Actor Lee Byung-hun showcased his wit on the American late-night talk show.
Lee Byung-hun appeared as a guest on NBC’s ‘Late Night with Seth Meyers’ on the 14th (local time), where he discussed the short film ‘I Can’t Help It’ and the Netflix animated series ‘K-Pop Demon Hunters.’
During the show, Lee was greeted with applause and exchanged pleasantries with Seth Meyers. He joked, “I came straight to the studio from Los Angeles (LA) without even checking into a hotel. I brushed my teeth here,” adding, “But it’s fine. I’m still handsome,” which made everyone laugh.
Recalling his past connection with Director Park Chan-wook, he began, “I first worked with Director Park on ‘Joint Security Area’ (JSA), but I had met him even before that.”
Lee said, “Before filming ‘JSA,’ I was undergoing a screen test for another movie. Then an assistant director came to me and said someone was waiting outside. When I went out, there was a man with a ponytail holding a script. He was wearing a strange jacket, and I didn’t like that outfit. At that moment, I thought, ‘I shouldn’t be in that movie,’ and that’s what happened,” he laughed.
He continued, “A few years later, the director sent me another script, and it was ‘JSA.’ But the situation wasn’t hopeful. The director had two failed movies, and I had four. It was a hopeless meeting of a failed actor and a failed director, but the film set a new box office record,” which was met with applause.
Regarding his collaboration with Park Chan-wook to develop the character in ‘I Can’t Help It,’ he said, “I tend to ask a lot of questions about the story and character when working on a film. That’s necessary to convey it properly to the audience.”
He added, “Director Park gave me the nickname ‘Mr. Nag’—’Kochikochi’ in Korean.” Seth Meyers joked, “Is that why it took Park 25 years to work with you again?” which drew laughter.
Lee humorously remarked, “During ‘JSA,’ only one out of ten ideas I suggested was accepted, but this time, it feels like nine out of ten are accepted. It was nice, but also burdensome. If the movie failed, it would all be my fault. So, I stopped giving ideas at some point.”
