Lee Young-ae’s First Play in 32 Years: ‘A Scary, Fun, Happy Challenge’
May 13, 2025
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Lee Young-ae met with Sports Chosun at the LG Art Center in Gangseo-gu, Seoul on the afternoon of the 13th and interviewed the play 'Hedda Gabler'. Lee Young-ae said on this day, `I haven't played in decades, so I won't be full at first drink. Nevertheless, thank you for your interest. I've only done five episodes so far, so I'm working hard until the end and trying to show you a new side whenever you come."
Lee Young-ae said that she was receiving favorable reviews for her acting, "On the one hand, I think there were more concerns than expectations for me." I wonder if you liked it because there were many concerns and didn't expect it. It's been a few decades since we've performed on stage, and it's not small. I think I was able to do it because the people who worked with me on the big stage were great and they became big pillars and received me well. As the episode goes on, it becomes a little more natural, and as I feel the audience's reaction to how to use the stage, I feel like I have the room to build a little more character in positioning or acting. Some fans came to see it four or five times, and `Lee Young-ae did this last time, but today she did it like she was singing. I liked the rhymeThey also said '. Sometimes I try singing, sometimes I try stronger, sometimes I try to paint my nail polish red, and sometimes I try to make my makeup a little darker to find the space to enjoy the performance."
It is the first return to the play in 32 years. Lee Young-ae's unconventional choice, which has shown various acting in movies and dramas, surprised many. Lee Young-ae is "It seems to be a relationship. You don't have to do it just because you want to do it, you have to have the right timing, and there are many things, but 'Hedda Gabler' was well timed. Another is that Professor Kim Mi-hye (adviser professor at Hanyang University), a university teacher, fully translated Ibsen's work for more than 10 years and received a medal in Norway to talk about what to do, where she said she would do 'heda Gabler'. Hedda is not just focusing on women, but she is a person with a variety of appearances and can show a variety of colors, not just one color that the actor has. I thought about how to solve it in a friendly way and talked about it. Professor Kim Mi-hye asked me to go see 'Cherry Blossom Garden' last year, so I met the head of LG Art Center, and the stage was so good that it was brave to be ignorant, and it was just that the timing of 'Eun-soo's good day' ended, so I rattled 'It must be good time' I was worried about it for about a month, but I think it was right timing with various surroundings.
The play that was challenged was not just a pleasant work. He had been working on various things, but he felt afraid of the one-time performance of burning everything down in the time he was on stage. Lee Young-ae said "It was physically difficult. I think I lost about 3-4 kilograms. I tried a lot to strengthen my stamina, but I chose it because I liked it, so I can't blame anyone and I think it's a happy dietWhile acting, I dreamed of forgetting the lines and of the audience leaving the theater. And then 'Youngae, you can't do that' That's what happened. I thought it was real. I'm sweating in my dreams. I hope this is a dreamHe cried his eyes out. But that was my dream. I got up again and held a book, but I canceled all my appointments and felt that I thought it was too easy. Wherever I go, everyone says 'Isn't it too hard?' but it's too hard. But it's so much fun," he said with a smile.
We have performed five times so far, and now we are enjoying it. Lee Young-ae said "At first, 'reality' came. His vocalization was so different from other theater actors. So I called my playmate at that time and said, 'I'm in trouble. I heard about vocalization, skills, and technical skills, saying, "Look at me. What should I do?" 'They said, 'You need something like this on the stage.' Talented actors such as Kim Jung-ho, Lee Seung-joo, and Baek Ji-won in the play also taught me well, helped me, and instilled confidence. Thanks to them, I learned little by little. Actually, you can't change my voice. What can I do about being born with it. So, when I play, I tried to do so by controlling the difference in rhythm, speed, and tone in a high and low way, and I am trying to find a space so that I can enjoy it in it."
'Hedda Gabler' is a play produced by the LG Art Center to commemorate the 25th anniversary of its opening, and will be on stage from the 7th to June 8th. 'Hedda Gabler' is Lee Young-ae's first return to the theater in 32 years, and a new production play by LG Arts Center after 'Cherry Garden' in 2024. Written by world-renowned playwright Henrik Ibsen, 'Hedda Gabler' is a classic masterpiece that persistently penetrates the inner world of a woman who yearns for freedom in a time of oppression. The main character Hedda is a complex character with a beautiful, cynical, intelligent, and destructive personality, and Lee Young-ae is drawing an unconventional Hedda while continuing Hedda's lineage.
lunamoon@sportschosun.com
