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70th Independence, "The Assassination" and actor Lee Jung-jae

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We met actor Lee Jung-jae in a café in Seoul on the 16th.

About his latest movie, Lee Jung-jae said, "I hope "The Assassination" questions the audience".

We asked how it felt to be in a movie about the struggle of the army of national independence in the 1930s and he thought a little.

"We all agreed we wouldn't 'force the audience' while making the movie. We wanted the movie to ask questions. That's why we excluded the overprotection of boiling emotions. We left space for the audience to think".

When he said the lines, "We have to let them know that we are still fighting..." he felt his heart move.

"I related to the fact that so many people we have not heard of died for our independence. I told myself I had to be sincere about my character. I wanted the audience to gain something when they returned home. We all did".

He lost 15 kg for this movie and even toned down his voice.

"The sudden weight loss led to physical stress and that led to mental stress. Fighting for myself in that condition helped me feel what it was like to fight back then".

"The Assassination" penetrates the modern day history of the Korean Peninsula and South East Asia. "I took some time to understand the background of the movie too" he said.

"I read a lot of things about the 1930s and 40s. How people lived back then, how they acted in so many happenings and such. 'Don't bark if you can't bite' got to me. It was strong. I wanted to use that for Yeom Seok-jin's lines and the director made it happen".

About his character of Yeom Seok-jin, Lee Jung-jae said, "He looks strong on the outside but he's actually a coward inside".

"There's a scene where his weakness becomes his disadvantage and I deeply connected with him there. Yeom Seok-jin is stubborn about life".

Yeom Seok-jin is a make-believe character in the movie and is a likely character who might've existed in the past. Lee Jung-jae says, "I thought he'd be a real character".

"Yeom Seok-jin is Korean. He's like a little scar in the body of earth. He can't be hidden".

It looks like Lee Jung-jae was really into Yeom Seok-jin.

"All my roles have been precious, but I was sad to have to say goodbye to Yeom Seok-jin. I have left him and now I'm talking about him".

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