Lee Se Young - @Star1 2018 Interview

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[INTERVIEW]

Actress Lee Se Young (25) entered the photoshoot holding a thick bundle of papers filled with notes and sketches for the pictorial concept, a clear evidence of her preparation. From her gaze, expressions, and even the shape of her fingertips, it was obvious how meticulously she had prepared for this shoot. There was no doubt that she has never once taken her profession as an actor lightly. Her earnestness and passion, built over 22 years of acting, were fully conveyed throughout the interview.

Q. You’ve been an actress for 22 years now. Since 1997, you’ve been steadily walking the path of acting.

▲ Of all the talents that I have, there’s nothing I can do better than acting. I can’t even imagine myself doing anything else. I’m truly grateful that I started acting at a young age as this allowed me to figure out my career path earlier than most people. So when my friends were struggling to decide on their future careers, I actually felt a bit sorry. For me, being an actress is more than just an occupation. It’s something I truly love and constantly thirst for. This profession is so fascinating because there’s still so much to learn, and I still have many things to improve on. Ever since I played Min Hyo Won in KBS2’s The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop, my desire to become a better actress has grown even stronger.

Q. Why did The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop make you feel such a strong sense of passion for acting?

▲ Rather than telling me, “You acted well,” people said things like, “I smile whenever I see Hyo Won,” or “Thanks to Hyo Won, my weekends are happier.” That meant so much to me. The character Min Hyo Won is actually very different from who I am in real life, so when I received praise for my acting, it felt like I had surpassed my own limits, and that made me truly happy. From now on, I want to continue acting in a way that can give strength and comfort to someone out there.

Q. For Lee Se Young, what is the charm of acting?

▲ That it’s limitless. Acting is a job where you get to live different people’s lives every time. Even though I’ve been acting since I was a child, there are still so many things I don’t know. Haha. I want to keep learning. Acting is truly difficult, but I really, really want to do it well.

Q. Through acting, what kinds of lives would you like to experience?

▲ I want to live a life that I could never truly understand on my own. I can’t act if I can’t empathize with (the character). So playing a character whose life I can’t easily relate to requires a huge amount of growth from me. To portray such diverse lives, I also need to keep studying acting theory. Even now, when I’m researching a character, I ask my professor for advice or look up academic papers.

Q. You seem like a remarkably hard-working actress.

▲ I don’t think I was born with a natural gift for acting, so I try to make up for it by working really hard. Haha.

Q. You must have gone through many emotional wounds, starting your career so young and growing up in the public eye.

▲ I tried not to create situations where hurtful words could arise. But when I’m around others, it’s inevitable that I receive some special treatment or favoritism just because I’m on TV. Every time that happened, I felt genuinely sorry. I hated that such situations even occurred, so I intentionally didn’t dress up when going to school. I went to an all-girls middle school, high school, and university. I chose a women’s university because I wanted to attend school comfortably, without feeling the need to put on makeup or dress up. Of course, I can go bare-faced anywhere, but compared to co-ed schools, women’s universities just felt more comfortable for that.

Q. Do you have your own method for managing your mental health?

▲ Thinking about my family and my cat gives me strength. I actually started attending a cram school in Noryangjin when I was in 9th grade, following my older sister. There were so many students there fighting against themselves, and the motto was basically “Endure with spite and grit.” I still remember something a teacher there once told me: “If you’re struggling, I’ll comfort you, but I wouldn’t want to work with you.” Hearing that really woke me up. Thanks to that teacher, I was able to toughen my mindset and learn to evaluate myself objectively even at a young age. Maybe that’s why my friends used to say I lacked warmth as a person. Haha.

Q. How would you compare the image of “Actress Lee Seyoung” you once dreamed of compare to the person you are now?

▲ On TV, people usually see only the glamorous side of being an actor, but because I started working in the entertainment industry so young, I never thought of acting as something purely glamorous. I did, however, know that it was a world filled with many dazzling seniors. When I was little, I hoped that my future self would be one of those glamorous actresses. Now, though, I see the entertainment industry as my workplace and acting as my lifelong profession. That’s why I feel an even deeper sense of commitment and a stronger desire to do well.

Q. You must have spent a lot of time researching your characters.

▲ No matter how much you study, sometimes someone who has only glanced at the script can express the character better. So I don’t think spending more time necessarily means you’ll act better. But since I believe I’m not very creative, I try to make up for it by putting in as much effort as I possibly can. I learn a lot by watching senior actors’ performances and reading their interviews. Still, when I encounter a difficult scene, I ask seniors for advice right on set, take notes, and review them whenever I can.

Q. You’ve received almost every award possible for your age at each stage, including Best Young Actress, Best Youth Acting Award, and even the Best New Actress award.

▲ The Best Young Actress Award listed on my profile is from the 12th Icheon Chunsa Film Art Awards. When I was active as a child actress, they got rid of the Child Actor/Actress category in the drama division, which was such a shame. Back then, there weren’t many child actors, and since I appeared in a lot of productions, I probably could have won if the category had existed. When I entered middle school, the Child Actor Award was reintroduced, but by then I was already in the teen category, so I received the Best Youth Acting Award instead. Haha. I appeared in so many MBC dramas, yet I never got a Child Actor Award from them. Instead, I won the Youth Acting Award for the one-episode KBS drama “Shower (Sonagi)”. Later, I received the Best New Actress Award for The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop. KBS, I love you! Haha.

