Edited by Hwang Hong Sun
Translated by Kim Hoyeun
While attending school as an engineering student, Lee Je Hoon found passion in acting and re-entered the Korea National University of Arts as an acting major. Since then, he has continued his acting career by going back and forth between theater and movies. He appeared as major roles in several independent films such as The Pit And The Pendulum and Just Friends? and also appeared in the film Finding Mr. Destiny, as a staff for a musical, who helps Lim Soo Jung.
For Lee Je Hoon, 2011 became an unforgettable year in his acting career. This is because that was the year when Bleak Night, which allowed him to his current position as a ‘go-to actor,’ was released. Bleak Night depicts the story of a man who questions his son Ki Tae’s suicide meet Ki Tae’s friends Hee Jun and Dong Yoon. Lee Je Hoon played the main character Ki Tae, presenting a character who becomes increasingly violent after a minor quarrel with his friends.
At first, it was not easy for Lee Je Hoon to play Ki Tae, but after getting advice from director Yoon Sung Hyun to look carefully at the lines of other characters as well, he was able to fully understand the character. At the time, his acting was so realistic that the audience actually thought Lee Je Hoon was a high school student in real life as well. Park Jung Min, who played Hee Jun, Ki Tae’s friend, said, “The energy Lee Je Hoon showed on the first day of filming was amazing. In the movie, Hee Joon’s shocked looks was not acting, but real me who was actually surprised by Lee Je Hoon.” As such, Lee Je Hoon’s performance in the film was mighty impressive.
Bleak Night, starring Lee Je Hoon, captivated both critics and audience. He was invited to Busan International Film Festival in 2010 and won the New Currents Award, which is equivalent to Best Film Award. After the film was officially released in 2011, it achieved meaningful results by attracting 20,000 viewers and became the talk of the town.
Since then, Lee Je Hoon has grown to be an actor who takes on major roles, continuing his career in both dramas and movies. His next film, Time to Hunt, in which he worked together with director Yoon Sung Hyun and Park Jung Min once again, is ready to be released. Although its release through Netflix has been delayed due to the dispute between the distribution company and the company in charge of overseas sales, I hope that it will be smoothed out soon so that I can see a new side of Lee Je Hoon.
