MARIE CLAIRE
THE OTHER HALF
BONG SANG
PIL
AND
HA JAE YI
THE OTHER HALF
MARIE CLAIRE THE OTHER HALF
BONG
SANG PIL
AND
HA
JAE YI
Lee Joon Gi: Mesmerising
Eyes
  
Jaw-dropping animation. Bong
Sang Pil and Ha Jae Yi.
Seo Yea Ji’s face remains
still. Lee Joon Gi raises his face to meet hers. It is stupendous. It is a
perfect fit. ‘The Other Half’ comes to mind. A match made in heaven.
The beginning of Marie
Claire’s video makes such a tremendous impact on the viewer. Mesmerising. An
unusual and wildly imaginative concept. One couldn’t imagine how Marie
Claire’s creative team came up with the concept of merging Bong Sang Pil (Lee
Joon Gi) and Ha Jae Yi’s (Seo Yea Ji) faces.
  
Lee Joon Gi and Seo Yea Ji worked with Marie Claire to promote their legal-action-thriller drama in the editorial spread.
 
Lee Joon Gi plays Bong Sang
Pil, a bad boy lawless lawyer, and Seo Yea Ji plays Ha Jae Yi, an equally bad
girl. Theirs is an equal partnership. Bong Sang Pil opens his Lawless Law
Firm and Ha Jae Yi joins as his partner. They are each other’s other half. There
is a romantic relationship between them. Perhaps, a tempestuous one until
they get to know each other.
The Marie Claire creative
team have faithfully kept to the romantic theme as well as the female power
theme of Lawless Lawyer in their editorial spread.
If one were to study the
face shape of the two actors, one could discern that Lee Joon Gi’s face is
bigger than that of Seo Yea Ji’s but Marie Claire’s team have artistically
and successfully merged the faces. Kudos to them for their creativity. Such
stupendous imagination!
Marie Claire certainly
makes us think again about their perfect pairing - a dream partnership in
Lawless Lawyer!
ROMANCE AND POWER
IN
LAWLESS LAWYER
  Awake or asleep, Bong Sang Pil thinks of Ha Jae Yi.    
Hae Jae Yi, the feminist. Strong.
Forceful. Angry. She is confident of her capability and competence and values
her independence. She believes in gender equality and female empowerment.
Lolling in her seat, Ha Jae
Yi projects the independent look of a woman who believes in the equality of
the sexes.
She is dressed in an
unusual, oversized pale-brown pant suit.
A super long, loose-fit blazer
with big lapels, and loose sleeves. The overlapping front flap of the blazer is
crushed and pinned down with a column of three huge buttons.
The blazer is teamed with a
pair of voluminous trousers with a long pleat on each flared pant leg.
A misconception is that loose
trousers would look baggy.
No doubt, it is unconventional but surprise, it’s current. A fashion statement; it is a piece of empowering clothing with a slight feminine touch - pleats. The power suit makes Ha Jae Yi feel powerful, fashionable and fabulous.
A
CAT-AND-MOUSE
GAME
In the picture above, is
there a mouse hole in the wall?
Is Marie Claire declaring
that Ha Jae Yi is Jerry, the Mouse in the ‘Tom and Jerry’ cartoon short films?
So, does it mean that Ha
Jae Yi takes delight in besting and antagonizing Bong Sang Pil, the Cat in a
never-ending contest?
But, the Mouse must remember
to never mess with the Cat. The Cat has character and a seductive purr. He
can also pounce like a predator. Don’t argue with the Cat. He might set a
mouse trap! (But, is Bong Sang Pil not a big cat – a lion?)
However, in the end, Tom
and Jerry would be best friends and have a good amount of mutual respect for
each other.
DOG AND CAT
But, come to think of it - aren’t
they always fighting like cats and dogs? Are they not the Dog and the Cat,
rather than the Cat and the Mouse?
THE MARK OF
THE ALPHA MALE
Bong Sang Pil is a powerful
Alpha male. The lawless lawyer obviously has a bad boy image. Bong is
confident, competitive, masculine, dominant but reckless. Life, to him, is a
competition. He is loud and vocal but is calm under pressure. The sexy lawyer
has swagger; he is in top physical condition.
What makes Bong Sang Pil stand
out is he does not subscribe to the herd mentality; he is a non-conformist.
In the Marie Claire image,
Bong Sang Pil reinforces our perception about him and his dominance over Ha Jae Yi who is sitting
on the couch.
Bong has positioned himself
in a ‘power pose’. Standing with feet apart and with his hand placed
confidently on her shoulder, he assumes control and dominance over her.
 
