"Director Hong Sangsoo and the first work I worked with him made me feel free."

It deserves to be called the ‘Return of the Legend.’ Actor Lee Hyeyeong is the ‘Face’ of Director Hong Sangsoo's new film In Front of Your Face, which was invited to Cannes Premiere at the 74th Cannes International Film Festival. As the daughter of Lee Manhee, the genius director who introduced a new style to the Korean film industry in the 1960s, films were a natural part of her life. Dreaming of becoming an actor while watching a musical film by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, Lee Hyeyeong took the first step in her career as an actor with the musical The Sound of Music in 1981. And she immediately became the ‘representative face’ of Korean cinema in the 1980s.

 Lee Hyeyeong made her film debut with Mother’s Wedding in 1982. By 1995, she had appeared in as many as 26 films. Representative Korean directors in the 1980s, including Im Kwontaek, Jung Jiyoung, Jang Sunwoo, Lee Jangho, and Song Kyungsik, entrusted Lee Hyeyeong with strong characters that we had never met in Korean movies. Burning passionately on the screen every time, she had a brief hiatus from time to time. Of course, she starred with Jeon Doyeon in Ryu Seungwan's 2002 Noir action film No Blood No Tears, and also appeared in The Game in 2008. However, Lee Hyeyeong's movie break was disappointing for the audience who expected the destructive power from ‘Lee Hyeyoung’s face.’

As such, expectations are high for Director Hong Sangsoo's new film In Front of Your Face, where Lee Hyeyeong’s face fills the movie for 85-minute of running time. For the veteran actor with 40 years of acting experience, the film is also a big thrill. "I felt the greatest freedom in the movie that came at a desperate moment as an actor." I met Lee Hyeyeong, ‘the Legend,’ who will stand in front of the overseas audience with In Front of Your Face, which will be released for the first time in the world in Cannes.

Q: The new film In Front of Your Face was invited to Cannes Premiere at the 74th Cannes International Film Festival. Although you have won awards in many film festivals, it is the first time that you’ve been invited to Cannes. Tell us how you feel about it first.

A long time ago, I visited Cannes twice unofficially in my life. At that time, I wrote my acceptance speech just for fun. Since Cannes Premiere is a non-competitive section, I don't have to announce my acceptance speech, but I feel like my dream has come true because the film I starred in has been invited to Cannes.

Q: We’re curious about the reason you appeared in Director Hong Sangsoo’s film.

It was very simple. Director Hong sent me a text message, written “I'm Hong Sangsoo who makes films.” Receiving the message, I answered him, “I'm ready. Let's meet up." We started filming just like that. I didn’t ask Director Hong why he cast me. Actually, I wasn't even curious about it. I just wanted to meet him. I wanted to be his friend and share a drink. Unfortunately, since Director Hong stopped drinking, we could not have a chance to drink together, but I was completely fascinated by his movies and the site making movies.

Q: Did you meet Director Hong Sangsoo for the first time in the movie?

After my father, Director Lee Manhee, passed away in the mid-1970s, I met Ms. Jeon Oksook, Director Hong Sangsoo's mother. She is the producer of A Day Off, Director Lee Manhee filmed in 1968. After that, I met Director Hong for the first time in 2015 at Ms. Jeon's mortuary. Honestly, I had never seen Director Hong’s films until 2015. (Laughter) His films I glanced at on TV seemed too casual, realistic, and unkind, I thought. It was almost to the point of looking insincere. To me, who regards the ‘fantasy of films’ as a reality, Hong’s reality in his films was seen as rather unrealistic.

Q: Isn’t it so cinematic that you starred in a movie directed by ‘unrealistic’ Hong Sangsoo?

I think I was a bit jealous of Director Hong. (Laughter) Only after receiving the message from him, I started looking for Director Hong’s films and I was really surprised. I felt like, “I'm the only one who met the genius belatedly that everyone else has known!” looking up all of his movies, I was thrilled. It was the series of days in which I acted in such a state of thrilled emotion, staying up all night watching his movies again.

Q: Director Hong Sangsoo's filming site is unique. You get a script on the day of filming and act on the spot immediately. Wasn’t it unfamiliar to you to film it that way?

