Lee Dong-hwi "Changes after acting with Choi Min-sik? I stop being late."

“Not long ago, I went to Dubai for filming, and on the plane, some elderly people were watching ‘Casino’. I was wondering if it was a hidden camera or an event because I was on board. I was surprised and grateful that they loved it so much.”

Actor Lee Dong-hwi, who appeared in Disney+'s 'Casino', expressed his gratitude for the support of viewers who loved the drama. 'Casino' is the story of Cha Moo-sik (played by Choi Min-sik), a casino legend, who faces a crisis and begins to make the last bet of his life against the persistent pursuit of Korean Desk Oh Seung-hoon (played by Son Seok-gu). The last episode of Season 2 was released on the 22nd. Lee Dong-hwi played the role of Yang Jeong-pal, Cha Mu-sik's right-hand man.

Yang Jeong-pal betrays and eventually kills Cha Mu-sik, who had taken care of him as if he were his sworn brother. Lee Dong-hwi said, "There was nothing about the character itself that I could share a cause, identify with, or share in my emotions. I thought they all met such a miserable end because of money." He continued, "On the other hand, it was not easy to understand Jung-pal, who was so crazy about money that he betrayed his older brother who had been good to him all his life and made such a decision. As an actor, it is my homework. Since I do not understand, it is still difficult for me to act only with my imagination." I confessed it.

Lee Dong-hwi said, "I tried to find people whose behavior I couldn't understand. If you borrow money, you have to repay it, and you shouldn't misuse other people's money, but people who borrow money and don't pay it back, embezzle and disappear. I wonder what kind of mentality these people have. “I was curious about how he was going to take responsibility and what kind of emotions he felt towards the victims,” he said, revealing the character analysis process. He continued, "Aren't there people who decorate the social scene? Wouldn't Jung-pal be that kind of person? I drew a big line thinking that he should act like that kind of person. Otherwise, I couldn't understand it."

The biggest reason Lee Dong-hwi decided to appear in 'Casino' was the fact that Choi Min-sik was appearing. Lee Dong-hwi said, "There are many juniors who wish to act with senior Choi Min-sik. Seniors are actors' actors. There are many actors who wish they could act with seniors once in their lives, and I am one of them. I do whatever role my senior says I will do. “I thought I wanted to,” he said. He then expressed his excitement at the time, saying, "There were a lot of fun scenes with Cha Mu-sik from the beginning, and he acted like a lubricant for this work. I vaguely had expectations that I could do something more fun with my senior."

When asked what it was like to work with Choi Min-sik, Lee Dong-hwi said, "Senior accepted me with a generous heart no matter what kind of acting I did. 'If I do this, isn't it an NG?' “We gave each other enough to think about it, and there are a lot of things like that that came out,” he said. He continued, "I had a unique experience while acting with my senior. He is someone I have looked up to since my school days. Although I was honored to act with my senior, I was also worried and nervous. My senior encouraged me not to be intimidated and kept me from letting down my guard. “He caught me,” he said. When asked if he had learned anything after acting with Choi Min-sik, Lee Dong-hwi said, "I stopped being late. My senior comes to the filming set an hour early and prepares. I naturally watched and learned how my senior prepared when he came on set. The energy that leads the scene, the precise He answered, “I learned a lot about judgment by watching from the side. He creates a gentle atmosphere so that the juniors do not lose courage or become intimidated.”

Lee Dong-hwi was deeply impressed by Choi Min-sik's flexible attitude in allowing his juniors to act freely and comfortably. Lee Dong-hwi said, "There is something that impressed me. My senior thinks ad-libs are like a basketball game. When I ad-lib, I tend to speak first so as not to suddenly embarrass the other actor. But my senior told me not to ask. Who knows during a basketball game? He said that there is no one who says, ‘I will pass to you.’ Instead, he said that no matter how a pass comes at any moment, you have to be prepared to pass it again or throw a shot. This means that you have to come to the scene more prepared. “I accepted it. I thought I had to be more prepared to complete that scene no matter what happened,” he said.

Lee Dong-hwi says he feels happy when people smile brightly after seeing his acting. He said, "When I buy a ticket at a theater and go in and watch it, I feel happy when people applaud my performance. It is very rewarding to do something that makes people forget the hardships of reality through the screen. I feel more satisfied with the audience than with my own satisfaction. “I want to make people feel great emotions, so I want to improve my skills and show a better side of myself,” he said. However, he confessed, “It is still stressful because of the slight uncertainty about how far this will go before it will end.”

Lee Dong-hwi said, "I have a desire to become an actor whose next work is expected. I hope that my skills will become better than now, whether I'm struck by lightning or something else. This time, I met another great actor named Choi Min-sik, and I really felt my shortcomings. I thought I had to work harder. "he said. He continued, “I don’t know if the day when I will be satisfied will ever come, but I think that moment will be the moment when I reach the end.”

Kim Ji-won, Ten Asia reporter bella@tenasia.co.kr