By Lee Hyo-won
Staff Reporter
Korean-American director Jieho Lee was better known in Korea for marrying star actress Kim Min, but recently made headlines near and far by making his feature film debut with five of Hollywood's top stars. Before "The Air I Breathe" opens across theaters here April 9, the 35-year-old met with the press Tuesday at a hotel in northern Seoul.
Lee expressed thanks for a warm reception, speaking in a mixture of Korean and English. "Working in Hollywood was a blessing and I had a lot of luck. There's no set path", he said.
"It took me a very long time. (Hollywood is) a very closed society and it's hard to break into that. The first thing that was important was that I wrote a script people responded to", he said.
"Air" is an omnibus-type film that explores four basic human emotions through four characters: happiness (Forest Whitaker), pleasure (Brendan Fraser), sorrow (Sarah Michelle Gellar) and love (Kevin Bacon). Andy Garcia, Lee's "favorite character", stars as a notorious mobster named Fingers, who somehow brings everyone together.
He said the story was inspired by the old Asian proverb "huinoaerak" or joy, anger, sorrow and pleasure. It's also like a noir version of "The Wizard of Oz" as the four characters embark on a journey to find their identity.
Born in New York, he said he has strong Korean and American roots. His grandparents, the first Korean students in the United States, studied at Princeton in 1888 and had their pictures taken with President Woodrow Wilson. Lee's father instilled in him a strong sense of Korean identity. He came to Korea to work in the music industry, and kept a journal of all the people he met.
"These (characters) are all based on people I've met in Korea. They're mirrors in my own discoveries", he said.
Lee studied filmmaking at Wesleyan University, New York University and in Israel as part of a study abroad program. After shooting commercials in New York and music videos in Seoul, he started touring the international film circuit with his award-winning short "A Nursery Tale" (1999).
He wrote the script for "Air" in 2003. But because it was not a genre film, Lee had to devise a different strategy to get funding. He said he sent the script to as many producers as possible, and fortunately all 10 liked it. Five were willing to pitch in, including big names such as Lawrence Bender (who produces Quentin Tarantino films) and John Woo. He finally teamed up with Paul Schiffer, a college alumnus.
He then spent over two years on casting, meeting scores of actors from Justin Timberlake to Forest Whitaker. "I was lucky but also very prepared. I drew storyboards, had my musical inspiration and did research on every single actor I'd met down to their dog's name", he said.
He finally built a dream cast, but it was a low budget project (6 billion won of which half went in guarantees) and schedules kept getting delayed. "It was a difficult, lonely process. I thought I was going crazy and (wondered) what I was doing with my life. But we had people who believed in it", he said. "You have to work very hard but you definitely need luck, and we had a lot of blessings".
But when the camera finally started rolling, it was a nightmare. "We had a 29-day shoot and over 50 location changes. It was madness. We were running everywhere. It was so crazy. I think I got sick because I didn't sleep at all", he said.
Like in his short film, Lee makes a quick appearance in the film. "It was because of our tight budget", he said, and his entire crew, including the cinematographer and executive producer, had to play minor roles.
Released earlier in the U.S., "Air" received rave reviews. "This world is getting smaller because this kind of structure is appealing to a lot of people. We're different but all related somehow", he said.
Lee's wife Kim made a special appearance in the pressroom, setting off a blinding tide of camera flashes.
"This movie was long in the making, like a baby. Speaking of which, we had a baby and I am very glad to bring her home", she said in her first visit to Seoul since tying the knot in 2006. Kim met her husband while shooting the hit TV drama "Love Story in Harvard". "My manager wanted me to go to Hollywood, and I sure did", she smiled about living in California.
She said their seven-month old daughter is the exact image of her husband, to which Lee said "we're doomed (that she looks like me)", drawing laughter from the room. On a more serious note, Kim expressed how much pain was involved in the making of "Air". During the shoot in Mexico, Lee contracted a case of shingles. Undergoing surgery and unable to use his eyes for several days, he was on the verge of giving up. But he was able to complete the remaining third of the shoot in a wheelchair.
"I'm not supposed to talk about this", he said discreetly. "I cried when Min got here... I feel blessed because she was supporting me but all the actors felt ownership. The director is important, but collaboration is most important. Andy Garcia was most difficult to cast but by then he had built his trust and told everyone, `Jieho goes off a cliff, we all go off with him', " he said.
Regarding possible film collaborations as a couple, Kim said "in Hollywood you see couples break up after working together, so we decided not to work together", sending laughs across the room.
As for future plans, Lee said he is in the "early developmental stage" of remaking the gritty street story "A Dirty Carnival" (2006) starring Jo In-Seong. Korean-American writer/producer Doug Jung ("Confidence", 2003) will be writing the script and the producer of "National Treasure" may become involved.
" It's too early to say anything yet. It's a beautiful story and if it comes together then I would want to try my best to preserve the integrity of the original and do it justice", he said. "Honestly, I'm just beginning, I definitely feel lucky but I have a long road ahead and a lot to do and a lot to learn", he said.
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