Lee Mu-saeng - Lee Gyu-hyung 'Noryang: Sea of Death' Japanese army camp Konishi Yukinaga - Arima Harunobu
‘Noryang: Sea of Death’ opens on the 20th
‘Noryang: Sea of Death’ opens on the 20th
On the 14th, Lee Moo-saeng and Lee Kyu-hyung were interviewed by Ten Asia about the movie 'Noryang: Sea of Death' (director Kim Han-min, hereinafter referred to as 'Noryang') at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul. 'Noryang' depicts Admiral Yi Sun-sin's final battle to completely annihilate the Japanese army trying to retreat from Joseon, seven years after the outbreak of the Japanese invasions of Korea. Lee Moo-saeng played the role of Konishi Yukinaga, the vanguard of the Japanese army, and Arima Harunobu, Konishi's right-hand man.
They were interviewed separately on the same day and in the same place and told the story of 'Noryang'. After watching 'Noryang', Lee Moo-saeng said, "My heart felt majestic. I felt a deep and moving feeling envelop my body."
When Lee Moo-saeng was told, “I didn’t recognize him,” referring to the M-shaped pigtail, he laughed and said, “I wasn’t the only one who felt that way. As an actor, I feel good.” “It took over 3 hours just to put on the makeup. They did it in great detail, from the makeup to the wig, and even though I didn’t shave my head, they made it look awkward with the wig. I feel so happy and relieved to be told that I didn’t look like me.”
Lee Moo-saeng said that his M-shaped pigtail was the choice of director Kim Han-min. “There were a variety of designs. Some were completely bare, and there were various shapes, but the director chose them. He prepared pigtail makeup to match my face shape, head shape, etc. He made a sketch exactly like mine, substituted it in naturally from the head, and drew it in advance. "He drew and contrasted the hair. From there, the hair that looked the most realistic and looked like Konishi was selected. Moreover, the Japanese soldiers did not all have the same pigtails, but had a distinctive style."
Lee Moo-saeng laughed as he said that thanks to director Kim Han-min's choice, he got an M-shaped pigtail and Lee Gyu-hyeong got a U-shaped pigtail. “We had to communicate in Japanese on set, so we relied on each other a lot,” he said, adding that they even laughed at each other’s pigtails.
The armor worn was also verified by the costume team. Lee Moo-saeng said, "It's not just regular armor. The details are different. Generals wear different gloves depending on their rank, and the armor material is also different. We've gone through a lot of historical research on these details," and added, "People like these parts and are interested in them." “I think it will approach viewers with a different charm,” he said.
Lee Kyu-hyung also looked back on the time he received the offer to appear in ‘Noryang’ and said, “It was truly an honor.” “When I saw ‘Roaring Currents,’ I really liked it, and I vaguely thought, ‘As an actor, I want to appear in a work like that someday.’ But I was really happy when I received an offer to appear in ‘Noryang.’ It is the finale of the Yi Sun-shin trilogy. “I thought it wouldn’t be possible for someone to do it.”
Because I played the role of a Japanese soldier, acting in Japanese was not easy. At the time, it was difficult to receive help from foreign language teachers face-to-face due to the COVID-19 situation. He said, "I was taking classes from teachers, but if anyone caught the coronavirus, filming could be stopped, so we each taught at home via Zoom. I had no choice but to play the recorder repeatedly even when I was sleeping and memorize it by myself while walking." did.
“I had to do it in my sleep to the point where I could at least do it on set. Even so, there were lines that were suddenly added on set. It wasn’t easy if things suddenly changed a little bit. But it wasn’t difficult, and I worked hard.”
In particular, Lee Kyu-hyung looked back on the hair of Lee Moo-saeng, who co-starred as a Japanese soldier, saying, "I was surprised. It suited him so well." “Japanese pigtails are called jonmage, and Lee Moo-saeng’s sloping M-shaped style looked really cool. I’m an ordinary person, but I remember laughing for a long time when we saw each other’s faces. Haha!”
Lee Kyu-hyung said, "When acting in Japanese, each person has to memorize each other's lines. Otherwise, you don't know when that person's line ends, and it can become a battle of wits." He added, "I didn't just memorize my lines, I had to memorize the entire scene itself." “It was,” he said, giving a glimpse of the hard work that went into it.
'Noryang' is director Kim's last film following 'Roaring Currents' (2014) and 'Hansan: Emergence of the Dragon' (2022). It will be released on the 20th.
Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr