심선아
| 2023-08-01 17:34:01
Korean film-actor
Actor Lee Byung-hun captivated by morally complex characters in 'Concrete Utopia'
By Shim Sun-ah
SEOUL, Aug. 1 (Yonhap) -- Actor Lee Byung-hun of the upcoming Korean disaster thriller "Concrete Utopia" said Tuesday he was intrigued by its compelling story portraying the coexistence of good and evil in ordinary people.
Directed by Um Tae-hwa, the movie revolves around an apartment complex that miraculously becomes the only surviving building after a massive earthquake that devastates Seoul.
As survivors from outside flock to the apartment, seeking refuge from hunger and the freezing weather, the residents unite around their new leader, Yeong-tak (played by Lee), to drive them out and try to find their own ways to survive.
"It's a story about ordinary people who neither embody absolute evil nor absolute goodness but have both sides in them within the boundary of common sense," Lee said during a group media interview at a Seoul cafe. "Since it's an extreme situation, conflicts between people are inevitable. I chose to be a part of this film because I enjoy portraying such conflicts."
Lee said he was actively involved in building his character.
"I constantly conversed with the director from the beginning to the end to make the character look more realistic and multi-dimensional, and to identify points that would make the situations he faces intriguing," he said.
Initially portrayed as a timid person who couldn't assert himself in front of others, Yeong-tak gradually transforms from a distant figure to a cruel leader who does everything to protect his apartment and neighbors from external intruders.
His newfound desire for power is further fueled after realizing in the conflict with outsiders that he is now even more powerful as the leader of the insiders than a lawmaker coming from outside.
"He undergoes some changes in his state of mind when Geum-ae says the world has been reset due to the disaster, even in the midst of a desperate and gloomy situation where he has lost everything and can't even feel the reason for his own existence," Lee said of his character, referring to the name of the chief of the women's society of the apartment community.
"After being appointed as leader, Yeong-tak initially makes up his mind to do something for the community with responsibility. But he gradually becomes intoxicated by the taste of wielding power, without knowing this himself," the actor explained.
Lee said his favorite sequence is the one where he sings Yoon Soo-il's 1998 hit song "Apartment" during a feast.
"I like the part where Yeong-tak's life stories from the past are shown to the audience while he sings."
Although he is a veteran actor with more than 30 years of experience, he said he still feels nervous ahead of the releases of his films.
"I remember receiving the same question 15 years ago," he said when asked if he feels any pressure about presenting good acting in a new film.
"Back then, I naturally felt burdened. I vaguely wondered when that pressure would disappear when I received such questions. Even though I worked with some confidence, I always become nervous before my films are shown to the audience."
The film opens in local theaters on Aug. 9.
(END)
[ⓒ K-VIBE. 무단전재-재배포 금지]