Busy actor Lee Sung-min has spent a third of his life in character

Actor Lee Sung-min / Courtesy of Acemaker Movieworks

Lee plays old man seeking revenge in new film "Remember"

By Kwak Yeon-soo

Lee Sung-min is among the most diligent actors in the entertainment industry. Not only does he play lead roles, but makes frequent guest appearances in various films and television series.

This summer he made cameo appearance on Lee Jung-jae's directorial debut film, "Hunt," and Netflix series "Narco-Saints." This month he plays a man in his 80s suffering from dementia looking for belated revenge in crime action film "Remember." He has more projects already under his belt ― Disney+'s "Shadow Detective" and JTBC's "Reborn Rich."

"I can't say no to people. I spend long periods of time pretending to be somebody else, so I feel emotionally comfortable when acting. As long as it doesn't ruin my career, I am willing to help out fellow directors," he said during an interview with The Korea Times at a cafe in Seoul, Monday.

Lee said it is important for him to work with the director who he trusts.

"I genuinely believe that in a film, a director's role is more important than actors. I have worked with director Lee Il-hyung twice because he inspires me on what I could add into the scenes and knows how to extract my best performance. We enjoy working together," he said. "Whenever I feel like, 'This looks like an intriguing character,' I choose that project."

Lee is well known for his bromance roles. "Yeah, I'm well-suited for portraying bromance, not romance," he laughed. In "Remember," he and Nam Joo-hyuk forge a close bond, saving each other from danger while going on a journey of revenge together.

Their friendship off-screen has made portraying this more realistic. "Nam and I worked well together, and we worked hard on creating this deep relationship between Pil-joo (Lee) and In-kyu (Nam)," he said.

He praised Nam for portraying an ordinary man in his 20s. "Although Nam stands out physically because he is tall and handsome, he did a great job in portraying an average guy in his 20s. Nam's role is important in our film because most audience would follow In-kyu's point of view. His role helps convince the audience of where Pil-joo is heading," he said.

Actor Lee Sung-min, right, in a scene from the film "Remember" / Courtesy of Acemaker Movieworks

In the film, Pil-joo uses Millennial-esque language, with slang and newly coined words.

"Until a few years ago, I wasn't familiar with new terms like 'inssa' (which refers to those who are social and active). But I learned such vocabulary after appearing in TV shows. My teenage daughter also taught me some words," he said.

"But the ugly truth about getting old is that you become hesitant about absorbing new things. I know that's bad for an actor, but I can't help it," he added.

Lee said he hopes the film bridges generational gaps in Korean society.

"Our film is about an old man and a young man going on a journey together. I hope the audience relate to the characters in the film and find a way to live in harmony together ― respect older people and embrace younger people," he said.

He went on to talk about working with actors who are far more experienced than him. "The antagonists in our film are portrayed by veteran actors such as Park Geun-hyung and Song Young-chang. It was fun listening to their film shooting experiences from back in the old days," he said.

However, Lee remained cautious about its anti-Japanese theme. In the film, Pil-joo, who lost his family during Japan's colonial rule of Korea (1910-45), goes in search of vengeance against pro-Japan collaborators, who he believes were responsible for the death of his family 60 years ago.

"I was a bit worried that the audience would say they are tired of watching films that contain anti-Japanese messages," he said. "To be honest, I didn't star in the film because I had some sort of historic responsibility. I just want people to see it as one man carrying out murders to take revenge for the killing of his beloved family."

Actors Lee Sung-min, left, and Nam Joo-hyuk in a scene from the film "Remember" / Courtesy of Acemaker Movieworks

He talked about undergoing hours of makeup each day on set to transform himself into a man in his 80s.

"I don't have many wrinkles, so creating them by makeup was challenging. I intentionally frowned a lot, maintained a crooked position and talked in a raspy voice while shooting. In the end, I got cervical disc problems," he said.

His efforts are displayed in the film, and Lee said he was satisfied with his transformation. "I think filmmaking should be tough and relentless. I normally don't get emotional when watching myself on the big screen, but I teared up a little bit," he said.

Asked about one last thing he wants to remember before all memory is lost, Lee said, "The fact that I was an actor. I barely take a break in between acting gigs. I think I have spent about one third of my life pretending to be somebody else. Some say I need to empty myself before taking on another role, but for me, meeting a new character feels like a break."

"Remember" hits local theaters, Oct. 26.