LEE JOON GI
M.A.L.E. STYLE
IN
COSMOPOLITAN
COSMOPOLITAN
AUGUST 2018
LEE JOON GI
M.A.L.E. STYLE
IN
COSMOPOLITAN
AUGUST 2018
 
Some people do live in the
dark ages. Although it is all over the grapevine that Lee Joon Gi had
sculpted a new look for himself by reducing his weight, they have not
awakened to the fact that he is lean, toned and healthy. If they still like
to think of Lee Joon Gi as an actor without toned muscles, allow Cosmopolitan
to introduce the new sculptured Lee Joon Gi and let their imagination do the
rest of the work.
Lee shows off his lean
physique and muscles in Cosmopolitan's August 2018 issue.
How would one describe Lee
Joon Gi’s Cosmopolitan style in four words?
MASCULINE. ADVENTUROUS. LEAN. EFFORTLESS. M. A. L. E. Effortless? Yes. Effortlessly Sexy. Lee Joon Gi has a unique way of being all four. He is where Fashion meets Muscles in the best of summer pictorial spread in Cosmopolitan.  |
LEE JOON GI
M.A.L.E. STYLE
One does not have to wrestle with the question about which shot
is the best. The favourite picture is undoubtedly the perfect macho look of
Lee Joon Gi staring straight at you with his piercing black eyes.
What can you say about the shot? Lee’s looks and gift for
modelling packs an emotional wallop. Wow. Wow. Wow. He really casts a glow in
the shot.
Lee Joon Gi seems to have taken a walk in the garden of a
dilapidated building. The scene is picturesque with creepers on the walls
that slant ever so precariously, not unlike the walls of the Leaning Tower of
Pisa. An artistic piece of work.
MASCULINE
The Macho Style. Tough. Lee has freed himself from the pretty
boy look in this picture; he exudes masculine energy. Look at those toned
muscular arms. Not too bulging, just the right size. His hair
is artfully tousled. No cover ups with his grey sleeveless loose muscle tank top
with deep-cut sides. Navy blue denim jeans. Black boots. All tough males wear
jeans and black boots. A dark green suede trench coat is draped casually and
seductively over his left shoulder. A picture with a little touch of exciting
wildness.
ADVENTUROUS
This shot, the crux of the photographic session, undeniably
gives him a macho vibe. Lee Joon Gi has never flaunted his muscles macho-style in sleeveless
tanks in fashion magazines before so, he is treading on uncharted territory.
The look is simple. There is no flashy jewellery.
Cosmopolitan has taken cues from Lee Joon Gi’s recent
impassioned Brazilian Jiu Jitsu training in preparation for his drama,
‘Lawless Lawyer’ and has crafted a macho style for him.
LEAN
Lee Joon Gi looks lean and handsome. After shedding 33 lbs for Moon
Lovers: Scarlet Heart Ryeo, Lee had gained an astonishing new look.
But, for the sake of his craft, he had reduced his weight further so that he could look like
the lean and hungry lawyer who had suffered for 18 years in Lawless Lawyer.
The other reason for losing weight was he could showcase his diverse athletic
and martial arts skills which he has spectacularly executed in more than ten scenes in the
drama.
The resulting taut and muscular look makes him even more
attractive and sexy in this particular shot. He looks light, fluid and
limber.
EFFORTLESSLY SEXY
The grey sleeveless muscle tank showcases his sexy muscles.
There seems to be a tantalising swagger in his walk as well.
Lee Joon Gi knows exactly the key to make the ladies’
heart race even faster. Just cast a seductive backward glance to tease them.
Lee Joon Gi makes it so easy to look ABSOLUTELY GORGEOUS. He
looks every bit the sexy superstar. Danger zone. Life in this hot, hot summer
is made more tolerable because of Lee Joon Gi. He’s the one to watch not only
this summer but all year round.
Lee Joon Gi should assume this appearance and style in his next
drama or movie. The macho casual and sexy look should be his new signature
style. It resonates with most viewers and will have even millions more ladies
(and men) drooling and swooning.
But, Lee Joon Gi not only has biceps but also washboard abs to
complement them. He teases his fans about this but to the disappointment of some, Lee has somewhat remained
mysterious about his new charms.
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LEE JOON GI
M.A.L.E. STYLE
MASCULINE AND LEAN
Lee Joon Gi looks pulled together in this manly white, khaki and red
outfit. The sleeves of his white shirt are banded. He is half-lying on the
floor with his elbows propping up his torso to show all his masculine assets
to advantage. His lean, taut and well-toned body. No flab anywhere. His pair
of pants showcases his long legs perfectly. Or, perhaps, it is the other way round.
White suits him.
ADVENTUROUS 
Lee Joon Gi has worn his khaki-coloured pair of pants with a belt. A striking huge red stripe runs down the length of the smart pants. Side
stripes are synonymous with track pants so the pair of pants looks unusual. The
red stripe spells 'boldness’ and 'originality', blending the athletic track
pants feel with a smart feel. The unusual ‘athletic’ and ‘smart’ style is a
contradiction.
