Actor Lee Je-hoon forgets work-life balance to pursue love of cinema

Audio report: written by reporters, read by AI

Actor Lee Je-hoon wears many hats.

He is an actor, a CEO and a YouTuber. He juggles lines on set, manages a company and travels around the country to introduce audiences to small indie theaters on his YouTube channel — all at once.

The 41-year-old actor says the driving force behind these activities comes down to one thing: his passion for cinema.

Specifically, he talks about the overwhelming joy he feels when watching a powerful film inside a dark theater.

“For me, I gain energy when I’m at a theater, watching a great piece of work,” Lee said during a recent interview with local press to promote his newest film, “Big Deal.”

“I feel alive. At the same time, I get the urge to join a similar project or create one myself. It makes me think that if I don’t work hard and do my best now, I might never encounter something that great again. That’s what drives me — my passion for this work and, in a way, my reason for living. Of course, I feel at peace spending time with my family and sharing a good meal, but what keeps me dreaming is watching excellent films or dramas.”

Lee’s newest film, “Big Deal,” is a high-stakes financial drama that follows the fate of Gukbo, a national soju company teetering on the edge of bankruptcy after aggressive expansion. Set against the backdrop of the 1997 Asian financial crisis, the film takes inspiration from the real-life story of Jinro Soju, which was acquired by Hite with Goldman Sachs’ intervention.

But the corporate battle is not all the film explores. 

It also delves into the generational clash between Jong-rok, played by Yoo Hae-jin, a loyal executive who identifies Gukbo's fate as his own, and In-beom, played by Lee, a cold-blooded elite analyst who sees the company merely as a means to a paycheck.

And actor Lee has something to say about this. 

"As much as I want the employees of my company and sometimes myself to work like In-beom because that would be much more convenient, having many roles, I now think I am work — and work is me," he said. 

"I think if I separate myself from my job as an actor, I don't have much to say about the human Lee Je-hoon. Although I tell my company employees to manage their work-life balance well, I find myself uneasy when I see my schedule empty for next year." 

That inseparability between his personal life and his work has a big influence on the projects he chooses.

Lee’s previous work before “Big Deal” was the JTBC drama “The Art of Negotiation,” in which he also played a sharp mergers and acquisitions expert — a role not unlike that of In-beom.

"As an actor, I continuously explore life and look into what other people are interested in. That process has led me to choose those two works. The agony I have felt recently about an uncertain future has been reflected in my choice of work, and the dynamics between Jong-rok and In-beom make you think about what kind of attitude is right to live your life." he said.  

Lee tells people to take a look at his filmography to see what kind of value he holds in life. 

"If you ever wonder about my personal side, all I can say is to look at my filmography. That inevitably reflects what kind of thoughts I hold, which direction I am heading toward and so on."

The actor has two highly anticipated follow-up series in the works: a sequel to the popular detective series “Signal” (2016), returning after a decade, and the third season of “Taxi Driver” (2021-).

"I am completely devoted to filming those projects, letting go of all my personal agendas," he said. 

"Although it is the same character, I feel that I need to show improvements. If the viewers think that the previous series was better, I don't think I should have done the project in the first place.

"In the first season of 'Signal,’ I was an eager, somewhat reckless junior actor. But as I continued through more projects and eventually to ‘Taxi Driver,’ I began to see not just my position as an actor, but how I could help shape the direction of the script and the overall process. I think it was that mindset of wanting to communicate and find better ways that gave me these opportunities.” 

"Big Deal" opened in theaters nationwide on May 30.  

BY JIN EUN-SOO [jin.eunsoo@joongang.co.kr]