Following our previous interview, Lee Hyo-je of the Netflix series ‘Girigo’ has opened up about the spooky aftereffects he experienced while filming the horror series.
Reflecting on his performance in ‘Girigo,’ Lee Hyo-je gave himself a 9 out of 10. “I feel I did my best in the moment, so I’d give myself a 9. The remaining 1 point is the lingering regret I feel now. It’s natural to feel that way looking back, but I don’t regret it because I gave it my all at the time,” he shared.
He also expressed gratitude to Director Park Yoon-seo. “Whenever I saw the director, he’d joke, “Hyeong-uk just needs to gain some weight.” Being offered the role of Hyeong-uk gave me a chance to transform my image, and thanks to that, I think a convincing character was born,” he said.
Lee Hyo-je revealed that he put a lot of thought into bridging the gap between Hyeong-uk’s personality and his own.
He explained, “Of course, there are some similar innate traits. However, unlike Hyeong-uk, I am more of a quiet and cautious person. Hyeong-uk is a character who doesn’t care much about others’ opinions and has a bubbly charm, so narrowing that difference was a challenge for me.”
He continued, “I spent two months of preparation thinking about the kinds of actions and hobbies Hyeong-uk would have, and I tried to live like him. I even wondered, “What foods would Hyeong-uk like?” Thanks to that, I was able to fully immerse myself in the role.”
When asked if he usually watches horror, he replied, “I’ve never been one to seek out horror movies. So, rather than watching horror for the sake of filming, I looked for works that suited the character. I searched for other actors or characters who shared a similar personality to mine.”
He added, “I watched movies to gather references, and since Hyeong-uk’s innocence felt important, I focused on comedy movies to capture that side of him.”
Did he experience the “over-immersion” aftereffects that actors in horror projects often face?
Lee Hyo-je confessed, “While filming, my energy became weak, and I even experienced sleep paralysis. After filming ended, I put effort into shedding the character. I was immersed during the shoot, but I tried to wash it all away immediately after the project finished.”
However, he added, “What still remains is Hyeong-uk’s frivolous laugh. For a while, people around me were asking, “Did you always laugh like this?””
He also shared his satisfaction with working alongside actors of a similar age.
Recalling those times, he said, “The chemistry with actors my own age was definitely great. This was my first time filming with peers since becoming an adult.”
Regarding the teamwork in ‘Girigo,’ he noted, “It had a different charm compared to filming with seniors. The director also told us that he hoped the five of us would become very close. So, we met privately often and got along well.”
He expressed his gratitude, saying, “Everyone was so passionate, and you could see the strength in their eyes. Because we were all so deeply immersed, it created a natural synergy just by looking at each other.”
He also shared a heartwarming update about meeting Baek Sun-ho, who recently took a leave from his military service. “He knows about the show’s success even inside the military. We congratulated each other and talked about whether we were enjoying the series,” he shared.
