There are some clear signs to measure your popularity index. According to the team working around Lee Jung-jae, a 51-year-old South Korean actor, the popularity of the star of the series “Squid Game” is booming. Showing for several weeks “The Acolyte” on Disney +, a series inspired by the “Star Wars” universe, the actor who already played opposite Liam Neeson in 2016, in “Memories of War” around of the Korean War, shifted into another dimension. It’s quite simple, the press from all over the world wanted to meet him during his visit to the Monte-Carlo Television Festival. A global phenomenon when it was released on Netflix, “Squid Game” left its mark. However, Lee Jung-jae has visibly remained the same.
In the middle of an interview, he does not hesitate to ask for a glass of water for his translator so that she can quench her thirst, a rather classy gesture. It must be said that the Seoul native understands the difficulty of expressing himself in another language, having had to rely on two language coaches to film “The Acolyte” in English. Or how, in a few months, a South Korean actor became the darling of the entire world to the point of quickly becoming a Jedi knight in the “Star Wars” universe. A rise as crazy as it is rapid.
How much has your career changed with “Squid Game”? Do you think your presence in a “Star Wars” series is due to this worldwide success?
Before “Squid Game”, I had acted in many South Korean projects but none had achieved such global success. It’s true that this new exhibition has changed everything and that’s probably what made Leslye Headland, the creator of “The Acolyte”, want to tour with me. I am very grateful to have this new dimension outside my country. I hope to have other opportunities to work on international projects.
What are the differences between a South Korean project and an American project?
The way of shooting, of filming, remains the same. The main difference is that in South Korea, there is less interest in the roots of a project. We don’t have a franchise like “Star Wars”, with all this history, these characters, these costumes, these well-established codes. I was very surprised by all the work upstream around such a project.
How do you explain the rise of South Korean comedians in the United States at the moment?
Asian creations have always been successful in the USA, whether Japanese, Chinese or Hong Kong films. Today, with the rise of streaming platforms, South Korean creations can more easily be viewed around the world, particularly in the United States. I am rather lucky to be an actor in this era of globalization. But it goes both ways, in South Korea, we discover more and more European projects and that is good for our creativity.
“The Acolyte” is your first role in English, what do you remember about it?
(He’s laughing). It was very difficult, my tongue, my tongue muscles are used to Korean pronunciation. Every time I tried to make English sentences, my teeth came into unusual contact with my tongue and the inside of my mouth, it was not natural at all. There was a form of wear and tear, a discomfort. It was very difficult, so much so that after a month I had difficulty swallowing. I prepared a lot for this shoot, I had two language coaches and they gave me a lot of help and support. It took a while to get comfortable but it was a great experience.
What did the “Star Wars” universe mean to you?
I discovered films when I was in elementary school. It was a real shock at the time, everything was new to me: the story, the characters, the settings, the special effects. It was not a dream to act in “Star Wars” because at no time, as a South Korean actor, did I think that such a bridge would be possible. When my agent offered me an interview with Leslye for her series, I was totally surprised. Even to this day, I don’t really realize that I just played a Jedi in the series “The Acolyte”.
