Lee Dong-gun returns to Netflix 'Celebrity' after 3 years of divorce

"I can see a lot of things that I lack. That's why I feel sad and always regret it. Still, I hope you look at me without prejudice. That's my honest heart. I'm sure that better works will come to me through positive energy with good energy. ."

Actor Lee Dong-gun returned to the Netflix series 'Celebrity' three years after his divorce from Jo Yoon-hee. Saying that he regrets every work, he announced another start through 'Celebrity'. He had a desire for global viewers to see him without prejudice.

'Celebrity', which was released on the 30th of last month, tells the story of Ari (Park Kyu-young), who jumped into the world where you can make money by becoming famous, and the gorgeous and fierce faces of celebrities. The story of SNS, which is very close to our daily life, and the influencers who reign there as emerging aristocrats are excitingly unraveled.

In the play, Lee Dong-gun took on the role of Tae-jeon. Taejeon is the owner and lawyer of Taegang, a law firm with both money and power. He was not interested in Ari, whom everyone was paying attention to, including his sister, wife, and friend Joon-kyung (played by Kang Min-hyuk), but after one night, he put all his energy into stopping Ari (played by Park Gyu-young).

Lee Dong-gun said, "It's been a while for viewers to see it, but in fact, I started filming without a break. It took about a year to shoot and a year of post-production. Viewers watching 'Celebrity' will feel like they've been watching it for a long time." said. He added, "I see (ranking) every day. But I was not good at first place. I said I was sad because I was in second place, but I'm happy."

In 2017, Lee Dong-gun married Jo Yoon-hee, who he worked with in the drama 'The Gentlemen of Wolgyesu Tailor Shop'. Then, in December 2018, he held his first daughter, Roa, in his arms. In 2020, after three years of marriage, they divorced by agreement. Jo Yoon-hee took custody.

Lee Dong-gun said, "My daughter is still 7 years old. It would have been if I hadn't seen 'Celebrity' because (age) was close, but it's still time to watch 'Elemental'. I don't talk about that, but (daughter) is a really big part for me. It's okay. The image of me actively promoting may not remain now."

He said, "In the past, if I acted when I was cool and was complacent about how long I could do it, now I have a desire to see far away. I really want to act until 10 or 20 years later. Until then, I have to be an indispensable actor, so now I think each and every work is important. It gives me tremendous energy and passion. I want to show something that is as good as my prime, and as good as 'You are in here' (a famous line like this)."

For Lee Dong-gun, 'Celebrity' is his first comeback in three years since the musical 'Bodyguard'. He said, "People around me worried a lot. They asked me if I wasn't working or didn't see it. It's a question I always get. I was already doing 'Celebrity'. So, I said, 'I finished filming for Netflix' and 'Don't worry.' (The release) was delayed. I believed that director Kim Chul-gyu would make a good script for the fun script."

Regarding the reason for choosing 'Celebrity', Lee Dong-gun said, "I thought it was a story of a world I didn't know. 'Can I do it?' Hearing that director Kim Cheol-gyu was directing, I thought that he would be able to catch me if I did something wrong. Director Kim Cheol-gyu is the one who catches me, so I trusted him and read the script hard, and it was interesting."

"It was a world I didn't know, and the character composition and events were very organized. I thought it was a fresh and stimulating script that was well-made. But 'Can I do it?', 'Can I do it better than other actors did?' Or, I think a lot, ‘Can I show my strengths and hide my flaws?’ I thought that I could do it if it was Jin Tae-Jeon.”

Lee Dong-gun said, "I was extremely nervous a week before the release of 'Celebrity.' I think there was a lot of stress about how I would look. I don't know if it was like that in the past, but I can feel the reaction quickly these days because it's all public. The people around me are uncles. Even though they are uncles, there was a wall to approach 'celebrity' at first. They said it was fun. He told me a lot of good stories, so I got better.”

Also, "I'm not the type to enjoy the work I filmed. It's very sad and regretful. I see a lot of things that are lacking in my eyes. I only see regrets from one to ten, and I can't enjoy it and watch it with a nervous heart. Every scene is regretful and regretful. I always want to do well."

Lee Dong-gun said, "I want you to look at me without prejudice. That's my honest mind. A new start cycle always comes every 10 years. It's the same for most people and actors, but I think there's always a flow in human life. It didn't work out the way I wanted it to. I'm sure that better works will come with good energy and flow through positive energy.

Reporter Kang Min-kyung, Ten Asia kkk39@tenasia.co.kr