Actor Lee Jong-won’s immersion in the movie ‘Salmokji’ was deeper than anyone expected. The intensity of his experience was evident through the nightmares that began even before filming started.
According to the Korean Film Council’s integrated ticket network on the 3rd, ‘Salmokji’ has officially surpassed 2.6 million cumulative viewers!
In a recent interview, Lee Jong-won revealed, “I had a nightmare the very first day I read the script. I think it was because I was so immersed in the story and my imagination just ran wild.” He added, “While filming, I didn’t really have time to feel scared, but after watching the final movie, those memories came back vividly, and it was actually terrifying.”
The nightmare he described was quite specific. Lee Jong-won shared, “In the dream, my car wouldn’t move, so I looked underneath and saw a person’s face. When I turned around, there was a female figure standing there. It was so vivid that I woke up in total shock.”
The actual filming environment only added to the creepiness. He explained, “Because it was a wetland, everything was damp and muddy, and the trees grew in these grotesque ways since they were untouched by humans. When I was swimming in the reservoir, I felt unknown things brushing against my legs, which felt just like the scenes in the movie.”
Despite the scares, Lee Jong-won found the charm in the horror genre. “I think the appeal of horror movies is that feeling of wanting to watch it even though you’re scared,” he said. “Through this project, I’ve grown closer to horror content, and if I find another project that’s intuitively interesting, I’d be open to challenging it again.”
His biggest focus for this role was “naturalness.” He explained, “As an actor, the best compliment I can receive is being told my acting feels natural. I wanted to create a character that felt real, so I checked everything from my walking style down to the movement of a single finger with the director.” He added, “Movies allow for more free expression, so it felt like the director and I were crafting the character stitch by stitch.”
Wrapping up, Lee Jong-won expressed his love for the film, saying, “I think this will be the kind of movie people turn to when they want to relieve stress. There’s also a lot of fun in discovering new elements like the sound and visuals.”
