To meet Director Lee Jungjae of Hunt

Hunt, Lee Jungjae's directorial debut, stood at the center of the issue when it was screened at the Midnight Screenings at the 75th Cannes Film Festival. The first production of Actor Lee Jungjae, the main character of Squid Game, which created a syndrome around the world, was enough to arouse curiosity not only in Korea but also in the film industry around the world. 

Hunt, which took off its veil first at Cannes, easily surpassed expectations. Set in the 1980s in Korea, the film points out critical events in Korean modern history one by one. It isn't just a 'stylish' spy action movie. Rather, the message of the film that reflects the times seriously is very intense. However, the strength of Hunt could have been a weakness for foreign audiences who are unfamiliar with Korean history. Long subtitles were needed to explain Korean modern history, and the tangled relationship among the characters must have been complicated for overseas audiences. 

It is said Director Lee Jungjae started the adaptation of the film on the plane back to Seoul after receiving hot responses at Cannes for the first time in his life. The director said, “Looking at the reactions at Cannes, I noticed several things that should be complemented. I changed the order of the scenes, and we re-recorded the lines, improving the level of perfection." It shows how much Director Lee Jungjae values the completeness of films. Ahead of the release in Korea, Hunt was pre-sold to 144 countries around the world along with the news that it was invited to the 47th Toronto International Film Festival. The upgraded version of Hunt will be released on August 10. We talked about Hunt and Squid Game with Director Lee Jungjae, who will make his official directorial debut in Korea.

We know that it took a very long time to make Hunt. At first, everybody thought you would star in the film as the main character, but you ended up directing it, too. Tell us how it happened. 

= I’m a big fan of spy movies. In 2016, I encountered a script titled 'Namsan', the spy genre, and it was very exciting. I wanted to make it into a movie, so I bought the filming rights of the script and offered directions to directors who I believed would make it into a movie successfully. However, at the screenplay stage, the directors expressed their intention to drop it out. As time went by, I gradually thought, "Should I write and direct this movie?" From then on, I began to adapt the script myself.

You adapted the script by yourself. Have you participated in any other film adaptations before? 

= It was my first time writing a movie screenplay. For spy movies, probability matters most, and detailed storytelling is very important, too. From the beginning, I think I chose a genre that is too difficult for me. I also had a desire to make it a story with lots of twists. That’s why it took 4 years only for the adaptation process. Also, pre-production took a long time because it was a period drama set in the 1980s. While making Hunt, I starred in 7 films as an actor. However, I didn’t stop writing the screenplay. In the end, Han Jaeduk, CEO of SANAI PICTURES, suggested, "Since you completed the screenplay successfully, it would be better if you direct it yourself." That’s the reason I ended up directing the film.

How was your experience as a new director? 

= Before directing, I had a kind of curiosity. There are quite a few actor-directors abroad. So, I was curious about that. But while directing the film myself, I realized that directing and acting are two different things. I thought that the staff and actors were going together on the path written in the film script. I’ve lost a lot of weight because I was acting and directing at the same time.

The 1980s is a very sensitive time in Korean society. And the real incidents that shook Korea at that time appear in your film. It is said you adapted those parts, too. Wasn’t it difficult for you to work on the period drama?

= I had to ponder the matter deeply. It was so difficult for me to add cinematic imagination to the real incidents that happened in Korea in the 1980s. Meanwhile, I was worried a lot if it would adversely affect my career as an actor for 30 years. I couldn't sleep properly while making the film. There were many times when I was rewriting the script even in my dreams, and then I woke up and wrote down notes to save the idea. Going through the process was hard, but I was able to talk about the story that I wanted to tell in the end.

What kind of stories did you want to talk about? 

= Our society seems to be divided too extremely. What is the reason for such severe conflicts? Everyone says that we do that based on our ‘faiths,’ but if someone has a different faith from mine, should I treat him or her as an enemy? I wanted to tell people that we should not fight based on false faiths. That’s why the backdrop of the film is the 1980s when the ideological conflict was most acute.

After Hunt, there are likely to be more audiences waiting for Director Lee Jungjae's next film. Now, you are getting a lot of attention as a director from overseas, aren't you? 

= While writing the screenplay for Hunt, I wanted to submit it to the international film festivals, but I never imagined it would come true. I was happier because I could act with Actor Jung Woosung, who is the most meaningful and significant friend and colleague to me. However, I want to act in the future, and I want to act better. I just tasted directing for the first time, and acting seems to be more challenging for me.

You’ve become the first Korean actor to be nominated for the Best Actor at the Emmy Awards. Can you feel the global syndrome of Squid Game for real?  

= An unbelievable event happened. No one knew that Squid Game would be so successful overseas. From an actor's point of view, I was worried that how our acting in Korean would be delivered to the global audience. And Director Hwang Donghyuk's script and directing ability allowed us to overcome the barrier. I am just surprised and happy that the success of Squid Game plays a role in developing Korean content and promoting Korea to the world. I especially feel a lot of interest in Korean actors, and I look forward to seeing more Korean actors on the global stage in the future.