Han Hyo-joo and Lee Jong-seok Dazed Interview: Legend of the Fall

Here is an interview Han Hyo-joo (한효주) and Lee Jong-seok (이종석) participated in with Dazed magazine following the success of their drama W-Two Worlds. I still haven’t seen this drama, but I know people went bananas over it so I should probably check it out. Also, I want all the clothes that Han Hyo-joo is wearing!

The pictorial looks pretty simple and straightforward with clothing that is often not worn today (I love it though!). They are definitely going for the cool couple vibe with their blank stares and shades. Almost like they transported themselves back to the 1950’s and were about to board a plane for a couples get a way. It just has dress-up-to-ride-a-plane vibes to me for some reason. I don’t know.

In the interview portion they touch on the rigors of shooting the drama W, their camaraderie as actors, and their chemistry as an on-screen couple. It was really neat to read about the shoot. When they went back and forth between the real world and the comic world, it was also a daytime to nighttime switch. So, to make it work they had to shoot the same scene in the daytime and the nighttime. They said it took two days and several hours for just several seconds in the drama. I’m sure it was well worth it though.

THE INTERVIEW
Dazed Magazine // Legend of the Fall // October 2016
Interview translated by Bah+Doo

After the drama W ended, we had a very private moment with Han Hyo-joo and Lee Jong-suk in Tokyo.

How was today’s pictorial? You had a lot to overcome since you are wearing thick clothes on a hot day.
Hyo-joo I heard Korea is already in Fall weather… I enjoyed the last bit of summer here.
Jong-seok Even though it was warm, I enjoyed it.

It has been a while since you two have seen each other since the drama [W] ended, how do you feel?
Hyo-joo We were together all the time during filming, it is the first time to see each other since the finale.
Jong-seok That is true. It has been 2 weeks!

You both have a deep connection with Tokyo. Jong-seok is very popular in Japan, you even had a fan meeting until late last night, and Hyo-joo, last year you shot the movie MIRACLE: Devil Claus’ Love and Magic with Masaki Aiba in Japan. What is your impression of this country every time you visit?
Hyo-joo First of all, I like it here because of the delicious food. I really like to visit good restaurants.
Jong-seok Right. I like this place because of the food too. Personally, I visited Tokyo when I was in high school as my first trip abroad. I like simple and quiet towns like this.
Hyo-joo I like to be a traveler somewhere not that far away from Seoul.

The drama W was a success. The critics said the drama ventured into a new genre, a fantasy drama, so I guess it would be remembered as a special drama for actors in the drama as well.
Hyo-joo Because the theme and script themselves were very fresh and new, it was meaningful to me personally and I guess it was interesting to the audience for the same reason. I was very tired because we had a lot of overnight or all-day shoots due to the drama production system, however, it made me focused on the drama. Because I spent a lot of time at the site, I was able to focus more on the drama without realizing it. I became even closer to the staff members, so when it was done, I really felt sad.
Jong-suk Noona (Hyo-joo) was sorry to say goodbye. It was my honor to work on a good project together.

Did you have any hardship?
Hyo-joo We started the drama semi pre-produced with the script up to the 10th episode. Because we didn’t shoot the drama chronologically from the 1st episode to the 8th, I had to memorize a lot of dialogue each day. It was difficult for me at the beginning.
Jong-suk Agreed. Too much dialogue to memorize… (laughs)
Hyo-joo I always had my script in my hands even when I was taking a break.
Jong-suk Right. It was too much to read it at once. After practicing the dialogues from episode 1 to 4, everyone was knocked out.
Hyo-joo However, it was great to have enough time to prepare.

I guess you had many interesting incidents since Kang Chul and Oh Yeon-joo in the drama went back and forth between the real and the fantasy world. Do you have memorable episodes?
Hyo-joo We had a lot of time and space jumps in the drama, the scenes where we time jumped two months forward or night became day were memorable for me. I honestly thought it would be easy with the help of computer graphics, but I was surprised to see them actually shoot a still scene every second and stitch them together afterward. It was more of an analog way. Something like taking a 30-min night scene, then taking the day scene at the same location the next day, then run the 1-hour scene very fast. It was less than 30 seconds in the drama, but we spent 1 hour in two different days to complete the scene.
Jong-seok I entered into the comic world after saying, ‘I summon myself into the comic world!’ and it was nighttime in that world, but daytime in the real world (laughs). It was hectic because the drama was running so spectacularly.

