[TRANS-ENG] 2019.05.02 IU and Lee Sun Gyun’s My Mister Interview with Japanese Cable Television Station Network, J:COM
Q. Please introduce Park Dong Hoon’s and Lee Ji An’s characters.
Lee Sun Gyun: Park Dong Hoon is a structural engineer. He prefers stability and peace, he is serious and somewhat sorrowful.
IU: Since Lee Ji An has grown up in a hostile/ unfortunate environment, she can not trust people and feels despair at the state of the world. A young character who is trying to protect herself by creating walls around her.
Q. I think you must felt the pressure of working with Kim Won Seok PD who has hit dramas like <Misaeng> and <Signal>, but what was the main reason for you to take part in this drama?
Lee Sun Gyun: I think the director felt more pressure than we did. The reason why I decided to appear in this drama was because I had always wanted to work together with Kim Won Seok director. It was an honor for me to receive an offer from him. The filming process was also fun.
IU: Although it can’t be compared with the director’s, I also felt the pressure that “as a part of the drama production team, I shall not become a hindrance.”
Q. During filming, have you ever felt “It was a good decision to choose this work”?
Lee Sun Gyun: I always felt that during filming. It was also memorable since I was able to meet and act out alongside these co-stars, I also feel happy that the work was finished as what we wanted it to be.
IU: I was happy to see My Mister being broadcasted on TV, I felt it was very rewarding and I thought once again that it was a good decision to take part in this work.
Q. Have you both ever felt the synergy during acting?
IU: I tried to rely on Lee Sun Gyun, but as the filming progressed, I could only see Sun Gyun as Dong Hoon. That’s why when I read the script I could not understand how to portray it but when I was in front of Dong Hoon, I was able to become Ji An, as if the switch was on. The reason why I acted it out with my heart without thinking too much on “I would like to portray it this way” was because Lee Sun Gyun was my partner.
Lee Sun Gyun: I am also thankful that my partner was IU, she helped a lot. Although Dong Hoon and Ji An have different environments and different ages, they both share one common thing which is not good at communicating/ conveying their feelings to others. Furthermore, both of them are disgusted by the world and themselves, feeling troubled, both were able to sympathize with each other. I think that the synergy was shown through filming process. Also IU is a very excellent actress. I also learned from her about how she made extraordinary efforts to keep Ji An’s image.
Q. Dong Hoon and Ji An were both characters with few words. In order to get into the roles, did you usually keep a distance with people around you? Please tell me if there is an episode about role making.
Lee Sun Gyun: The first day of shooting was the company scene. IU was the only person away from us, but in this scene Dong Hoon was close with his subordinates on set so when I was on standby I communicated with other actors. The reason why I was able to portray the role comfortably was all because of the director’s and co-stars’ trusts. Drama is something that everyone makes together. Thanks to the people around me creating a good environment, I was able to immerse myself in acting.
Q. Was IU not feeling lonely when acting?
IU: As we got into the second half of filming process, I got closer to Jung Hee, Hoogye family, and people from team Safety Assessment 3 (Dong Hoon’s team in My Mister). I felt happy as Ji An was filling up her loneliness. The 3 brothers’ (Dong Hoon, Sang Hoon and Ki Hoon) relationship was good, good enough to be misunderstood as if the three of them were dating.
There was no such misunderstanding (LOL).
Q. How was it acting as three close brothers?
Lee Sun Gyun: Our chemistry was perfect. Three actors’ different personalities gave synergistic effect. The three brothers’ descriptions in the script were so unique, I was worried that the mood is going to be a little awkward but when we acted it out it was strangely matched well. The scenes with Dong Hoon’s mother, Yo Soon, were often heartwarming that made me remember of my late mother.
