Squid Game star Lee Jung-jae swaps survival games for rom-coms: ‘I can separate my roles from my life’

With an illustrious filmography spanning over three decades, including the popular K-drama Sandglass (1995) and films such as The Affair (1998), Housemaid (2010), The Face Reader (2013), Deliver Us from Evil (2020) and Hunt (2022), Lee Jung-jae tells Screen that switching on and off between roles is seamless for him.

“As actors, one does get immersed in the character one is playing. Does it impact me personally? To give you a short answer, not that much. I am the kind of actor who can separate my role and my personal life quite well. It comes rather easily to me. The minute I arrive on set, get out of my car and start preparing for the role, hair, makeup, clothes, I become the character and live it until wrap. Once back home, I snap out of it and return to myself quite easily. So I think that’s one of the reasons why I am more at ease regardless of what character I am playing.”

 

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However, he adds, the adage never say never applies: he may come across a part in the future that would be difficult to switch from, though it hasn’t happened so far”

Though an established leading man in South Korean entertainment in the 1990s, Lee Jung-jae experienced a career renaissance with Squid Game, which elevated his stardom both at home and globally. He made history as the first Korean actor to win an Emmy for acting and the first Asian actor to be cast as a Jedi Master in the Star Wars franchise. Yet he remains unfazed by stardom or success, keeping his craft and choices paramount.

“I think no matter how successful your previous project was, it has never impacted by how I go about my choices in my career. Though when I started out, it mattered to have a hit under your belt, the hunger to prove yourself and the ambition for your next project to be more successful than the previous one was a driving factor to an extent. But one learns that life doesn’t unfold as you want it to. I no longer make choices depending on the success or lack thereof of previous projects. The prime factor is how does a project resonate with me? Does it challenge me? Is it something the audience expects of me? Of course, it would be wonderful to have your next project be as successful as your previous ones. But even if it doesn’t, I still prioritize challenging myself to do something I think I can do well and entertain the audience and fans.”

He says he is open to exploring opportunities in India, finding the idea of an India-Korea romance intriguing. “If I were given the opportunity to star in an Indian production, whether it’s a film or drama, I really hope so. You know, there’s a big cultural difference between Korea and India, so I think I would love to do a rom-com story about a Korean man and an Indian woman falling for each other.”