MOVIE
Lee Je-hoon Expresses Admiration for Yoo Hae-jin's Humor and Talent in 'Soju War'
On November 2nd, at a café in Sogyeok-dong, Seoul, actor Lee Je-hoon discussed his role in the movie 'Soju War'.
'Soju War' is set during the 1997 IMF financial crisis and tells the story of Pyoh Jong-rok (played by Yoo Hae-jin), a finance director for whom the soju company is life itself, and Choi In-beom (played by Lee Je-hoon), an employee of a global investment firm who only pursues results. The film depicts their battle over the fate of Korea's national soju. Lee Je-hoon plays Choi In-beom, an elite from Seoul National University who also completed an MBA in the United States. He worked as an analyst and is currently employed at the investment firm Solqueen. His motto is 'work is work, life is life', reflecting his goal-oriented and materialistic tendencies. Although the film doesn't delve deeply into why he holds these values, a scene mentioning his father offers a hint. Lee explained, "Perhaps seeing his father sacrifice for his children, working overtime and on weekends, was both touching and heartbreaking. This sentiment is indirectly expressed in the film." He added, "The character of Jong-rok seems to reflect the generation of our fathers. Watching In-beom's father and Jong-rok in the script reminded me of my own father during my school days, allowing me to immerse myself in the story."
Lee Je-hoon also expressed his joy in working with Yoo Hae-jin, who plays Pyoh Jong-rok. "From the 1990s to the early 2000s, I nurtured my dream of becoming an actor, and Yoo Hae-jin was one of the actors who defined that era. His presence is indispensable in explaining Korean cinema. I had been looking forward to working with him, and I was thrilled to finally have the opportunity," he said, expressing his respect for Yoo. He continued, "Yoo is humorous on set, especially with his outstanding wordplay skills, which brought a lot of laughter. Watching him make people comfortable and end the day with smiles made me want to emulate him. Even outside the set, he remains the same. I aspire to be someone who can make people laugh with wordplay." Lee added, "Working with him was more comfortable than tense. Sometimes, sticking to the script and storyboard can make scenes rigid, but with Yoo, we could break away from that. His effort to find answers freely was inspiring to me. The experience exceeded my expectations, and my affection for the film grew as a result."
By Kim Ji-won, TenAsia Reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr
