[Individual interview] Lee Junyoung, star of the movie ”Brave Citizen”, plays the villain in consecutive films ”I wondered what to do when I had to play the villain again... but it became an opportunity to raise awareness” ”

The film "Brave Citizen," starring Shin Hye Sung and Lee Jun Young, will be released on Friday, January 17, 2025. The film is based on a highly acclaimed web comic in Korea, and is
This is an action comedy about the battle between a female boxing athlete who is a part-time teacher and her evil celebrity student. Ahead of the release of the film, we interviewed Lee JunYoung and asked him about his thoughts on playing the villain.
He answered questions about his impressions of filming with Lesher and Shin Hye Sung, and who Lee JunYoung's hero is.
Lee Junyoung has been steadily gaining recognition as an actor, having left a strong impression on viewers with his roles in "Deserter Hunter" and "Masked Girl."
However, he joined the project because he was attracted to the cathartic message of the film's morality and its message that "there is no justification for the villains."
He says that all the details, such as the way he sticks out his tongue when teasing someone, and the scene where he draws a face on the window in the convenience store scene, were all his ideas.
She said she felt pressured about playing a villain because of this. "I was actually planning to alternate between playing kind characters, but for some reason I kept playing villains (laughs).
). I was thinking, "What should I do, playing a villain again?" (laughs). But I think it turned out well. Of course there was pressure, but my acting was good.
I think it was great that everyone who watched it noticed those little details and it gave me an opportunity to raise awareness that I can do a lot of different things."
Regarding the pressure of being based on a popular web manga, he said that he didn't feel any pressure because he acted without reading the original manga.
He continued to work in that style until now. "Once I see the original work, I feel trapped in it, and I don't like that. I have a strong desire to create my own characters.
So..." he explained. The director, who had watched Lee JunYoung's acting up close, praised him, saying, "The face you see on screen is different from the face you make when you actually face him. I think he's a natural actor."
The look in his eyes was completely different from the usual sweet look in his eyes, and he completely transformed into a villain with evil eyes. Apparently, the director had told him to look evil in his eyes.
"The director looked at my eyes and told me that Junyoung has kind eyes, so I should make his eyes look evil. So I looked in the mirror and tried to make my eyes look evil.
I practiced with other people (laughs). I wondered what a bad eye looks like, and I spent a long time imagining different expressions like this (gestures looking in the mirror). The expression I had when I was angry.
I made it, and I thought it was good enough, so I asked the director, "What do you think of these eyes?" and he said, "Oh, it's good, it's good, keep going," so I kept doing that.
(laughs) At first, I wondered if I could do it, but as time passed, I was able to make a mean look, and people told me that it was good, but it scared me.
I thought I was getting used to being looked at. I was scared that there was a bad side to me. My manager, who I work with, told me, "You look a little mean in the eyes.
"I was so engrossed in the role that people around me said I looked mean, but playing a villain must have required mental care as well.
Apparently, he would control his mind by meditating for about 30 minutes while listening to slow ballad-like music.
Lee JunYoung not only did the facial expressions, but also 99.9% of the action scenes were done by himself.
When asked about his impressions of acting without a stand-in, he said, "It started out of desire. There was a stand-in, but I thought that the facial expressions that could be seen at each moment were important, so I wanted to do it myself."
"I said I'd do my best, but after a week I regretted it. It was just my own greed," he says, distorting his expression. Shin Hye Sung performs the action scenes while wearing a mask.
He was sometimes dissatisfied with the fact that the director was easy to use stand-ins, saying, "I was jealous (laughs). I asked the director, 'Why don't you have a mask for me?' (laughs)."
Looking back on his close-up action scenes, he said, "I thought it was a necessary part for me as an actor, so I'm glad I took on the challenge."
Regarding the action scenes, he trained with Shin Hye Sung for about three months.
"I've always done formal boxing, but I tried to look better by paying attention to the angles. It was hard (laughs). It was an experience I'd never had before.
When they asked me, 'Would you try again?' I was so scared... It was so tough that I lost all confidence. I got hurt a lot. I even punched the camera."
Regarding filming with Shin Hye Sung, she said, "She has a really nice personality and she's like a cool older sister. She always said, 'Junyoung, you did a great job.'
