Thursday 25 February 2016

Lee Joon Gi: ALLURE KOREA Interview March 2016





ADDICTED
TO
LEE JOON GI





  


LEE JOON GI FEVER




















Lee Joon Gi, Korea’s top actor and most talented star, has always been at the centre of media attention, beginning with his 2005 blockbuster Korean movie, ‘The King and the Clown’ success which earned 74.74 million USD. Since then, with drama, film and other entertainment work done at a punishing pace, his addicted fandom all over the world has grown exponentially.

Lee Joon Gi has reached the pinnacle of success, being in great demand for Korean TV dramas and international movies. He is the most in demand Korean actor at the moment, and has recently become the image and ambassador for Ritz-Carlton, Seoul. He also has a role in the sixth installment of Resident Evil: Final Chapter which will premiere on 27 January 2017. His joint Chinese-Korean movie, 'Begin Again' or 'Love In Sicily' is set to open soon. At present, he is busy shooting his new Chinese-inspired drama, ‘Moon Lovers’ or ‘Scarlet Heart: Ryeo', the first Korean-US collaborative project, which will be broadcast in September this year.

Lee has always been at the forefront of celebrity news, being a hot choice for magazine covers and interviews, and last year was no different when he appeared in a slew of TV interviews and magazines.

And this year, the creative and marketing personnel of ‘Allure’ Korea magazine had arranged for a special interview with Lee Joon Gi. With wicked calculation, they have successfully engineered an amazingly classy, stunningly stylish and ruggedly sexy image of Lee Joon Gi in their March issue. His image, an attractive, tough, bad boy image, is aimed at setting the female hearts aflutter and aflame, and sending droves of females swooning, or perhaps, beating a path to his door.

In the series of photographs above, in particular, the first one, Lee Joon Gi presents a casual, rugged but sexy look. He is wearing a high-end, high quality black (navy), long sleeve, leather jacket with big flared lapels. There is a unique three-dimensional gold marijuana applique emblazoned on the back of the jacket. The spotlighted applique with embellished details on the seven blades of the marijuana leaf is unmistakable; it is definitely not the image of the Japanese maple leaf. It stands out clearly, being in stark contrast to the black jacket. Lee is wearing a red and white checked slim-fit shirt under the jacket.

Lee’s hair is cleverly styled in a tousled wave.

Ah, the black leather jacket, with the zippers and the metal studs, and the marijuana leaf symbol, has a bad boy vibe and at the same time, projects a tough guy appeal. Marijuana, has often been associated with the Jamaican singer and songwriter, Bob Marley, and the marijuana leaf motif could be interpreted as a sign of rebellion.

Undoubtedly, Lee Joon Gi looks incredibly handsome, masculine and sexy. He works his magic on everyone. His three-quarters profile is shown to great effect, as he looks ‘alluring’ and ‘seductive’, staring intensely at the reader of the magazine. His unique Phoenix eyes, Patrician nose and Cupid-Bow lips seem to taunt whoever has decided to study the picture. A slight smile lifts the corners of his lips.

As a matter of fact, Lee Joon Gi’s very perfect image actually screams ‘Addiction’ by association with the marijuana leaf which is a symbol of addiction.

Allure Korea must have wanted its readers to see this facet of Lee Joon Gi’s life.

Let us, then, welcome the analogy of ‘Allure Korea’, comparing Lee Joon Gi to marijuana. If the writer’s interpretation is not wrong, the argument probably flows in this way.

‘Marijuana makes things funnier and brighter, medically speaking. Marijuana elevates one’s entire mood. Some might argue that if laughter is the best medicine and if the partaking of marijuana makes one laugh and be merry, then, marijuana is the best medicine. The logic then follows that, if watching the lively, interesting and entertaining Lee Joon Gi results in laughter or joy, so, Lee, like marijuana, should be the best medicine for people's lives. And, that is why Lee Joon Gi's fans are addicted.’

If looks are everything, this is the image that would make females swoon and hanker after Lee Joon Gi. Before long, more addicted females would be pounding on his door. 

The look is sensational. No doubt about it. This is an image of a celebrity with addicted worshippers, that only a star of Lee’s stature and fame, dares to project and carry off successfully. But, there is no reason to doubt that he is courting controversy because Lee Joon Gi has an impeccable and a clean image.

Is Lee addictive? He certainly is but addiction to Lee Joon Gi has no expiration date. However, don’t ever do anything illegal, like consuming marijuana!













SCORCHING HOT:
THE TEMPERATURE HAS RISEN






A heat wave has swept over us. The temperature has risen. Who has raised the temperature? The question needs no answer.

In the ‘Allure’ photograph above, Lee Joon Gi looks hotter than ever in his cool, casual ensemble. In this photograph, Lee seems to have loosened his tie to show empathy with the females. He seems to have understood that whoever is looking at him is literally hot under the collar.

Lee strikes a pose in a slim black suit, his pair of trousers is held up by suspenders with metal clips. It is worn with a white shirt which is accessorised with a navy and white polka dot patterned tie and is teamed with matching white shoes. The polka dot tie looks sharp with the suit.

Fans know that Lee Joon Gi is 5 foot 10. He has shed some weight and has kept himself in shape with his lean looks, probably preparing for his new drama, ‘Scarlet Heart: Ryeo’. He is photographed in such a way, that his broad masculine shoulders taper into his slim, long, athletic legs that seem to go on forever. The effect is amplified because of the colour of his suit. Black, a classy colour, has a slimming effect.

In the picture, the black and white contrast is heart-stopping. Lee favours us with his seductive sidelong glance, showing us the art of stylish nonchalance.

A warning to all addicted fans: Don’t place your face too near the magazine or the computer. Be very, very careful, the heat is so scorching that there might not be any ashes left! 

And, don’t stop breathing either!






*ALLURE KOREA MARCH 2016 INTERVIEW

(in Korean)

(Translated: English)

Translated by elly@JGfamily