[TRANS] Junho’s Interview for M Magazine
Fried chicken restaurant and art school. That’s where Lee Junho’s (25) Dongwoo began as. Even when interrupted by life’s happenings, he works at a fried chicken restaurant to fulfill his dream of becoming a manhwa artist; he laughs with his friends even when tired, that’s the mischevious twenty-years old Dongwoo. It is not difficult for Lee Junho to understand his feelings. The Dongwoo that works assiduously for his dreams holds many similarities to Junho’s life as a singer and an actor. Q: Your acting in your debut work ‘Cold Eyes’ (2013, directed by Jo Ui-seok and Kim Byung-seo) received high opinions. A: Because the praise for me is a little expressive, when I hear them I get a little dizzy. I only appeared in the movie for 7 minutes ah (laughs). After this, I began receiving a lot of offers and scripts. This piece is like a blessing to me. Q: And ‘Twenty’ was one of them. A: Yes it was. The first time the script was brought up was in a dinner during 2PM’s concert last Spring. After glancing at the first page, I finished the rest of script in one sitting, right then and there. I maintained my interest even now. Adding on to that is the fact that I’m acting with people of the same age, which makes it even more fun. Q: Is the atmosphere at the film site good? A: The freedom that it offers makes one think ‘is this even acceptable?’ At the site, I laugh noisily with Woobin and Haneul. The workers say that we’re like a bunch of [little] girls. The topics we chat about can be as trivial as which restaurant is the tastiest. Because we have the feel of same-age [peers], even the most trivial topics are very meaningful. Q: What was the scene that made you laugh the most during filming? A: There was a scene where the three of us went to a bar. Before filming, Woobin said ‘want to drink a glass?’ and we really ended up drinking beer. That day the beer tasted especially good (laughs). There was another scene where us three were supposed to be worrying over how to grope a girl’s chest [properly], and the atmosphere was extremely funny. While filming, Woobin rolled off the table and hurt himself, and even that was funny. I’m only living my life as an idol, when else would I have fun like that, where I could act without worrying about my image? (laughs) It really was fun. Q: When you’re filming, does it feel different from the strong style of ‘Cold Eyes’ and ‘Memories of the Sword’ (delayed released, directed by Park Hyeung-shik)? A: If we’re only talking about acting, Twenty is the most difficult. In order to fit my role, I had to give all my vitality to acting from start to finish. I had to throw away the mindset of Lee Junho; from my walking style to the sound of my breathing, every little expression had to be expressed in terms of Dongwoo. Q: How would you describe Dongwoo? A: The Dongwoo while working hard is very tired. He walks listlessly and you can feel his exhaustion through his sighs. He’s a child who completely disregards his attire and his appearance to pursue the things that matter. His clothes are often drab. When he’s with friends, he can also show a cute side. The director told [me] no matter what, I can’t be handsome. Ah, my Japanese fans want to see Twenty, what do I do if they don’t like me [anymore] after watching (laughs). Q: You never had any economic difficulties like what Dongwoo experienced, correct? A: When I think about my life as an idol trainee, I can understand Dongwoo’s feelings. When I was seventeen, I disregarded my parent’s opposition and became a trainee. So I lived the dorm life and didn’t bring up any difficult circumstances with my parents. No matter how much money you pay me, I would never return to that difficult time. Q: Ever since 2PM’s activities began, you were known to others as hardworking. A: Yes. Because I don’t have any special talent, so no matter what I always have to work hard to meet expectations. There’s also the fact that I care more about a movie’s deeper motives as opposed to a TV drama. I’m a little worried about the faster pace of filming for TV dramas, whether I am able to expend my energy in an useful manner. If I can’t display very good acting there, I would be so embarrassed that I’ll find it difficult to continue [acting]. Q: From the start, your personality was full of desire [T/N: meaning passionate]. A: I was more excessive during the debut period. I worked very hard, but when I appeared on variety shows I didn’t receive a lot of response. So I chose ‘Dream Team’ (2009- , KBS2), a show that requires physical strength (laughs). I was full of desires to the point where I threw my entire body and heart into [the show], and as a consequence I received many injuries. In that time period, I began to realize I can’t keep going if I stick to what I’ve been doing. I need to show a deeper side of me. Q: Why are you willing to go that far? A: I really like my career right now, to the degree where I feel that I’m living for my work. Every aspect of my life focalizes on my job. Breaks… recently because of 2PM’s international concert tour I’ve been very busy, and didn’t have time to rest. If I did have time, I would compose songs and write lyrics. Q: Then how do you relieve stress? A: Because I’m very busy and very tired, I don’t feel the stress. But after seeing people around me get married, I suddenly feel a little downcast. In a few years, I’d have completed enlistment which means I also arrived at the age to marry. Looking back, all I did was work hard. It seemed like individual schedules like studying and personal travel never existed. 2PM’s schedules before enlistment have already been set. Thinking about it this way means that I don’t have much time left, which is a pity. Q: Looking at it from that angle, ‘Twenty’ is even more special. That’s correct. Twenty made me experience the life of a normal twenty-year old that I wasn’t able to experience properly. I had never drunk to oblivion with my friends to cry about unspeakable memories. If I had not become an artist, my twenty-year old would be like that. Plus I gained two very good friends. To me, [Twenty] is a work that made me feel appreciation and fulfillment. Below are the portions of Haneul’s interview where he mentioned Junho. Q: How did you get the role? A: Director Lee Byeong-hun saw my acting in the TV drama ‘Angel Eyes’ (2014, SBS) and had a very deep impression so he sent me the script. It really had a lot of meaning. After thinking about the movie and my fellow actors Kim Woobin and Lee Junho, I felt even better. I thought that everyone were the same age so filming itself would hold a lot of meaning. Q: What did the Twenty cast leave behind for Haneul? A: I gained director Lee Byeong-hun and also Woobin and Junho, all wonderful people; they’re like presents. No matter what others say, I’ll always stand by Woobin and Junho’s side. In the last Christmas Eve, us three got drunk together at a food stall. It was a really dismal time, hahaha! Source: http://www.weibo.com/1844664021/C8SdC1NPD Via: 皇宫_百度李俊昊吧 Kor-Chi: 辛辛 Chi-Eng: @junhoempress Please ask for permission before reuploading. Thank you for reading!