Bong Sang Pil looks the
part of a non-conformist Alpha male. Remember, he’s the lawyer who would beat
the crap out of every unlucky guy.
Breaking fashion rules. He
creates a style that is all his own. No rigid, formal or polished looks here. The
look shows the protest of the unruly lawless lawyer.
A casual unbuttoned look. A
departure from the norm.
The rough and tough man
wears a long and loose dark-grey double-breasted jacket with all the buttons
undone.
The button on the collar of
his white shirt is also undone. An unusual square end white tie pops out of
the unbuttoned collar.
The sleeves of his white shirt
with those of his suit jacket are rolled up.
Rebelliousness. His pair of
colourful check trousers completes the look of nonconformity to stereotypes.
Displaying a good measure
of savvy and confidence, Bong Sang Pil exerts a strong presence; he looks sexy
and stylish. A trendsetter.
A fascinating skirt suit
for the Alpha lady. The powerful female wears a loose light-grey skirt suit; a
combination of an oversized check jacket with loose sleeves teamed with a long
check skirt.
However, the plunging
V-shaped neckline of her inner black garment boldly proclaims her femininity.
But, she is not your garden variety female nor the classic ladylike type; she
is a fashionable feminist.
Bong Sang Pil and Ha Jae
Yi. A dynamic pair in a chance encounter, each confident in their powerful abilities.
The two lawyers smell and sniff each other, then gravitate towards each
other. They get physical.
 
Feuds. A cat and a mouse
with their own powerful traits. Their different traits invite conflict and
esteem in equal measure. Opposites attract. But, do their similarities repel?
They have something in common - their sense of power.
Two different animals. Bong
Sang Pil and Ha Jae Yi. Fighting like Tom and Jerry. Or, fighting like cats
and dogs.
Ha Jae Yi stays in the shadows, waiting for Bong Sang Pil, the reckless bad boy, to make his move.
 
Bong Sang Pil’s powerful Alpha body language. Steamy. He struts his stuff. Like a big cat, Lion Bong Sang Pil puffs out his chest and tilts his head in an alluring manner. He smoulders and oozes sex appeal. The really hot, sexy and intense Bong is unafraid to show his masculine charms.
    
Framed in black, the gorgeous Bong Sang Pil turns his face slowly and seductively and stares silently at the audience. He unleashes his sexiness. But before he turns to go, he looks lovingly over his shoulders.
     
One can hardly imagine how the
partnership between Bong Sang Pil and Ha Jae Yi would end in Lawless Lawyer. But, one is convinced that they
are fated to be together; they are each other’s perfect ‘Other Half’.
Viewers can’t wait for
Lawless Lawyer to begin. With the release of so many thrilling teasers about
the sexy and athletic Lawless Lawyer, the drama is predicted to be a stupendous
success.
Bong Sang Pil has already
become the latest obsession of the viewers. The Internet is rife with fans and members of the media who seem to be on fire; they are churning out news and articles by the thousand or creating spectacular, dazzling, funny, and outrageous videos, video
clips, gifs etc every day. And, the viewers are clamouring for the drama to begin!
What is mind-blowing is that the fans are already planning a Second Season for Lee Joon Gi and Lawless Lawyer! But, the wildly excited fans cannot be accused of having lost their minds. The amazingly talented and hilariously funny Lee Joon Gi, himself, is to be blamed for THE JOONGI FEVER. 
Make a date with Lee Joon
Gi and Seo Yea Ji beginning on 12 May 2018 (Saturday).
|
‘COFFEE? TEA? OR, ME?’ 
After the shoot wrapped, the
super-sexy Lee Joon Gi couldn’t resist posing a naughty question to his fans
in his own video clip of the shoot.
‘Coffee? Tea? Or, Me?’
Lee certainly has a naughty sense of humour.
  
