without holding back. Let me use as an example her role as “Jin-a,” the girl who took vows after a forced breakup, and “Domang” (the Buddhist name), a teenage nun in 〈Haehaegodo〉. Director Kim Mi-young suggested, “If you do the role of Domang, I’ll prepare the wig.” Her agency was also reviewing that condition, but instead, it sounds like they just agreed to it outright, and she said, “It’s fine. I’ll shave my head.”

I thought that was the best possible choice. If it felt like it would be too hard, she wouldn’t have to take the role. It would be strange to wear a hat or a wig and do it somewhat moderately. Because when I don’t do it that way, my confidence drops. I go on until the point where it’s like, “I can actually see you as that person.” And then at some moment, when I look at the monitor, I really look like that person. But if you prepare just halfway, that moment never comes. It becomes, literally, a sense of “acting,” and I keep pushing until I reach the feeling, “I don’t think I could be more immersed than this.” It feels like I’m constantly doing the work of letting that person “sink into me.”

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On one hand, while she has that desire to complete the part, she also seems to be someone who doesn’t hold back in the sense that she doesn’t second-guess things. For example, she likely had other projects she was preparing for, but shaving her head is a huge gamble.

I think that concern is also shaped by the environment created by the industry. Especially for female actors, it’s even more so. In an environment where there isn’t enough diversity in roles, do male actors really think seriously, “If I shave my head, the next project might not come”? Of course, that’s also my own personality. It’s like she doesn’t worry too much about what might happen later—“If I have to, I’ll do it.” What’s given to me right now is this, and if I chose it, then I believe there’s a next step only if I do my best for what I’ve chosen. Luckily, it seems that back then there wasn’t a next project already set, which made it even easier. (Laugh)

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In a way, it feels like Lee Yeon herself is refreshing the images she had before with a strong image in every work. Have you ever had experiences where preconceived ideas formed around your image from a project?

Sure. After she filmed 〈Creeper〉, she received an enormous number of DMs. From foreign friends too, in a global way. Messages like, “Are you queer?” and things related to LGBTQ came in a lot. Since she looks somewhat androgynous in real life, it can’t be helped. But I think an actor shouldn’t lock anything in as a fixed identity. So I don’t want to answer “no” or “yes” to those questions. I think the audience should imagine as they like, and do as much imagining as they want—she should just exist that way. I feel like I should always perform the assigned character perfectly, and in that moment, live as that person for real.

What do you think about the narrative of your career? Her decision to shave her head in the independent film 〈Haehaegodo〉 fit incredibly well with the Netflix series 〈Juvenile Judgment〉. It’s almost like it can be viewed as amazing luck, like a strategy predicting what would come next.

Of course, there are works that did even better with mainstream audiences. But that’s just a result that went beyond my hands. I simply did what I could do. But, as you said, it’s surprising that those processes all seem connected. In fact, you could even say that after the success of 〈Creeper〉, she met director Kim Mi-young, who really had been watching and appreciating it, and that’s how she ended up doing 〈Haehaegodo〉. And she didn’t just do 〈Juvenile Judgment〉 where she shaved her head—she also did 〈D.P.〉. When our agency got a casting offer for 〈D.P.〉, they said, “My head is currently shaved tightly.” But director Han Jun-hee said, “What’s the big deal? You can just wear a wig.” During 〈Weak Hero Class 1〉 (2022), she had a short haircut because she was filming 〈War Activities After School〉, and he said she could just wear a wig then too. So I decided to trust this belief: if a director really wants an actor, they’ll find a way to make it happen. (Laugh) That’s why she works even harder to do well with what’s currently given to her.

Have you ever felt that your appearance was a barrier? Your style looks more striking than that of other women your age, and it’s clearly outside the conventional casting lineup. Now, that might have become a strength, but back then you might have been able to compare and ask, “Am I too different from other actors?”

It wasn’t like she never worried. In fact, her agency also discussed that. If we were to compare actors to fruit—she said, “I don’t think I’m a strawberry. I’m like a giant seedless grape.” She wanted to do a lot of great scripts, but because her image was a grape, it seemed like proposals didn’t come in easily. So she might have wondered, “Should I become a bit more of a strawberry? So I can wear strawberry clothes?” She said she thought that a lot. But she could never become a strawberry no matter what. Thoughts like, “This really isn’t me!” would come up. She felt that if she did it that way, she wouldn’t be able to live comfortably either as an actor or as a normal person. So she told the CEO, “If you’re thinking of making me into a strawberry, then that can’t be it.” But the CEO laughed and said, “I’m not thinking of making you into a strawberry at all.” And she added, “You’re a giant seedless grape. Let’s be the best giant seedless grape. The reason we’re working with you is because you’re a grape, so we can do it together.” Only then did she feel relieved. “I’ll become the best giant seedless grape.”

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Lee Yeon’s appeal in particular sparks curiosity and provokes creators and producers across multiple directors. She has many works that proved she has her own weapon. In particular, she finally realized a dream of acting alongside Yeon Do-yeon through 〈Gil Bok-soon〉. It likely carried a big meaning not just because of director Byeon Seong-hyun, but also because she was “an actor that Yeon Do-yeon was paying attention to and recognized.”

There are two people I think of as my role models: the late teacher Kim Young-ae and senior actress Do-yeon Jeon. When you watch them act, it’s simply them—no more, no less. That gave me a huge resonance. It also made me feel that that is the point an actor should reach. So when that senior, Senior Do-yeon, contacted her and said, “Let’s do it together in 〈Gil Bok-soon〉,” her goal was exactly one thing. “Under no circumstances should I be remembered as a junior who couldn’t act well in front of a senior I love.” So when Senior Do-yeon later contacted her about playing Nam Haeng-seon’s young role in the drama 〈Oneul Ta Scandal〉 (2023), she was truly grateful and felt a huge wave of relief. It meant that when she acted alongside her senior, it wasn’t bad. She was really happy.

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▶ The meeting with actor Lee Yeon continues in Part 3.

CinePlay Lee Hwa-jung, Guest Reporter, Photo = Lee Sang-yeop