”Escape” Lee Je Hoon's knee injury is not the only problem! ... He lost weight to 58kg and gave a passionate performance: ”I thought I would stop breathing, but I have no regrets”

Actor Lee Je Hoon pushed himself to the limit for "Escape." Lee Je Hoon, who always thinks only of the work and delivers passionate performances, once again puts his all into the movie "Escape."
The audience can feel his hardships and even feel sorry for him. He returned to the big screen for the first time in a long time since "The Tomb Raiders" was released in 2020, and through "Escape," he is able to make the most of his summer.
In a recent interview with Herald POP at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul, Lee Je Hoon said, "I'm looking forward to seeing more of these films in the future."
"I wonder if I can do this much?" he recalled. "Escape" is about a North Korean soldier, Gyu-nam, who is trying to escape in order to save the day, and his friend, who is chasing him to save the day.
The film depicts the life-risking pursuit of Hyun Sang, a military officer. Lee Je Hoon has been a fan of director Lee Jung Pil since he dreamed of becoming an actor, so he was excited when he received the offer.
"I was very happy when the director offered me the role. I had heard a lot about the director ever since I dreamed of becoming an actor.
He was a man who gave fresh shocks to people in the independent film scene with his original and unique works.
I had hoped we would have a chance to work together someday, and it was great to finally meet them."
Lee Je Hoon plays Lim Gyu-nam, a North Korean soldier who begins a breakaway to the future.
Im Gyu-nam, a sergeant in his later years who is about to be discharged after 10 years in a North Korean frontline unit near the military demarcation line, decides to leave North Korea, where he cannot choose his own life, even if he fails.
He is a man who has been preparing for a long time for his escape to the South, where he has the freedom to do what he wants, and who puts his life on the line to carry it out. In contrast, Lee Je Hoon has the energy to go straight for the real life.
In order to convey the story vividly, I ran until I was out of breath. My knees even hurt. "I thought hard about how I could best express the determination to never give up until the very end.
In order to show the appearance before the run, the camera was attached to the car and the act had to be performed while following it.
I couldn't keep up with the car with both feet, but I had a strong feeling that I had to keep up. It was the first time I felt so out of breath that I thought I might stop breathing.
It was reckless, but I believed that I could only convey it to the audience if I felt it myself. So I ran. There were many times when I was exhausted and collapsed on the floor."
He continued, "The scene at the end where we run after sunset was short, but we really did go back and forth a lot.
Everyone told me to stop because that was enough, but I wanted to dramatically express the freedom that Gyu Nam wanted, so I had the desire to run until the moment I almost stopped breathing," he said. "In the end, my outside right knee got worse.
When I went down the stairs, I couldn't bend my knee, so I went to the hospital and they told me it was because I had pushed myself too hard. I was saddened to hear the diagnosis that I should be more careful from now on.
However, when asked if he would do it again if such a moment were to come, it seems that he would have to do it.
Even now, I have to hold on to the handrail when I come down from a high place, but I think it shows my sincerity.
I have no regrets." Above all, Lee Je Hoon made Im Gyu Nam restrict his diet more than he has in any other production so far in order to portray an exhausted character.
I lost weight to 58-60kg. "I thought it would be fine if I was skinny from the beginning. But as time went on, I wanted to look even slimmer, so I started restricting myself on what I ate. Lunch
, When dinner time came, I had to turn my back on the rice truck, which was painful and hard, but I should have done it. I lived with protein shakes.
I'm in my mid-60s now, but at the time I weighed around 58 to 60 kg. I can easily eat ice cream or sweets, but when I see something in front of me,
I even had to ignore what was there. I restricted myself more than I have with any other work. It was very difficult, but I thought it would be difficult to express myself otherwise.
I pushed myself to the limit, like it was a method that wasn't a method. I worked so hard that I can't do it again now."
Not only that, Lee Je Hoon also added tanned white skin and freckles to his face, creating an overall realistic look.
"I have very fair skin, so I worked hard on my tan. I liked it even more because I was able to maximize Gyu-nam's exhausted and worn-out appearance after serving in the military with my costume.
I didn't need to look in the mirror to see if I was okay. I actually thought I looked pretty, so I asked them to make me ugly," he said with a smile.
Lee Je Hoon went through a lot of hardships with "Escape," but he continues to work hard without resting. He says that he gets strength from meeting good projects and shooting them.
It's clear why he continues to be loved by the public. "I often want to take a break or go on a trip far away and have fun, but if there is a good project, I will film it.
It seems like that. If you do that, you'll have the strength to forget about rest and keep going. I think it's a blessing to be able to come across and shoot good work.
I understand that it is not easy to create new content these days.
I feel even more strongly how important it is to be able to film every day. I think I'll keep running rather than resting from now on," he said with a laugh.