His gorgeous Phoenix Eyes and
sexy Cupid Bow Lips, his super-strong trademarks, move ever so seductively as
he mouths his question.
His fans, young and old, who can’t
get enough of him or what he has to offer, must have bounced up and down in
glee, answering, ‘You, you, you!’
LEE JOON GI’S
SIGNATURE GESTURES
(EXCLUSIVE NON-VERBAL GESTURES)
In Namoo Actors’ video clip,
Lee used his legendary naughty gestures – all honed to perfection to charm his audience yet again.
The question is: ‘Has he
incorporated them into his drama, Lawless Lawyer?’
What are those signature
gestures? Let’s try to interpret them.
Making An ‘O’
Over His Right Eye With His Thumb
and Forefinger
‘Big Brother, oops, Oppa is
watching you. JG can see you.’
Pointing One
Finger In The Air
He is giving his fans a
reminder.
‘Remember, always support
Oppa / JG!’
Fingertip Kiss
He raises three fingers of
his right hand to his lips in a wiping move to represent kisses to his fans.
‘Love and Kisses for your
fierce loyalty!’
Biting His Lip In
A Cutesy Manner
‘My people, make more noise for my projects!’
Winking His Eyes
  
Wink. Wink. Wink. Come on,
smile, smile, smile.
Sweeping Fingers
Towards The Audience
  