Q. The scene of Ji An and her grandmother, Bong Ae is impressive, but how was it acted out?
IU: I met Son Sook when I went to learn sign language. She is so beautiful that even the word “elegant” is not enough to describe her. However when I went to the shooting place, I met poor Bong Ae which was completely different from my first impression of Son Sook. During filming, Son Sook always gave me gentle hugs as if I’m her real grand daughter, that’s why Bong Ae’s death scene was painful and heartbreaking. Being in the same space with Son Sook drawn me into the world of Bong Ae and Ji An, I am grateful that I was able to took part in this.
Q. Dong Hoon is the second son and the main lead. Have you ever had any trouble doing it?
Lee Sun Gyun: There was nothing special about it. I can’t say much about it but I thought it was my job as the lead actor to enliven the mood during filming, I tried to create a mood that would make others feel relaxed.
Q. Did you not feel frustrated with Dong Hoon’s role?
Lee Sun Gyun: Of course I did. I knew that Ji An and Dong Hoon were the type that suppressed their own feelings but I received directions from the director to “suppress the emotion even more,” at first I felt uneasy. However as the story went on, I was convinced that the Dong Hoon’s character I portrayed at first was correct. I was so impressed by Kim Won Seok director that I called him as “the best director.”
Q. Did IU also feel frustrated with Dong Hoon?
IU: It’s a difficult question. I don’t think I did. When did Sun Gyun feel frustrated?
Lee Sun Gyun: I often thought “I will not do the same thing as what Dong Hoon did”.
IU: I was frustrated when he pretended not to know about his wife’s affair. It is Dong Hoon’s action but I can’t understand why he destroyed the evidence (public phone number) of his wife’s affair (episode 5-6).
Lee Sun Gyun: I don’t feel that way. I won’t do the same thing as what Dong Hoon did but I understand his desire to protect his family.
IU: This scene frustrated me.
Q. There were a lot of scenes where Dong Hoon and Ji An eat together, for example at Jung Hee’s restaurant, but what kind of meaning did it have in the drama?
IU: I think it was a scene that has important meaning. One meal for Ji An means survival. Eating scene between Dong Hoon and Ji An, eating scene between Dong Hoon and his brothers. Eating scene between Dong Hoon and Jung Hee. Each has different vibes. I would say that eating is life. To live reluctantly/ inevitably. To live as human being. To live a life. The word “live” has various meanings. I wonder if this drama showed fragment pieces of “eating” to describe ways of living.
Lee Sun Gyun: Not just eating but also exchanging conversations and expressing anxieties, I think those scenes express profound acts of sharing joy and sadness.
Q. For Ji An, Dong Hoon is a ray of light in hard life, but what is Ji An for Dong Hoon?
Lee Sun Gyun: The first impression I got from Ji An was “abandoned kitten.” I could feel that Ji An who shut herself in her shell and didn’t want to get close with other people had a big wound. Dong Hoon couldn’t help but sympathize with her.
Q. What is Dong Hoon for Ji An?
IU: I think he is a moonlight rather than sunlight.
Q. There are many famous lines, but is there any line that people in their forties like Dong Hoon and Sun Gyun also IU in her twenties could sympathize with?
Lee Sun Gyun: For me when I got stuck in my life, “It’s OK, It’s no big deal” became a sentence that can make me move forward whenever I told that to myself. No matter how harsh the world is, it’s rare for all of us to live without compromises. This drama reminds us about the ideal adult image that has been forgotten that’s why it is very popular among my friends in the same generation as Dong Hoon. Hoogye family is also very popular. For the scene when I got hurt, I was told that they could sympathize with how friendship could bring comfort. This is the first time my work had these kind of reactions from friends, some high school classmates called me while crying after watching the drama.
IU: There is a line that Ji An said to Hoogye family member “I want to get to your age as soon as possible. I bet life won’t be as hard.” Of course it’s wrong, but I know what Ji An felt when she said it. Yu Ra also said the similar phrase to Hoogye member and I can relate to it.
Lee Sun Gyun: I have only talked about Kim Won Seok director but the scriptwriter is also full of talent. I am overwhelmed by Park Hae Young writer’s writing ability.
