Actor Lee Dong-hwi opened up about method acting.
On March 13, a press screening for Method Acting was held at Megabox COEX in Gangnam, Seoul. Lee Dong-hwi attended with co-stars Yoon Kyung-ho and Kang Chan-hee, as well as director Lee Ki-hyuk.
Directed by Lee Ki-hyuk, Method Acting follows a comic who, tired of being typecast, plunges so deeply into a role that he hopes to be taken seriously. Expanded from a short of the same name, the feature reunites Lee and director Lee for an often meta comedy about obsessive immersion.
In the film, Lee plays a fictionalized version of himself. The premise—blurring reality and fiction—drives a witty, unexpected narrative.
When asked whether playing himself raised the stakes, Lee said the team intentionally avoided inventing a fictional persona or assigning a specific profession. \"We started from me as an individual and wanted to explore creativity from there,\" he explained.
He admitted the process was harder than he expected. \"I wrestled with how much of myself to show and what to leave out,\" Lee said. \"At one point I thought I would never play myself again. After this project, I doubt I'll take on a role as myself anymore.\"
He also discussed how the character took shape. \"I thought it would be easy at first, but I found myself deeply immersed in the role of 'Lee Dong-hwi,'\" he said. \"With a lot of guidance and support from the director and senior actor Yoon Kyung-ho, the character ultimately became a fully realized creation.\"
Lee added that working with Yoon was something he'd been eager to do. \"Since our last project, I've wanted to do more scenes with him. He's an actor I hope to reunite with on screen—someone I want to spar with passionately,\" he said.
Method Acting opens March 18.
Ten Asia reporter Kim Se-ah (haesmik@tenasia.co.kr)