It was a very friendly atmosphere," he said. When asked about something that impressed him during filming, he replied, "The older sister was quite powerful...I was like, 'What? A man (stand-in)?
I once tried removing the mask. It was painful because the force was so strong, but
At the time of the break, I was like, "It's okay, there's no problem," and then when it was time for a break, I was like, "That hurt a little bit (laughs). Did I do something wrong?" (laughs)"
In this film, he takes on the role of a high school student in his late 20s. He said, "I felt sorry for him too (laughs). I have to go to the army soon, and I even thought to myself, 'This is it.'
"I thought, 'Maybe it won't work?' (laughs). I did it while thinking of myself as a high school student (laughs)," he said with a laugh.
As for her actual high school life, she spent her time as a backup dancer from a young age.
At the age of 17, she joined "U-KISS" and said, "I don't remember being in high school. I've been active in the entertainment industry since I was young, so I can't imagine what it was like when I was in high school."
"I played the role while thinking about my own actions," he said. In reference to the hero who helps the weak, we also asked Lee JunYoung who his hero is. He replied, "My father. I used to wonder why my father was always playing games.
What is the role of a father? I wondered about that, but as I grew older, I began to understand. I felt the power that a father has to protect his family.
At that moment, I realized how amazing fathers are. I wanted to become a man like that." The key phrase in the film is "If you do nothing, nothing will happen."
When asked what words are important to him, he answered, "Just go with the flow." "In the past, I thought it was important to be recognized in many places. If you're a celebrity, you have to be recognized.
I thought it was natural, but then I started to think that I am who I am. Why do I try so hard? I am who I am.
I feel grateful to those who are willing to be that, and conversely, I've come to think that it's fine for those who aren't."
He said that he started thinking this way as he met many different people in his teens. When I asked him about the new challenges he would like to take on, he replied, "Right now,
Up until then, I had set goals and worked hard to achieve them. I was trying too hard. I felt like I was pushing myself too hard without even reflecting on myself. But,
It's okay to do what you want to do. I decided to throw away my previous thoughts and try anything. I was a little tired. That's what I felt. From a year ago to now
"I'm grateful for my current situation, and I've come to want to do everything I want to do. I want to continue living like this until I'm forgiven," she said, her eyes shining straight ahead.
This interview was conducted when he came to Japan for a fan meeting. Although he has been to Japan many times, this was his first visit in a year and a half, so he talked about Japanese food.
"As soon as I arrived in Japan, I went to my favorite ramen restaurant and ate there. It had been a year and a half since my last visit, and I was so happy going around to different ramen restaurants.
When I come to Japan, I feel at ease. I have a lot of memories there. So I walked around the area where I used to live. When I walked around, I realized that I've become quite an old man.
(laughs). I used to be able to walk around 10 laps around the area where I used to live, but this time I only walked around twice and my knees started to hurt (laughs)."
Finally, when asked about the roles he would like to play in the future as an actor, he replied, "I get a lot of requests from my fans.
"I've been told that I'd like to do a dai-geki, so I'll do my best someday!" he said with a smile. "Brave Citizen" will be released nationwide from January 17, 2025 (Friday) at Shinjuku Piccadilly and other theaters.
STORY Seo Shimin is a female teacher who works part-time at a high school. The school is under attack by a student named Su-gan, the son of a wealthy family.
In order to win regular employment, the company avoids unnecessary trouble and pretends not to see it.
However, when Shimin found out that the bullying was spreading to students and their families, she hid her true identity behind a cat mask and stood in front of Su-gan and his gang.
He was a former boxing champion and a master of many martial arts, making him the strongest fighter. However, there was no way that the school's ruler, Sugan, would stay silent.
Original work: Kim Jong Hyun's "Brave Citizen" Director: Park Jin Pyo
Starring: Shin Hye Sung, Lee JunYoung, Park Jong Woo, Park Hyo
Kwon, Cha Chung-hwa Provided by: KADOKAWA K Plus, MOVIEWALKERPRESS KOREA Distributed by: KADOKAWA, KADOKAWA K Plus
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HP: https://yukan-na-shimin.jp X: @yukannashimin #BraveCitizen