Never! At Director Hong’s filming site, I finally felt like I found a room ‘to be classified as an actor.’ I still remember the first day of shooting very vividly. At least I never thought that I acted fauxmotional not even once in the 40 years of my acting career. However, working with Director Hong, I even thought, "Isn't my acting from the past all fake?" Working with him was a process of discovering novelty every moment. I fell into the scenes with great enthusiasm. It was the freedom that I had never felt before in my acting career.

Q: I wonder what "the first freedom in life" a veteran actor feels with 40 years of acting experience.

Director Hong gave me only one A4 script every day at the scene. And when I finished filming, he took the script back. (Laughter) I’m a big fan of Anton Chekhov, and Director Hong’s scenario reminded me of Chekhov. A typical movie scenario is specific. The scripts are explained kindly, and there is a Conti that roughly draws facial expressions. When actors see such a scenario, we get stuck there. We fall into a trap where we feel like we must act following the script exactly. However, there was no ‘trap’ in Director Hong Sangsoo's scenario. After receiving the scenario on the day of shooting, I just act on the spot, and that’s all. I don't have to worry about tomorrow's performance in advance. So there's nothing I have to get stressed about. I was told to come to the set without makeup, so I only washed my face after waking up and went to the shooting set. All I did was act relying on the circumstances of the day. Working that way was very interesting, and it was incredibly free.

Q: The film title, In Front of Your Face, sounds very meaningful. What kind of Lee Hyeyeong’s face did Director Hong Sangsoo want to show? 

Well, we didn’t have any titles while shooting the film. (Laughter) So, I don't know why the director named it that way. After being invited to the Cannes Film Festival, Director Hong showed me the movie. One thing for sure is that I was acting totally differently from the films that I appeared in before.

Q: Actor Kwon Haehyo, who also starred in the film, said, "You will see Lee Hyeyeong's amazing presence."

I am flattered. Rather, I admired the dignity and intelligence of Kwon Haehyo, Cho Yunhee, Actor Kwon’s wife, and Actor Seo Younghwa and Actor Kim Saebyuk, who have worked with Director Hong for a long time. Throughout the filming, I was proud to film with these great actors. At one point, I even felt like I was reborn from a third-rate actor to a first-rate one. In particular, Kwon Haehyo is the best counterpart I've ever met.

Q: ‘Actor Lee Hyeyeong has set milestones in the Korean film industry since the 1980s. Don't you think it's too modest to say that?

I have been thinking that I’m a bit 'ambiguous'. I’m ugly rather than beautiful, and I’m rather theatrical in terms of acting. I seem to have my own identity as an actor, but I often do the wrong thing. At the beginning of my debut, I was also told that I was an actor who was difficult to classify. I was even told that I would not be able to act in a melodrama because I was tall and had a strong impression. For an actor, to be ‘expressed’, you need a chance to ‘express’ your character. Working with Director Hong gave me the chance, and this film is a blessing for me, who desperately needed such a chance.

Q: Besides In Front of Your Face, you’ll release several new films in 2021, including Anchor and Happy New Year. Can we look forward to 'Lee Hyeyeong's Movie Era' again?

There's always a saying that I'm fooled by. "No other actors can do this film and this character but you. You're the only one who can play it!" (Laughter) For me, choosing a new film is either Actor Lee Hyeyeong is in the process of finding a character who I can picture properly, or she's already found one and leaves the wanderer's path again.

Q: Recently, movie fans abroad are interested in Korean films and Korean actors so much. In Front of Your Face will be a good opportunity to promote ‘Actor Lee Hyeyeong’ to them, I think.

I think Director Bong Joonho and Actor Youn Yuhjung made very meaningful achievements to the entire Korean film industry. Both have been remarkable filmmakers since their debut, and they are already world-class movie people. I expect that more Korean filmmakers and actors will achieve global results in the future. I also hope In Front of Your Face can meet a lot of foreign audiences.

Q: After your musical and film debut in 1981, you have been acting for 40 years, showing strong characters and performances all the time. And I think it will be more meaningful to you in that you will once again emerge as an actor from 2021.

I've been lonely since I was little. I don't think I laughed until I was 12. Then I met movies, and watching them made me happy. Watching Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers, I dreamed of becoming an actor, and I made my dream come true. I still live pursuing my dreams. And I still want to be someone else’s dream, who still believes in dreams.

Q: Would you say hello to the audience abroad?

Please remember Actor Lee Hyeyeong in In Front of Your Face forever. And see you again.

Au revoir!