Although it was a special appearance, Lee Dong-wook's presence in the movie 'Harbin' (directed by Woo Min-ho) was significant.
In the film, which is approaching 4 million viewers, he plays the role of independence fighter Lee Chang-seob, who ideologically opposes Ahn Jung-geun (played by Hyun Bin). He expressed gratitude, saying, "Thank you for adding 'and Lee Dong-wook'."
Meeting him at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul on the 6th, he said, "I didn't think of it as a special appearance; I just wanted to fully realize the role given to me," and added, "It's a great experience to be part of such a big project, but I don't want to be trapped in the logic that 'big actors do big works, and small actors do dramas'."
From the audience's perspective, his rugged face felt fresh, but it seems it was different from the acting perspective as well. "I usually improvise a lot and change lines a bit in other works, but I didn't have the courage to do that in this one," he reflected. "Since there were real people who actually lived, I didn't want to show them in a caricatured way, so I approached it seriously."
He mentioned that his participation in 'Harbin' was an easy decision because it was a call from director Woo Min-ho.
"The director had seen almost all the dramas I had done. He mentioned that my role in 'Hell is Other People' was a new look and left a strong impression on him. Since he saw a different side of me, he probably thought, 'Lee Dong-wook could play the role of Lee Chang-seob.' During filming, he didn't give me a grand premise like 'Lee Chang-seob should be like this.' He just said he hoped it would be a bit serious, bold, and not looking back. It was also a contrast to Ahn Jung-geun, and the overall mood of the film was like that."
He also mentioned that working on this project was enjoyable because it contrasted with the 'fantasy' image that comes to mind when thinking of Lee Dong-wook. "Challenging a new character itself is enjoyable and makes me happy," he said, adding with a laugh, "I didn't feel burdened by my rugged face, but I did worry, 'What if my beard looks fake?'"
"'Gumiho: Tale of the Fox' overlapped a bit in filming, and during that time, I dyed my hair three times in two weeks. Since I had to switch between fantasy and reality, I thought, 'This is a bit overwhelming; if I had even a week, I could have stepped out of the character.' So, in the last month, I actually grew my beard and enhanced it with makeup. (laughs)"
'Harbin' depicts the breathless pursuit and suspicion between those heading to Harbin for a single purpose and those chasing them in 1909. The character Lee Chang-seob, played by Lee Dong-wook, is a fictional character, but he shares a painful independence movement journey with Hyun Bin's Ahn Jung-geun.
He expressed curiosity about what it would be like to work with Hyun Bin, saying, "He was very serious, perhaps because of the weight of the role. He had leadership qualities, and just watching him made me feel secure."
He recalled the thrilling memory of improvising a scene with Hyun Bin, saying, "It was a scene we jumped into without discussing it, so I felt like 'whatever will be, will be,' but the eye contact and breathing between us were very good. It was a scene that didn't require words, and director Woo Min-ho was also pleased with it. It felt like we were showing the warriors of Lee Chang-seob and Ahn Jung-geun, as well as their friendship and solid trust in each other."
'Harbin' was filmed over six months in Mongolia, Latvia, and Korea. Cinematographer Hong Kyung-pyo, known for 'Parasite,' 'Snowpiercer,' and 'The Wailing,' contributed to the film's overwhelming visual beauty. It was the first Korean film to shoot major sequences, including battle scenes, using the Arri Alexa 65 camera, which was also used in the 'Dune' series and 'Furiosa: Mad Max Saga.'
Lee Dong-wook identified the "Mongolian scene" as one of the highlights of the film.
"Even though I saw the Mongolian scene on a small monitor, I was like, 'Wow.' I've watched the movie four times; once in the rough cut room and the second time at the Toronto Film Festival, and I was overwhelmed. I felt that it was worthwhile to go all the way to Mongolia to shoot. It rarely snows in the desert area, but it snowed when our team went to shoot... The sequence heading to Mongolia was truly a highlight."
However, Lee Dong-wook pointed out, "It might feel dull, but the effort to remain calm was the charm of this work."
He said, "It's a story we all know, but it was portrayed as calmly as possible without being dramatically flashy," adding, "If it had been a different choice, I would have filmed the assassination scene of Ito with a lot of catharsis."
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In this interview, Lee Dong-wook openly shared his thoughts on the film's release coinciding with the impeachment of President Yoon Suk-yeol. "It's truly strange and unfortunate that the film coincides with this situation," he mentioned, referring to a line from the film.
He said, "In the movie, Ito Hirobumi says, 'Joseon is a country ruled by foolish kings and corrupt scholars, but it will overcome with the power of the people.' One of his subordinates also said, 'There was Admiral Yi Sun-sin 300 years ago, but now there are no such heroes.' The Imjin War was almost 500 years ago, and even 150 years ago when Ito Hirobumi was around, it's sad that history repeats itself," he said.
He expressed hope, saying, "It's a sad story that the people have the strength or DNA to overcome, but I hope the country can normalize and overcome."
Having recently supported fans who participated in protests urging the president's impeachment, he responded to the question of whether he felt burdened, saying, "Rather than feeling burdened, I just wanted to support the fans who were literally going to the rally." He added, "Since I can't be there beside them, I wanted to say, 'Hang in there.' I think many of my colleagues feel similarly."
Lee Dong-wook, who donated 50 million won to support the victims of the Jeju Air passenger plane disaster that occurred at Muan International Airport last weekend, revealed the hidden meaning behind his donation, saying, "I intentionally timed it to coincide with January 4." He explained, "Since it was the last day of the mourning period, I thought that once this period passed, the meaning of mourning would fade, so I hoped that more people would be reminded of it at least once."
'Harbin' holds special significance as it is released in commemoration of the 80th anniversary of Korea's liberation this year. He expressed his hope that it would be an opportunity for the public to reflect on the meaning of independence and liberation, recalling conversations he had with the director and fellow actors on set.
“I can't even imagine it. What kind of mindset did they have to throw themselves into this, risking their lives to save the country? What was I doing in my early 20s? It's hard to gauge... I think we often talked about this. The world has changed, but it sometimes feels like it hasn't changed at all. I hope it will be an opportunity for many viewers to reflect on the meaning of the independence movement and liberation. I hope that by the 100th anniversary of liberation, it will be a better country to live in.”
