[ENGLISH] Vogue Jan 2015 Interview, Part 2 – Lee Seung Gi’s Delightful First Experience

Velvet cocktail jacket and turtleneck knit, and handkerchief are all Tom Ford, tweed checked suit and oxford shoes are all Thom Browne, socks are Happy Socks.

Vogue Korea, January 2015
Lee Seung Gi’s Delightful First Experience (Part 2)
English: LSGfan, Source: Vogue Korea

More so than the kids of the 90s, it’s a more daring place for elementary students these days.  The movie trailer begins with a sunny question posed by one of the young students Junsoo teaches. “Teacher! Did you watch <Architecture 101>? Then, is Teacher’s girlfriend also a bitch?” It’s as if flying rocks strike the tender heart of this bachelor teacher. Even more painful is the fact that the ‘bitch’ is still hardly yet his girlfriend. “I too saw that movie. But Junsoo is not as naive as Seungmin from <Architecture 101>. The original [Love Forecast] script called for him to be a foolish goofball, but things changed a bit as the character was reflected by me. He’s simply a dense guy who doesn’t really know a woman’s heart. Honestly, most men are like that. Goes the same for player guys who act as if they know everything.”

Toward guaranteed insurance boyfriend Junsoo, beautiful weather caster Hyunwoo sends neither green nor red signals but only ambiguous yellow signs. Thus this simple-hearted guy who only knows the direct straight path can’t help but be confused. Even though booming klaxon ringing rage is often directed toward the other guys hovering around his girl, ultimately, it’s only his heart that gets chaotic and noisy.

Lee Seojin is also one of the love rivals. Although he is a miserable wretch drinking a hand-ground millstone Americano coffee while worrying about the day’s meal as ‘Seojin-ee’ in <Three Meals A Day>, he transforms into a charming city guy when he frees himself from the restraints of tenant farming and the Kangwondo area Oksunbong remote mountainside. In the movie, Lee Seojin makes a special appearance as a work sunbae who has an affair with Hyunwoo (Moon Chaewon).

“There is a loyalty between us, but Director Park Jinpyo also strongly wanted Seojin hyung. Among middle-aged actors in Korea, Lee Seojin is the only one who can act sexy like that! Upon hearing that, it really seemed so.” In real life, who would be the winner if the two men battled it out for one woman? “Between me and Seojin hyung? Whoa, hyung is really charming. He has characteristics I don’t have. He is the same from every angle. I too, really like that manly aspect about him. Merely because he’s not in his 20s like me. Hehe. Ultimately, it’s probably a difference in our preferences?”

Triangle pattern knit is Paul Smith, leopard print cotton shirt is Pushbutton, camouflage print wool pants is Beyond Closet, socks are Happy Socks, black shoes are Camper, lined mug on top of the books is Cornishware. 

To repay his charming hyung for his hard work [on the movie], Lee Seunggi visited the remote mountainside of Oksunbong where Jackson the goat and Mingkey the puppy, and chickens were all playing and running around. And he experienced sorghum field hell. “The timing wasn’t good. Of all occasions, going when all the sorghums had to be severed… Why did I go at that time?” He breathed a low sigh. On top of the heavy snowfall from two days prior, it was also about 10 degrees outside. The wind chill temperature was even lower. “I thought I was going to die. I still feel like my back is going to break.” Naturally, it’s not that he’s regretting it. “Since I’m a person who’s used to doing this kind of work, I have to do it. I am, after all, a member of the original slave-group. Haha.” (here, ‘slave-group’ is a play-on-words for ‘girl-group’ and refers to his time working with original members of variety program ‘1 Night 2 Days’)

Maybe the life of a slave was his fate. In <Love Forecast>, Moon Chaewon is his new owner. Unrequited love, expressed in a more positive way, and there is no other ’18-years a slave’ like him. Life is hard for him as he accepts her drunken frenzies and follows her every order. There’s also a scene where he piggybacks a drunken Hyunwoo. “Well, that was okay. Since I work out a lot. Ha ha.” He has already worked with Moon Chaewon through drama <Brilliant Legacy>. However, the situation is 180 degrees different [in this movie]. In that drama, Moon Chaewon played a character who had a one-sided love for Lee Seunggi. “That’s right. This time around, I fully suffered.”

From the perspective of this same-aged friend, Moon Chaewon’s personality is very similar to that of Hyunwoo in the movie. “Will she throw a fit and get mad if I say it like this? But there’s an antithetical charm within Chaewon too. She’s also a friend with a lot of aegyo in real life.” Overheard are reminders of Kyunwoo and his girlfriend from <My Sassy Girl>. As expected, after reading the script for the first time, Seunggi said he was reminded of that movie. “However, those thoughts never came to mind after filming finished and I saw the edited film footage. Upon seeing that, I yelled out ‘Bravo!’ There truly is a color which is particular only to our movie. It will become a very different kind of romance movie you haven’t seen anywhere else.”

Despite the filming being an all-location shoot without sets, fans of Lee Seunggi found the location shoots and frequently supported him through fan unions. “By and large, how did they know and find you?” “Well, as I see it, fans rank first place in intelligence information.” Even active in various charitable and donation activities in the name of Lee Seunggi, these passionate fans have showcased a parade of snack trucks, thoughtful presents, and much more. There were events all the time as if each day was a very special day.

“They prepared gifts for the staff such as meals, mugs, and USB sticks, each item engraved with themes from the movie. At Chuseok, they also sent individual wine bottles with every staff member’s name written on them. After feeling so touched each and every time to the point of exhaustion, I’m still really so deeply moved.”

With talk of fans coming out, there’s another thing Seunggi didn’t mention. On location, Director Park Jinpyo, his tongue hanging out, would say this was all unbelievable even if this was [Seunggi’s] first movie. It was also a cultural shock for staff who had worked on movies for 20 some years. In awe of the overwhelming sincerity of the fans, staff said “It wasn’t to this extent even when working with idol actors.” Word on the street is that one has to work on a movie with Lee Seunggi at least once. This was the new world. Lee Seunggi made an inwardly proud expression in regards to the love and strong dependable support from fans.

To be continued…  Final part of the English translation forthcoming.

Images: As labeled

See related posts:

• [ENGLISH] Vogue Jan 2015 Interview, Part 1 – Lee Seung Gi’s Delightful First Experience
• [Page Photos] Vogue Jan 2015 – ‘Delight Maker’ Lee Seunggi
• [Photo Stills] Vogue Jan 2015 – ‘Delight Maker’ Lee Seunggi
• [ENGLISH] Cine21 Magazine – ‘Love Forecast’ Lee Seunggi & Moon Chaewon Interview, Part 2
• [ENGLISH] Cine21 Magazine – ‘Love Forecast’ Lee Seunggi & Moon Chaewon Interview, Part 1
• Love Forecast – Character Posters for Lee Seunggi and Moon Chaewon Are So Lovely
• [ENG] ‘Love Forecast’ Movie Making Production Video – Why Lee Seunggi + Moon Chaewon? Why Director Park JinPyo?