Q. I think Ji An is a difficult character like never before, but please tell me the secret your brilliant acting.
IU: I don’t think it’s because of my effort, I think it’s because the power of the script and great production/ direction. I portrayed Ji An’s role as described in the script, my heart hurt when she was sad, I cried when she cried, I was angry when she was too, and I was delighted when Dong Hoon was happy. There were many times when I had disagreements with scriptwriters (talking about her other works), but it didn’t happen this time (for My Mister). Even though I have never called Park Hae Young writer by phone and never met her during filming, when I saw her that day at drama release for the first time I felt that she seems familiar to me. I could portray the role fearlessly because I trusted the script and Kim Won Seok director’s directions from the bottom of my heart, I think that a good work has been completed. I am very grateful towards Park Hae Young writer for writing excellent script.
Q. It must have been difficult since Ji An had to use sign language while saying her lines and acting. The viewers mentioned that the scene where Ji An told Bong Ae to be happy is impressive, was it difficult to portrayed?
IU: It’s difficult to act out while focusing on sign language, furthermore it was a difficult scene where sign language could become awkward if I portrayed it too emotionally. I remember every time I tried to portray it, I got confused and failed. I think the reason why it was able to hit viewers’ hearts was because that scene gave me such a hard time during filming process. Sign language is a daily conversation between Bong Ae and Ji An and I am satisfied with sign language scenes because it is essential to describe on how the two of them have spent their life in the past years.
Q. Bong Ae is a hearing-impaired person, did you get any information from the director in advance?
IU: There was no particular explanation but during the meeting the director casually said about it. Because I am a singer, I was thinking about a scene where Ji An sings for her hearing-impaired grandmother, but I heard the writer put that scene on hold and finally it didn’t make it to the drama.
Q. I heard that Hoogye members’ actings were mostly ad-lib. Who was the NG King?
Lee Sun Gyun: The anecdotal interactions/ actions that Hoogye members did while drinking and playing were ad lib but the lines were not. Moreover, it was interesting because the content of the ad lib was different every time. The NG King was Song Sae Byeok.
Lee Sun Gyun: Se Byeok was nervous because it was his first drama appearance. The cleaning car driving scene is the most interesting one. He was not good at driving manual car, he caused engine stall several times. All of us were nervous, I was at the sidewalk and I thought that we would all die. Even though we were really pressed for time, he was told not to worry about it because if he make a small mistake it will lead to an accident.
Q. Did the actors actually get in the car for the car overturns scene?
Lee Sun Gyun: I was in the car but there was a device to safely overturn the car.
Q. Whom would you like to choose if you could portray other characters (including Dong Hoon and Ji An) in My Mister?
Lee Sun Gyun: I want to portray Ki Hoon because I am the youngest child. Of course I like the relationship between Dong Hoon and Ji an but I also love Ki Hoon and Yu Ra couple. Ki Hoon is the type who expresses everything positively, I felt frustrated and jealous since that positive attitude couldn’t be found in Dong Hoon.
IU: I would like to portray Joon Young if gender is not relevant. Kim Young Min’s performance was excellent, but it was also a role that I want to challenge my self as an actor. A sly and coward cute villain which is also somewhat humane that people can’t hate.
Lee Sun Gyun: Young Min is also a cute person.
IU: There’s a line saying “What did I do wrong?” when he really did not do anything to Ji An. It’s cute that he even felt sorry for Ji An. I want to act out Joon Young, a cute and attractive villain. I personally like the pure and honest Yu Ra. Many of Yu Ra’s lines stuck in my heart, especially the line saying “I wish AI (Artificial Intelligence) era will come soon.”
Q. What is the meaning of “My Mister” for both of you?
IU: It became a masterpiece for me. I think that I will continue to appear in many works in the future but when I look back on my life as an actress, My Mister will no doubt be the most memorable drama.
Lee Sun Gyun: For me, My Mister is a work that was able to make me grow as an actor, and it has become the standard of what I should aim for in the future. I think it would be difficult to surpass this standard but it was a drama that reminded me the meaning of acting.
