Cho Min-soo and Lee Dong-hwi, ‘conviction’ toward reality
Cho Min-soo and Lee Dong-hwi, ‘conviction’ toward reality
≪Choi Ji-ye’s Cinema Talk≫
TenAsia reporter Choi Ji-ye tells the story of the movie. We analyze every aspect of movies through live on-site reporting and write fun articles with sharp perspectives.


“When I see friends wearing circle lenses, it feels like they are talking to a carp.”

In October 2012, on the SBS entertainment program 'Strong Heart', actor Cho Min-soo scolded junior actors who were wearing colored circle lenses, telling them to 'act without the lenses.'

Cho Min-soo said, “Actors talk about wrinkles, and they have a lively face that comes when their muscles move and wrinkles form.” At the same time, when acting with juniors wearing circle lenses, "It's very uncomfortable because the pupils don't move. I act while looking at the eyes, but the aperture doesn't move at all, so it's like talking through a black bead." “We are going to act like we are eating. I think it would be good if we could at least respect each other’s manners,” he said, raising his voice.
Cho Min-soo and Lee Dong-hwi, ‘conviction’ toward reality
Cho Min-soo and Lee Dong-hwi, ‘conviction’ toward reality
Jo Min-soo presented a heart-touching performance that earned her a unanimous vote for Best Actress at the Berlin International Film Festival through her role as Mi-seon in the movie 'Pieta' (directed by Kim Ki-duk, 2012). Although 'Pieta' won the Golden Lion Award, the highest award at the Berlin International Film Festival, it actually failed to win the Best Actress Award (there is a rule that films that win the Golden Lion Award cannot receive awards in other categories), but Cho Min-soo's performance in 'Pieta' is still talked about to this day. It was so great.

Cho Min-soo's sharp remark, which left a mark as an actor, sounded a big alarm to many actors. Cho Min-soo's remarks went beyond simply the issue of 'circle lenses' and expanded to the 'reality' of the actors and situations in the work.

At that time, it was a time when we didn't really care if the female protagonist's face was fully made up when she went to bed, or if the poor female protagonist always wore trendy makeup and luxury items on her body. It was a time when the actress's desire to look pretty in any situation and the logic of capital to enjoy promotional effects through product sponsorship took precedence over the reality of the work.

Jo Min-soo's remarks like this provided an opportunity for self-reflection in the drama-film industry at the time and had a self-purifying effect, but the actor's greed and the logic of capital raised their heads.

Afterwards, the visually impaired Oh Young, played by actress Song Hye-kyo, appeared in SBS' 'That Winter, the Wind Blows' with elaborate eyeliner, drawing criticism from viewers. Actor Go Jun-hee, who played the secretary of an environmental group in SBS' 'Yawang', wore a mustang jacket and leather accessories, which also became a problem. In addition, problems with reality, big and small, have been frequently captured in many works.
Cho Min-soo and Lee Dong-hwi, ‘conviction’ toward reality
Cho Min-soo and Lee Dong-hwi, ‘conviction’ toward reality
If there was Cho Min-soo in 2012, in 2023 actor Lee Dong-hwi delivered meaningful words along the same lines, once again expressing the importance of 'reality' for actors. Lee Dong-hwi played the role of Jun-ho, who has been living at his girlfriend's house while preparing for the civil service exam for several years in the movie 'Maybe We Broke Up' (directed by Hyeong Seul-woo). In this movie, Lee Dong-hwi, with his perfect bare face, left an impression on the audience by performing realistic acting with the real visuals of a civil service exam student that can easily be found around him.

Lee Dong-hwi said at a press conference, "At some point, I couldn't bear to see my face with makeup on for movies or dramas. Even though I wasn't in a situation like that at all, I developed an obsession that I couldn't stand it if my eyebrows were drawn or tinted." So, while working on this work, “I almost don’t wear makeup, even in casinos and in the work I’m currently filming,” he said, drawing attention. At the same time, Lee Dong-hwi emphasized, "First of all, when expressing Junho, I tried to make him look like the person next to him."

Lee Dong-hwi said that he was inspired to make this change after watching the work of an actor he liked. Lee Dong-hwi chose American Frances McDormand as an actor he admires, saying, “In the movie ‘Nomadland,’ McDormand works at an Amazon warehouse, but when you watch the movie, it doesn’t occur to you that she is an actor at all. It’s just that. “He looks like a warehouse worker. I think the first priority for an actor is to look like someone who has that job or lives there,” he said, drawing attention.

He also told the story of the recently filmed Disney+ series ‘Casino’. He said, "There was a saying on set, 'Donghwi, doesn't he stop by the dressing room?'" and "A miserable face that melts in the heat of the Philippines. Full makeup was not appropriate to express a face with a certain energy that comes from the humidity and heat." I laughed. At the same time, Lee Dong-hwi laughed, saying, "I want to become an actor who can actually be felt and experienced in front of me, not an actor who appears in front of the camera, and I want to become an actor in that direction."

They say that good acting involves becoming the character itself. This means that acting without acting is the most difficult. The most basic preparations for that would be eyes that are not covered by lenses, and eyebrows and lips that are not necessarily drawn and colored. I hope many actors will think again about Cho Min-soo and Lee Dong-hwi's words.

Choi Ji-ye, Ten Asia Reporter wisdomart@tenasia.co.kr