'Journey to Gyeongju' Lee Jung-eun: "I chose a project that would be easy for my mom to watch, but... the release is thanks to my daughters" [Interview]

Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment. News1 Still cut from 'Journey to Gyeongju'.
Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment. News1 Still cut from 'Journey to Gyeongju'.Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment. News1 Still cut from 'Journey to Gyeongju'.
" Actress Lee Jung-eun expressed her desire to break away from her stable and conservative criteria for selecting projects, using the movie 'Journey to Gyeongju' as an opportunity. Meeting recently at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Seoul, Lee Jung-eun explained her change, saying, "As I get older, I feel that audiences also have the power to select and accept works.
" She added, "I also think I need to break out of my own moral framework and try different roles. " There is a burning fire within Ok-sil of 'Journey to Gyeongju'.
Ok-sil of 'Journey to Gyeongju' stands at the starting point of that change. The film depicts the story of Ok-sil, who lost her youngest daughter Gyeong-ju on a school trip eight years ago, and her three daughters Jang-ju (Gong Hyo-jin), Young-ju (Park So-dam), and Dong-ju (Lee Yeon), as they travel to Gyeongju to take direct revenge on the culprit, Baek Sang-hyun (Byun Yo-han).
Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment. News1 Still cut from 'Journey to Gyeongju'.Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment. News1 Still cut from 'Journey to Gyeongju'.
Director Kim had Lee Jung-eun in mind for the role of Ok-sil from the moment he began writing the script. When asked about the reason for her casting, Lee Jung-eun laughed and said, "The director kept saying I resembled his mother," adding, "Isn't it thanks to a face like my mom's and a figure like the typical mother we imagine?" On this day, Lee Jung-eun recalled the moment Director Kim explained Ok-sil's inner self to her.
Director Kim reportedly repeatedly emphasized to Lee Jung-eun, "Ok-sil has a fire in her heart. There is a fire, senior.
" Lee Jung-eun said, "The director himself felt like Ok-sil when he said those words," adding, "The director's burning heart was as desperate and passionate as Ok-sil's heat. " She continued, "I felt that I could explore any path if I were with Director Kim," and added, "I believe the film was finally able to reach its release because of that passion and tenacity.
" Director Kim was someone who, once he set a goal, rarely got tired and pushed it through to the very end. Lee Jung-eun emphasized, "Since he is someone who writes novels even when he is not filming, imagine how many stories he has to tell," adding, "He is a director whose future I am very much looking forward to.
" "The release is thanks to my daughters". A film nurtured by a dream cast The scale of 'Gyeongju Journey' grew as Gong Hyo-jin, who played mother and daughter with Lee Jung-eun in the drama 'When the Camellia Blooms,' Park So-dam, who worked with her in the film 'Parasite,' and Lee Yeon joined in succession.
Lee Jung-eun said, "I think the film was released thanks to my daughters," adding, "The project grew as better actors than expected joined. " Gong Hyo-jin and Park So-dam contacted Lee Jung-eun first after receiving the offer to appear.
Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment. News1 Still cut from 'Journey to Gyeongju'.Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment. News1 Still cut from 'Journey to Gyeongju'.
Sunshine,' joined the cast through an unexpected route. The production company CEO sent a birthday text message to Byun Yo-han and mentioned that he was preparing a project starring Lee Jung-eun, and Byun Yo-han showed interest first.
At the time, he was unaware that Byun Yo-han was participating without a fee. Lee Jung-eun said, "To create a balance of power in the confrontation between four women and one man, I needed an actor with absolute intensity," adding, "I thought it was possible because it was Byun Yo-han.
" She praised Byun Yo-han, saying, "He constantly wants to show different sides of himself.
He has a strong desire to play with roles with ease, and it is fascinating how he ultimately manages to pull it off in every project.
" The 'Strange Silence' Faced at the End of Revenge Ok-sil's revenge is closer to the process of an ordinary person crossing moral boundaries than to a satisfying retaliation.
Lee Jung-eun said, "I tried to focus on execution, but even during filming, I kept feeling afraid, wondering, 'Can I really do this?'" In the latter part of the movie, the boisterous commotion with her three daughters subsides, and Ok-sil alone seeks revenge.
Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment. News1 Still cut from 'Journey to Gyeongju'.Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment. News1 Still cut from 'Journey to Gyeongju'.
He said, "Once the scenes with the daughters ended and I climbed the mountain alone, I felt a strange stillness, as if wondering, 'Did we run all this way just to get here?'" The filming location, Gyeongju, added a peculiar sense of tragic beauty to Ok-sil's revenge.
Lee Jung-eun interpreted it by saying, "Gyeongju is a destination for school trips and a tourist attraction, but it was a fascinating city where I wondered if there could really be so many tombs in the world.
" She added, "In a city full of tombs, there was an irony that seemed to be saying, 'Isn't this person someone who cannot even have a tomb?'" Starting with 'Journey to Gyeongju,' Lee Jung-eun intends to continue making bolder choices as an actress.
She said, "Now, even if it doesn't make money, I want to do films that tell different stories," adding, "I hope movies continue to be made.
" She continued, "I like the density that movies provide and the working environment," and stated, "Since I have faithfully played stable characters, I want to contribute to slightly more special and challenging roles in the future," expressing a desire for something different from her previous roles.
I dreamed of a future.
A scene from the movie 'Journey to Gyeongju'.
Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment. News1 Still cut from 'Journey to Gyeongju'.Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment. News1 Still cut from 'Journey to Gyeongju'.
Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment. News1 Still cut from 'Journey to Gyeongju'.Courtesy of Lotte Entertainment. News1 Still cut from 'Journey to Gyeongju'.
[email protected] Shin Jin-ah Reporter