Korean actor Lee Yi-kyung is currently appearing in the drama series "DREAM STAGE" (TBS, Friday 10pm) starring actor Tomoya Nakamura. He plays the charismatic CEO Choi Ki-young of Bouquet Music, the largest agency in the K-Pop world. Having made waves for his portrayal of a "scumbag husband" in the Korean drama "Marry My Husband," this is Yi-kyung's first appearance in a Japanese drama. We spoke to him about the differences between Japanese and Korean drama filming and some stories he shared with Nakamura.
◇ Discussing the character with the director and proposing lines in Korean
"DREAM STAGE" is the story of Jun Azuma (played by Nakamura), a former genius music producer who was expelled from the industry for causing trouble, and seven dropout trainees from a small Korean entertainment agency who form a boy band called "NAZE" and work together to pursue their dreams.
--Some people may be hearing about you for the first time through this film, so please introduce yourself.
An actor who acts in Korea and appears on variety shows has come to Japan to play the role of Choi Ki-young in a production called "DREAM STAGE." I hope to become an actor who can deliver a natural feeling to viewers and sometimes even a sense of enjoyment.
--What kind of response has this work received?
It hasn't really hit me yet, but I would be happy if even one person called out to me, "That's Choi Ki Young," while I'm in Japan. People might recognize me if I'm wearing the costume, but I wonder what they'd think if I were walking around the streets of Japan in my own clothes (laughs). I'm waiting for someone to call out to me.
-What were your impressions after reading the script?
When I first received the script, I thought it was warm. Recently, there have been a lot of short videos and other stimulating works, but this drama is a work that allows you to find warmth that you can empathize with in your daily life, and I thought it was great.
--So far, we've seen Choi Ki-young trying all sorts of different things to beat Azuma and NAZE. What did you prepare for the role and what do you keep in mind?
Although Choi Ki-young is positioned as a villain, I don't think of him as just a bad person. Rather, I feel that he is someone who is so passionate about his goals that he is unable to see anything else.
Azuma-san and NAZE are just like Choi Ki-young in that they are both working hard towards their dreams and goals, but they just do it in a different way. I thought that they are people who push forward towards their own goals because they have clear goals within themselves, and I focused on that when creating their characters.
--Have you ever received requests from a producer or director regarding a role? Also, please tell us if you have ever suggested something yourself.
What I found really great about filming in Japan is that there is plenty of time to discuss the character I'm playing with the director.
I'm the type of person who suggests things like, "If I were this character, I would do this," so the director would say, "That's a good idea," or "That's not right." If our ways of thinking differ, he would clearly explain why, so I could understand, "In the director's mind, Choi Ki-young is this kind of person," and we could create the character of Choi Ki-young together. I really enjoyed this process.
The director and I both have the same goal of "making a good work, a good drama, and good images," so I felt that this was a production site where we could all work hard together, facing the same direction.
-What areas have you improved through your discussions with the director?
I especially noticed a lot of the Korean lines that Choi Ki-young spoke. Some of the lines were written in Japanese by a Japanese screenwriter and were directly translated into Korean, so I felt that there were some expressions that aren't often used in Korea and the wording was a little different.
In those cases, I suggest, "How about this word?" However, since the Japanese audience will be seeing the expression through subtitles, I try to find the "middle ground" where the Korean is natural and the nuances of the Japanese are conveyed.
--It seems like it's difficult to find that "middle ground."
I've been working on this since the first episode, so I feel like I'm getting better at it little by little (laughs).
-While filming this series, were there any differences you noticed between this and Korean dramas?
I noticed a difference in the amount of time spent on rehearsals. In Korea, rehearsals tend to finish relatively early and then be adjusted during the actual performance. On the other hand, with this production, all the problems are fixed during the rehearsal stage, so the performance goes off relatively smoothly. That may be the biggest difference.
Also, in Korea, when shooting multiple scenes in one day, you have to carry around the scripts for all the relevant episodes. However, on the set of this film, I was very surprised to see that a separate "script book" was prepared that only listed the scenes to be shot that day. From an actor's point of view, I think it's a great system and makes things very easy. I plan to keep it as a souvenir.
-So, what do you think are the similarities between this and Korean dramas?
Korean film sets often use the same filming terminology as Japan. Words like "barashi" (removing and dismantling equipment and sets), "genkan" (the start of a production), "kikake" (the signal or timing to switch lighting, sound, actors' movements, etc.), and "tekken" (smoothing the transition between scenes with camerawork, etc.) were familiar to me, so it was helpful in understanding the timing.
◇Message from Tomoya Nakamura with photo
-Have you spoken to Nakamura, who plays Azuma?
We had a dinner party during the Korean location shoot, and exchanged contact information there. He's older than me and always seems busy, so I thought it would be best not to contact him too much, but Nakamura always sends me messages with photos attached. I was really touched by that, and now I use a translator to translate the messages into Japanese before sending them, so my current goal is to study Japanese hard so that I can speak to him directly.
-What impression do you have of Nakamura's acting?
I watched the airport scene in the first episode on the monitor, and I got the impression that you were very relaxed and your acting was easy.
--How do you spend your time before a performance?
I'm the type of person who gets fired up (for the scenes I'm going to shoot). I memorize my lines early, so I don't often look back at the script before the shoot. However, it's hard to get emotionally involved if you just memorize it as written, so I try to imagine the situation in the scene and write down any ideas that come to mind.
--Please tell us your impression of "TORINNER."
There are times when Choi Ki-young says some harsh things to them, but for me personally, there is an age gap between us that makes it seem like they could be my sons (laughs), so I don't have many opportunities to talk to them and I don't know how to interact with them. So I have the impression that they are like little chicks (which in Korean means innocent).
--Are there any other memorable scenes or behind-the-scenes stories that you can share with us?
There are a lot of interesting episodes, but I'll keep them a secret because they would be spoilers for upcoming episodes (laughs). Choi Ki-young is a flower lover, so he sometimes holds scissors in scenes where he's caring for them. That was the first scene in the series, so I was nervous. I personally don't have much experience working with flowers, so I had a bit of an accident... In episode 4, there's a scene where the scissors are stabbed into a tablet, and I was glad that the scene went surprisingly smoothly.
-Did you learn any Japanese during this filming period?
I learned the phrase "That's not all." This is a line, but I hope you'll look forward to the broadcast to find out where and how it's used!
-Is there anything you do for fun in between filming?
Due to the busy schedule of filming, I didn't have a chance to go out anywhere. Instead, I enjoyed the bento lunches served on set, the cafeteria in the studio, and the unmanned convenience store. It felt like I was experiencing everyday life in Japan, something that you don't often get to experience on the go, and it was great. By the way, today's bento lunch was mackerel, and it was delicious (laughs).
-Finally, please give a message to the viewers, including what we can look forward to in the future.
The story is rapidly approaching its conclusion. Something will be resolved, or conversely, it will not be resolved. There will be some scenes that make you feel relieved, and some that don't. I feel that this work is a drama that depicts the life of one person, and I hope that you will enjoy it as if you were turning the last page of your life.
This time, I'll be greeting you as Choi Ki-young, but I hope you'll also give me your support as actor Lee Yi-kyung. Also, if you see me on a train in Japan, please be sure to say hello!