Maybe because of those underlying efforts, such a well-made drama was created. What is your secret for the good chemistry you two had?
Hyo-joo I think it is because we communicated a lot.
Jong-seok Because the project was difficult, I personally wasn’t sure if my emotional line was the correct one. That is why I had to ask someone closest to me, and I relied on Hyo-joo noona a lot. Especially, I was following Kang Chul’s emotional line well until the moment on episode 9 when Kang Chul’s memory was reset after saying “Oh Yeon-joo, please forget about me.” I had to think a lot and asked for advice from noona for how to express Kang Chul after his memory was reset.
Hyo-joo Usually, actors don’t ask each other how was his/her acting, but Jong-seok enthusiastically asked me about his acting, which was impressive.
Jong-seok People usually say it’s okay even if it wasn’t good, but noona gave me her honest opinion (laughs). Therefore, when noona’s response was lukewarm then I thought ‘Ah, it wasn’t that good.’
Hyo-joo I didn’t want to answer roughly.

The comradery of actors?
Hyo-joo I just wanted to tell him honestly. Actually, I asked him a few times as well.

What did he say?
Hyo-joo He is pretty honest as well. When we take one scene three times, he told me “The second time was better, noona” (laughs).

Of course, communication is always very important. Do you have anything to hope for each other as actors?
Jong-seok Before I met her in this drama when I thought of an image of the actress Han Hyo-joo, the quiet image of her was dominant. A feeling of somewhat sad and tragic love? I was surprised because she was so bright when I actually met her. My wish is for her to take parts in projects that can shine that side of her.
Hyo-joo In my point of view, Jong-suk has many advantages as an actor. He has the potential to be a good actor in the future, but it is pitiful that he himself feels nervous and worries so much about it. I think he doesn’t believe that he is a powerful and good actor more than he thinks of himself. I wish he becomes more relaxed towards acting. He is already doing well!

Heart warming conversations between you two. You have nicknames like ‘Man jjit nam’ and ‘Man jjit yeo’ (a man/woman came out of a comic book).
Jong-suk Knock it off. Aren’t those words made by the PR agency?
Hyo-joo I like good comments on the project or our acting better, rather than those comments.
Jong-suk Agreed. They control our moods.
Hyo-joo When people say it was good, feel good, but when people say it was bad….
Jong-seok It feels rocky (or shaky).
Hyo-joo It feels tattered. But who doesn’t care about them?
Jong-seok No one.

I guess you feel great because this drama ended successfully. You have a break after a long time, what do you want to do the most?
Jong-seok I don’t think I can take a break for a while since my new project starts in 2 weeks. My role is a serial killer and I am distressful to show a new kind of psychopath which no one has ever seen before. I am thinking about it but I haven’t come up with a breakthrough idea yet.
Hyo-joo I am going to take a break for a while. Recently, for the first time, I had an idea of just resting without doing anything. I worked hard without any rest. Lately, I gradually realized the importance of resting.

It is okay to rest. I hope you have a nice time relaxing as a gift to yourself. Office workers (or Employees) have those moments every 3, 6, and 9 years.
Jong-seok Agreed.
Hyo-joo That is right because next year is my 12th year since my début.

We only have two more months for this year. What do you want to accomplish?
Jong-seok I haven’t done movies for a while and it is kind of scary to start a new project right after the drama. It is a difficult role but I want to accomplish it successfully, and I want to do the best acting job of my life…That is my wish for this year.
Hyo-joo I just let it go. I intentionally didn’t make a plan to focus on the thoughts coming into my head all time.

The best plan is no plan.
Hyo-joo & Jong-suk That is cool.

CLOTHING
1 // All the clothes Han Hyo-joo and Lee Jong-suk wore here are by AllSaints, the blue sunglasses are by Vedi by Vedi Vero, Han Hyo-joo’s nail motif Juste un Clou ring and Lee Jong-suk’s Juste un Clou bracelet are all by Cartier.
2 // Jacket, knitwear, pants, and bag are all by Bottega Veneta, Juste un Clou and Love bracelets are all by Cartier
3 // Pink velvet shirts and high waist pants are all by Fayewoo, pink frame glasses are by Vedi by Vedi Vero, Pink gold Love Bracelet, Juste un Clou bracelet and Juste un Clou are all by Cartier.
4 // All the clothes and shoes that Han Hyo-joo and Lee Jong-suk wore here are by Bottega Veneta

CREDIT
Fashion Man Hyun Park, Jin Young Choi // Text Ruby Kim // Photography Yong Gyun Zoo // Hair Min Seon Kim(한효주), Hyun Mi(이종석) // Makeup Hee Young Seo(한효주), Seo Ha(이종석) // Styling Assistants Mi Hyun Kim(한효주), Ju Yeon Lee(이종석) // Location Jong Geun Park

Source Dazed Magazine