Q. Is there an award you would like to receive in the future?

▲ Best Supporting Actress Award. Of course, I’d love to receive other awards too, but I think the supporting actress award is one of the hardest to win. Supporting actors may appear less frequently in a drama or film, but their presence and acting skill required to carry the story’s emotional flow are immeasurable. Many senior actors with incredible depth and experience are known as supporting actors. I wonder if I could ever be nominated among such actors whose talent is beyond comparison. Haha. But just being nominated would make me truly happy. To me, the Supporting Actress Award is something that requires exceptional acting is it is a deeply meaningful one.

Q. If you had to choose a project and character you feel most attached to, which would it be?

▲ The ones that remain most vivid in my memory are A Korean Odyssey and the film Duck Town. I filmed Duck Town about three years ago, and at that time, I felt that the main character, Oh Hee Jung, was so much like me. I was living my life earnestly, struggling to break free from difficult circumstances, yet facing an uncertain future. And that state of mind was perfectly reflected in Oh Hee Jung.

Q. What did you consider most important when portraying Oh Hee Jung?

▲ Hee Jung is a character who works hard while preparing to transfer to another university. While acting as her, I was careful not to make the struggles of hardworking people seem trivial or superficial. That’s why I barely wore any makeup. At first, I wore light base and eyebrow makeup, but later on, I stopped using any cosmetics at all. I just applied sunscreen.

Q. I’m curious about the process of creating your role as Jin Bu Ja in the hit tvN drama A Korean Odyssey.

▲ The moment I read the drama synopsis, I instantly wanted to play Jin Bu Ja. I was deeply moved by her pure heart that I even cried while reading the script. Of course, playing a zombie was a huge challenge for me.

Q. The way you moved your body as a zombie girl received a lot of praise.

▲ I went to the practice room every day to train with my instructor on how to twist and bend my joints. If you only prepare the gestures and movements written in the script, it’s hard to act naturally when unexpected things happen on set. So I practiced over and over, considering every possible variable that might occur. If I’m unprepared and end up acting awkwardly, it’s ultimately my loss. The process of training my body for that joint movement was incredibly tough. I cried a lot while practicing.

Q. Since your zombie performance was so memorable, articles about you still often include the nickname “Zombie Girl.”

▲ That’s true. Haha. It seems like a lot of people remember that I played a zombie, and I’m honestly really proud of that. I actually have a lot of videos from when I was practicing the joint movements and I’d love to show them someday.

Q. Doesn’t the nickname “Zombie Girl” feel a bit awkward for an actress?

▲ Not at all. I actually like it! I think it’s a one-of-a-kind character, something unique that stands out. At the very least, it means people won’t mistake me for another actress.

Q. Which actor have you had the best on-screen chemistry with?

▲ I don’t think I’m in a position to say that, honestly. Rather than focusing on chemistry, I just try my best not to be a burden to my co-actors when we’re acting together. I want to become an actress who can respond well and support my co-actors’ acting.

Q. Which actors would you like to work with?

▲ Ryu Seung Ryong and Cha Seung Won sunbaenim. I haven’t worked with Ryu Seung Ryong sunbaenim yet, but we’re under the same agency, and I feel like I could learn so much from him if we ever did a project together. As for Cha Seung Won sunbaenim, I met him while filming A Korean Odyssey, and just being able to act alongside him made me so happy. He’s warm, charming, funny, cool, handsome, and sexy. Mawang, I love you.

Q. What do you think is Actress Lee Se Young’s charm?

▲ My tenacity and fiery drive. My motto is, “Earn one’s keep.” Ever since I was young, I’ve always thought, “Everyone on set deserves to be there. Se Young, you need to sharpen your skills and never cause trouble for others.” If I messed up a scene because of bad acting, I felt so embarrassed. Even as a child, I knew that as long as I had a role in a production, I had to take responsibility for my part. And if possible, I wanted to contribute more than just my share. That’s why, even now, I give my absolute best in every moment. When I’ve done my best, I don’t hate myself even if others criticize me. But when I know I haven’t tried hard enough, I hate myself for that.

Q. Your physique has been a hot topic lately.

▲ It’s been quite a while since I last worked out. The photos that recently went viral were taken a long time ago. There was a time when I worked out really hard. I did EMS (Electrical Muscle Stimulation) training, personal training, Tabata, and CrossFit, which were all high-intensity workouts. There were even days when I exercised for seven hours. But while I was diligently on building my lower-body muscles, I went to my manager’s wedding wearing heels, and when I saw my own calves, I was shocked! That’s when I realized that my body type doesn’t really suit a muscular build. Haha. So I decided to take a break from working out since then.

Q. So how do you maintain your body these days?

▲ I don’t do anything special. I don’t exercise, and I don’t control my diet either. If I eat a lot one day, I just eat lightly the next day. That’s about it.

Q. What’s one compliment you really want to hear?

▲ I want to be told that I’m a born actress (or a natural actress). I’ve never heard that before. Of course, even I know that I’m not yet at a level where I deserve to hear such praise. Haha. But someday, I want to become the kind of actress who gives people chills just by being on screen.

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