The King indicates that he is talking to all his people.
‘I love you, my people!’ 
Mischief in his eyes. His
eyes express a lot of mischief. One cannot peel one’s eyes away from his
expressive eyes. No one can resist his charm.
Once again, be warned. Never
look at his unique eyes for more than a minute. His gorgeous eyes are his
calling card. When he calls, you’re totally finished!
Wrong interpretation of the gestures? Ask Lee Joon Gi directly.  |
MARIE CLAIRE
LEE JOON GI
                                                                       |
MARIE CLAIRE
INTERVIEW WITH LEE JOON GI
May 2018 Issue
 |
|
Q
|
I noticed you muttering to
yourself in between shoots.
Were you memorizing your lines?
|
A
|
That’s right. “Lawless Lawyer”
is an action-packed drama, but it also requires me to deliver my lines in a way
that makes an impact.
Bong Sang-pil isn’t just a
cunning hustler but also a sharp-witted, meticulous lawyer, so I have to
express this character using different ways of speaking than the serious
tones I took in my previous roles. So I’m feeling a lot of pressure to find
ways to perfect my line delivery.
I still pride myself on being
great at memorizing (laughs) and I love memorizing, but sometimes I mess up
my lines because this time the dialog has a different rhythm that I’ve never
done before.
That’s why I keep muttering to
myself on set, like a crazy person, to master these new sensations (that
playing this role involves).
|
Q
|
Can you tell us what drama
“Lawless Lawyer” is about?
|
A
|
At first, it starts off as one
individual’s revenge drama, but it’s ultimately about justice and society.
In telling this story, we are
throwing in exhilarating action scenes to make it more thrilling.
Since two years ago, we as a
nation (South Korea) have had a longing for justice, and now we are finally
beginning to see order being restored in our path towards a just society.
It is exactly under these
circumstances that I think our drama can deliver some fun.
|
Q
|
You’ve reunited with Kim
Jin-min 11 years after “Time between Dog and Wolf.”
The news of this reunion alone
has generated a lot of buzz.
|
A
|
Even after we finished filming
the drama (Time between Dog and Wolf) we stayed in touch.
When I was having problems as an
actor, we would get together so I could talk to him.
Then, one day, he called me and
told me about this Lawless Lawyer project.
He said, “I’ll be honest with you. When I was first offered this project, all
my crew said Lee Joon-gi was the perfect choice for the Bong Sang-pil role,
but I said I didn’t want you to do it.”
So I asked why and he admitted
to feeling great pressure: “Because we
shared this success through ‘Time between Dog and Wolf,’ I thought that it
wouldn’t do either of us any good if we failed to surpass it.”
The director felt such pressure
because “Time between Dog and Wolf” is a well-made drama and found great
popularity overseas as well.
And I agreed with him. So we
said to each other ‘Let’s give it more
thought’ and parted ways.
Then soon after I got another
call from him. “Here’s the deal: I will
make this drama good enough for you to stay in this business for at least
another 10 years. I guess that’s the least I can do to make this worth our
while.”
And I was really happy to hear
him say that. I’ve known him long enough to know his strong sense of responsibility.
I thought there would be definitely something I could take away from working
with him on this project, regardless of whether or not it’s successful. So I
agreed to work with him right away.
|
Q
|
What is it like to work with
the director again?
|
A
|
He’s got a reputation for being
assertive, and he still is.
I love his unique directing
style that’s firm and steady. No, maybe not necessarily ‘love,’ but I think
that’s the kind of directing required on set.
At this point in my career, I
thought working with him would help break my bad habits and control my
habitual mannerisms. I guess we reunited at this particular juncture for that
reason.
It is important for a director
to push ahead with his ideas and get some result out of it, instead of doing
things by halves. That’s why I have every confidence in director Kim Jin-min.
He always comes to the set
thoroughly prepared and very energetic.
|
Q
|
But isn’t Lee Joon-gi second to
none when it comes to being energetic?
|
A
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Right, every member of my crew
calls me crazy.
|
Q
|
Even your co-star Seo Yea-ji
heaped praise on you for being so energetic.
|
A
|
I eat red ginseng. (Laughs) Let
me give you some red ginseng…
Seriously, though, it’s not just
a matter of what to eat or not to eat.
The other day, when I was having
a drink with my sister, she asked me what motivates me to go to work on the
drama set.
I think, in the past, I would
give an answer that made me look cool when asked that kind of question.
Like, ‘Actors should blah blah…’
But I guess I’ve become more childlike lately, so (when asked the same
question) I will just say, “Because I look cool on TV.”
I mean, what a happy person I
am, being taken care of by my crew members who work hard to make a person
like me look gorgeous.
|
Q
|
You are finally playing a
professional that you said you always wanted to play. And there is a bit of
romance in it too.
|
A
|
That’s what makes me excited and
look forward to it (playing the character).
Though I still want to perform
in stories about pure, unconditional love or mature romance. I would like to
do one when I am still relatively young.
But when I say something like
this, the martial arts / action director I’ve known for a decade says, “What
are you talking about? You should do more action while you are still in top
form. It’d be a waste (if you do not do more action).
You can do romance when you
become more mature as a man.”
When I asked how much more
mature I should become now that I’m 37 (Joon-gi’s Korean age), he said, “No,
you don’t look seasoned enough. You still look like The Little Prince.”
On set, Yea-ji also told me I
look really innocent, like The Little Prince.
When I said, “No, I’m a wicked
person inside,” Yea-ji said, “No, I have a knack for reading people, and I
think you really are an innocent person.”
Then I’d go, “Is this an insult
or a compliment?” (Laughs)
|
Q
|
Besides Seo Yea-ji, you are
also working with veterans like Lee Hye-young and Choi Min-soo.
|
A
|
Where else would I be able to
work with those two actors in a single drama?
Recently, I filmed a scene where
I and Choi Min-soo seonbae-nim make our first appearance together. It was a
great feeling that everything seemed to fall into place, and he also seemed
satisfied.
Before I began filming this scene,
I was under enormous pressure and stress.
The other day, I went to the set
even though I didn’t have a scene to film, just to see Choi Min-soo working
and say hello.
When I said, “Nowadays you show
up in every dream I have,” he said, “Don’t worry. I’m going to play along and
follow your lead as you go along.”
He tries to do things that help
me broaden my acting range, and I’m pretty good at picking things up, so this
entire back-and-forth process like a ping pong game where he serves and I
toss, is very exciting and refreshing.
|
Q
|
Is there anything that makes
your life, as actor Lee Joon-gi, difficult now?
|
A
|
For now, I’m focusing on
portraying my character perfectly, but I don’t find it very difficult.
As Lee Joon-gi the person, I’m
satisfied with my life.
For the first time in my life, I
have a hobby. I’m so completely obsessed with jiu jitsu that, once I get into
the gym, I just don’t ever want to get out.
As far as challenges go, I have
one - that is, I don’t have any more room in my place to keep all the gifts
my fans gave me. (Laughs) I keep opening the gifts, but… It’s a happy
challenge.
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The editorial spread is exciting, interesting and cleverly done. Credit should be given to the creative team, particularly the photographer.
Marie Claire Korea’s editor, who
interviewed Lee Joon Gi and Seo Yea Ji, commented on the busy and crowded set
which was packed with 30 crew members including the two actors, Lee Joon-gi
and Seo Yea-ji, their respective crew members and management teams. However,
everything turned out magnificently.
(Only Lee Joon Gi’s part of the
interview has been translated)
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