Marking her first film that earned numerous accolades, the talented artist validated she deserves the title of being a multi-hyphenate.
Broker entered the competition at the 75th Cannes Film Festival and her portrayal of So-young was lauded for how Lee Ji Eun detailed the complex and delicate emotions of a mother who left her baby Woo-sung in the baby box but decides to return and find her.
Filming for her film, Dream, with Park Seo Joon has also been completed hyping more moments for her fans to anticipate her screen projects.
Lee Ji Eun shared her thoughts about Broker and future endeavors in a media interview.
Sharing Broker With Her Family
Revealing she saw the movie for the first time in Cannes, she said that it was a more heartwarming film than she expected. She knew right there and then that her parents will enjoy it.
True to that at the VIP screening, her family members laugh and cry together.
“We are a big family and they all said it was fun. Neary 10 people from my family came and in our family chat room, they also said it was fun.”
Working With Japanese Director Hirokazu Koreeda
Undoubtedly, the pressure to do good is expected for her first movie. IU reveals she only has grateful words for the director.
“It was my first time making a movie. I may be an inexperienced actress but it was amazing that you believed in me. I prepared a lot so I can do better. Of course, it was also a burden. When I was filming for the first time, I was worried that I would make a lot of mistakes or that my seniors would make me uncomfortable. He was very considerate of me.”
On Her Experience Attending Cannes Film Festival
Stepping on the red carpet of the renowned film festival, Lee Ji Eun expressed how the experience was surreal, that she felt like it was a secret camera moment.
“I couldn’t believe it so much that I thought it was a secret camera moment. It felt like I was in a real movie set with foreign reporters and foreign actors in an exotic atmosphere. Even the appearance of Song Kang Ho, who was enjoying the vibe, was like a movie.”
Notably, after receiving a standing ovation for 12 minutes, Lee Ji Eun confessed that she hopes to go back to the Cannes stage again because of something silly she did.
“Senior Song Kang-ho and Director Kore-eda Hirokazu have already experienced it. The camera zoom-in came in and I made a heart, but I was not confident. This was a real mistake. It was the worst thing I did in Cannes. Next time I have a chance, I want to be confident in anything I do. It made me want to go there once more.”
On Challenging Her First Film Broker
Relaying how she came to work on the project. She shared that she ran into director Hirokazu Koreeda in a restaurant while she was having a meal with Lee Sun Kyun and another director.
Subsequently, a year later, she received the script and had her first meeting with the director.
Portraying the role of a mother, the challenge is evident for Lee Ji Eun. But the actress admitted having thoughts of playing a mother role vaguely.
“I thought that it would be good to play the role of a mother vaguely. I wanted to play the role of a mother who had experience of childbirth without any mother or anything like that. It wasn’t like that at all, and I was surprised too.”
Lee Ji Eun also shares how she processed the emotions of her character.
“I wanted it to be seen as complex in any scene. I empathize with So-young. She has a sense of guilt for abandoning her child. I wanted this character to be seen as a single, exhausted person with a lot of painful parts.”
She adds how So-young is not a typical mother. Because of that, she experienced trouble expressing it.
Confronting that scenario, she affirmed preparing a lot for the role.
“I practiced a lot, and I received a lot of feedback from people I was close to. I thought they would give me honest feedback like it’s really awkward when they listen. I wondered if I would feel repulsed by the swear words, but if I do it again, I want to be a little more relaxed.”
Working With Famous Film Actors
When Lee Ji Eun was asked about working with representative actors of the South Korean film industry, she responded feeling lucky.
“I think it will remain as a very good memory. I think that I am a very lucky person in that part. I meet a lot of exceptionally good people. In my first movie set, I was filming with senior Korean actors, and they were so good. Considering the odds, I think I was really lucky. It was so good that all three of us were able to talk about good things and strengths for an hour each.”
In detail, the singer-actress gave glimpses of what it was like filming with the senior actors. She shared that she spent more time with Lee Joo Young and Bae Doona.
When she sent a thank you message to Bae Doona, she received a lengthy reply.
“The next day, I saw it and cried. This is an unbelievable amount of reply. The content in it is really sincere and honest, and I am very grateful for the words that will give me strength. I thought a lot about whether I could become like that at my age. I read it yesterday too. I don’t think I’ll ever forget this text. She’s a really nice person.”
On Improving Her Craft As A Singe and An Actress
Cherished for her singing voice, Lee Ji Eun also relays how she had to use the power of her voice in Broker.
“There are many dark scenes, but there were many scenes where I had to go with the power of my voice. I thought about making the pitch a little shaky, but I thought it would break the immersion when the audience saw it. So, I did it with utmost emotion that is effortless and clean matching the pitch.”
Speaking of voice, she also expounds on her journey as a singer and an actress.
“When I think of IU, I know that the perception of being a singer is great. From my point of view, what is encouraging is that the fans were also worried about my acting. Those who like actress Lee Ji Eun are mixed with people who do not know much about singer IU. Such fan culture coexistence is personally encouraging. It’s not wrong to say that I live because of work. Work drives me. I will work hard for both.”
Source: JTBC News
Photos: EDAM Entertainment
