Needless to say, in the stream of explosions, gunshots and mysterious murders – a full-throttle two hours of twists and turns – few would have noticed this little subtitling snafu. So it’s a testament to the weight of responsibility Lee feels upon the release of Hunt, a film he wrote, directed and starred in, that he chose to release it immediately. Despite 30 years of industry experience in South Korea, where he is one of the country’s most recognized actors, Lee is making his directorial debut with Hunt. And with his starring role in Netflix’s smash hit Squid Game catapulting the 49-year-old to global stardom, the world’s eyes are on him. Lucky number … Lee Jung-jae (center) in Squid Game. Photo: Noh Juhan/Netflix “I’ve been in the acting business for decades,” says Lee, perched in an armchair in a dark gray suit. “I thought I understood the industry and filmmaking before starting this project. But it turns out that writing a script, directing it, producing it and taking care of the crew and cast opened up a whole new dimension.” Set in the 1980s against the backdrop of the tense Cold War between the two Koreas, the film is as complex as it is fast-paced. Lee plays one of two rival intelligence chiefs in the South. Once a high-profile defector from the North confirms that there is a mole in their ranks, the two men – and their teams – are tasked with rooting out the rat by investigating each other. The high-octane opening sees an attempt on the life of the South Korean president on American soil, with another assassination attempt planned. Some sequences are based on historical events, while others are entirely fictional in this trust-no-one action drama. It took Lee four years to make the film. There were endless repetitions in the story and then in the script, with which he hopes to make viewers question how and why their beliefs are formed. Originally, Lee had no intention of directing it. “I approached various directors about taking it on,” he explains, “but when I laid out my vision for the film many said I was asking too much.” Each, he says, had their own reasons for turning down the opportunity. “It deals with some real events from Korean history, which is complicated,” Lee says, beginning to count off a list on his fingers. “Another thought that maintaining the balance of two protagonists would be difficult.” The action sequences were huge. Depicting the 1980s in Washington, Korea (North and South), Thailand and Japan was a very great project. “Say it…” Lee smiles. “So, in the end, I had to direct it. We have realized that in art and culture, language need not be the first priority “I spent a lot of time preparing,” he adds quickly. “The crew was much more experienced than me. From the beginning I told myself that I would be honest with them: “I’m young and I don’t know much, please teach me.” He held endless meetings with every department and spent evenings and weekends deep in self-set homework. “I completed seven acting projects in the time it took to make this film,” says Lee. Lee has form when it comes to being thrown in the deep end and not being afraid to admit it when he struggles. Born and raised in Seoul, he was working at a cafe in the city’s Gangnam district in his late teens when designer Ha Yong-soo saw his modeling potential. “I was hoping to get a job at an interior design company,” says Lee. “But the modeling went well and I kept getting calls.” He started participating in TV commercials. “And then I got this chocolate commercial that was a huge hit in Korea,” she explains, “which led to me being on a TV show called Feelings.” Almost overnight, Lee became a household name. In 1994, he starred in the big screen drama The Young Man, playing a manipulative male model. “But I was completely unprepared to be an actor,” he says, “I jumped into the set head first with no idea how to do it. It wasn’t fun. It was a horrible experience for me, and I was terrified. I realized I had to study art. So I went to university, got my undergraduate degree and then my graduate degree. Whenever I had time, I worked with an acting coach. I had to learn properly.” Man of action… Lee Jung-jae in Hunt. Over the next three decades, Lee’s career developed into a variety of genres. There were comedies and dramas, heists and romances. abundance reached the international audience. Then, in September 2021, The Squid Game was released on Netflix and became an instant supernova. Following a series of contestants competing in a series of deadly riffs on children’s games for a huge cash prize, the horror thriller proved to be both dystopian and disturbingly believable. Once again, almost overnight, Lee’s career changed, this time from national treasure to international sensation. “I’m happy about it, of course,” he says of the show’s success, “but it’s bittersweet. Yes, it’s great that audiences around the world are consuming Korean content. And they appreciate it. But if you consider the themes of the Squid Game – how far we are willing to go to accumulate personal wealth. the lengths people are forced to go to – the fact that it has resonated with so many around the world is worrying. You understand that this is the reality for so many people worldwide. And that makes me feel very sad.” Sign up for Within Saturday The only way to get a behind-the-scenes look at our brand new magazine, Saturday. Sign up to get the inside story from our top writers, plus all the must-read articles and columns delivered to your inbox every weekend. Privacy Notice: Newsletters may contain information about charities, online advertising and content sponsored by external parties. For more information, see our Privacy Policy. We use Google reCaptcha to protect our website and Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply. Squid Game makes for addictive viewing. There are high production values and impeccable acting, yes, but it’s the exploration of the limits humanity can reach that is most affecting. “And we had to express the experiences of these characters who were pushed to these extremes,” Lee explains. “Doing it? It was awful. The more beautiful the set and the more childish and fun it looked, the more horrible it was for the characters, and therefore us as actors.” The show changed his life professionally, but left a more personal mark on its star as well. “I think about what happened at that show,” he says. “It’s impossible not to.” And it made me think about what I’m not doing. Many of us live in ignorance. It made me rethink how I see the world. He couldn’t help it.” In September of this year, Lee made history. At the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles, he won the Emmy for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series. It was the first time the award was given to an actor in a non-English speaking performance. Lee was also the first Asian to win it. “The world moves closely together,” he says of his victory. “We are seeing an increase in exchanges between countries and increased understanding. And we’ve realized that in art and culture, language doesn’t have to be the first priority.” Historically, actors who do not speak English as their first language have switched languages to gain recognition in Hollywood. Lee proves that it is no longer necessary. His casting in the upcoming Star Wars series The Acolyte is further proof that, worldwide, he is now a face of Korean culture. “Of course I feel pressure,” he says, “a sense of responsibility. But if I had been younger when that happened, I would have thought, “Wow, I need to work harder and impress people.” But now it’s more of a realization of what Korean culture can achieve. Some great Korean dramas could now take to the world stage. This is exciting.” It’s a bold moment, then, to make a directorial debut. Especially with a film this ambitious – in conception and delivery. Would he do it again? Lee takes a minute to think. “Let me just say,” he says, laughing now, “it was never going to be easy to do an action-packed film where I’m acting and directing at the same time again. Another species probably.” Even for a grafter like Lee, it turns out that being both in front of and behind the camera for explosive devices is probably a unique experience. The Hunt is in theaters now.
