Actor Lee Min-jae (25) made a deep impression in his first leading role on screen.
The movie 'Boy in the Pool', which opens on the 14th, is a coming-of-age story about a girl named Seok-young who loves swimming and a boy named Woo-joo who has webbed feet. It is the debut feature film of rookie director Ryu Yeon-soo, with dance crew HOOK member Hyo-woo and rising actor Lee Min-jae playing Seok-young and Woo-joo, respectively.
Lee Min-jae made his debut in the 2018 film 'The Remaining Child'. He gained recognition through dramas 'Crash Course in Romance', 'Hide', and the film 'Before, Lan'. Recently, he played the role of Go Hyun-tak in the Netflix series 'Weak Hero Class 2'.
Lee Min-jae said, "I received the script and liked it as soon as I read it. The setting of having webbed feet was new and creative. I originally wanted to work on a project from the Kappa organization, so I appealed to the company. After meeting with the director and discussing it, I thought I wanted to do it. I have always liked the sensibilities of Japanese and Hong Kong films, and as soon as I saw the script, I could imagine that kind of imagery. After meeting the director, I was convinced that this movie would turn out well. He also told me that my image fits well with that of an athlete."
As he portrayed the boy with webbed feet, he explained, "I could empathize with Woo-joo's situation. I understood what kind of worries and thoughts Woo-joo had, and it was easy to express. However, Woo-joo's temperament is quite different from mine, which was a concern. In previous works, I tried to understand and accept everything as it was written in the script."
He continued, "The director assured me that he wanted to capture my private thoughts and how I am when I'm alone. So, I looked into what I am like when I'm by myself. I found that Woo-joo's temperament exists within me. I don't talk much, I have a lot of thoughts, and I don't express much, so I'm grateful that he discovered and captured that well."
Regarding playing a swimmer in the film, he said, "I didn't learn swimming professionally, but I got a scuba diving certification in middle school. So, I wasn't afraid of water and enjoyed swimming. When I heard I was going to be in this project, I tried to learn again, even if it was for a short time. I received a lot of compliments."
Lee Min-jae also shared, "The process of discussing things with the director was fun. My perspective on the script broadened through conversations with the director. At first, the director suggested we all go to an exhibition, and I wondered why such an activity was necessary, but it turned out to be different when I experienced it. I also did rehearsals and discovered expressions I didn't know about."
On taking on his first leading role on screen, he confessed, "I felt pressure, but I was able to let it go by watching the director and Hyo-woo. The director gave me confidence, so I trusted and followed him. He encouraged me to think more about the essence of Woo-joo." He added, "The child actors were also acting so well and were adorable. So, I thought I just needed to do well."
[Yang So-young, Star Today Reporter]