Lee pairs his clothes with a pair of white sneakers which
matches the colour of his shirt.
EFFORTLESSLY SEXY
Lee Joon Gi looks sexy and dangerous in this pose, with his
head turned away from the camera. It is strategically engineered to ‘kill’
the ladies. And, remember, it is summer. It is probably a torturous
hot-as-hell day. Lee looks cool but there is a sudden spike in the
temperature. His white shirt is artfully unbuttoned low enough to give the
ladies some more thrill. The clever thing to do is to grab a cool drink and then,
study him again. The sight of the sexy, alluring man makes everything, I
repeat, tolerable.
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LEE JOON GI
M.A.L.E. STYLE
MASCULINE AND LEAN 
The first thing you notice in this shot is Lee Joon
Gi’s typically masculine pose and upturned face. But after that, your eyes travel down his toned hands which have
veins running all over. Those, with his toned muscles, lean and taut physique, and other manly charms, give Lee a unmistakably masculine and healthy vibe.
ADVENTUROUS
Adventurous. Say it with style. Lee’s dark leather shoes with tassels are
certainly unique. But imagine, spikes
on the toe caps! Times change. That kind of boldness really catches attention.
Lee’s short-sleeved shirt, which is decorated with prints of
navy blue whales set against a grey pointillism-inspired background, is
tucked into his navy-blue pants.
The blue whale is the largest known whale. One thinks of the powerful message, ‘Save The Blue Whales’ being emblazoned across Lee's torso. Endangered. A picture is worth a thousand words.
Pause to consider this. Perfect men, like the 'big' superstar Lee Joon Gi, are an endangered species. Going extinct, perhaps. Where does one find superstars like him anymore? Multi-talented. Smart. Handsome. Sexy. A wonderful sense of humour. Bold and Courageous.
Admirable character and values. Adventurous in his movie and drama choices.
EFFORTLESSLY SEXY
The pose is mildly provocative. Note the subtlety of the body
language. But, whichever way or angle he is photographed, he would look
effortlessly sexy. Proof - even his back is sexy. The picture above shows his sexy, broad shoulders and sexy back.
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LEE JOON GI
M.A.L.E. STYLE
MASCULINE AND LEAN 
Look at Lee Joon Gi’s lean and trim figure as
he reaches out for the skies. The ceiling, I mean. Dazzling. His olive bomber
jacket is teamed with a pair of slim navy-blue pin-striped trousers and brown
shoes. The beige shirt layered under the jacket matches the beige patch on
the jacket. Bomber jackets make a man look tougher and more masculine.
ADVENTUROUS
Strip away the pinstriped suit jacket. Style the pinstriped
trousers meant for bankers with a bomber jacket. Serious meets casual. Imagine
Wall Street bankers wearing bomber jackets! That’s new, and Lee Joon Gi pulls
off the look magnificently. He looks simply smashing in them.
EFFORTLESSLY SEXY
Certainly. Just casually putting on or taking off his jacket is
simply sexy. His sexy body language alone is a proven attention magnet. The outfit is an added charm.
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LEE JOON GI READS 'LOVING MEMORY'
by
YOON
DONG-JU
Lee Joon Gi reads a poem ‘Loving Memory’ by Yoon Dong-Ju, a Korean poet, for Cosmopolitan.
Listen to his beautiful and sensitive rendition of the poem. Awesome. By promoting K-Literature, Lee Joon Gi will again be leading the next big Korean Wave.
Yoon Dong-joo (December 30, 1917 – February 16, 1945), a Korean poet, is known for his lyric as well
as resistance poetry.
Born in Longjing, Jilin, China, Yoon Dong-ju was the eldest son among four children. He entered Eunjin Middle School in Longjing in 1932, and returned to Korea to attend Soongsil Middle School in Pyeongyang in 1936.
When the school closed down in the same year, he moved
back to Longjing and attended the Gwangmyeong Institute. On December 27, 1941, aged
23, he graduated from Yonhi College, which later became Yonsei
University.
He had been
writing poetry from time to time. In 1942, he went to Japan and entered the
English literature department of Rikkyo University in Tokyo,
before moving to Doshisha University in Kyoto six months later.
On July 14, 1943, he was arrested as a supporter of Korean independence by the
Japanese police. The following year, the Kyoto regional court sentenced him to
two years of prison on the charge of having participated in the Korean
independence movement. He was imprisoned in Fukuoka, where he died in
February 1945.
  Read by Lee Joon Gi: Loving Memory by Yoon Dong-Ju            
Thanks to Cosmopolitan, the different sides of Lee Joon Gi, including his poetic talent, have been brought to light. The creative staff must be applauded for skillfully stringing together fashion, art and literature with the help of the multi-talented superstar, Lee Joon Gi.
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COSMOPOLITAN KOREA
INTERVIEW
A
gorgeous, unique style
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Q
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It’s been only 10 days since the drama “Lawless Lawyer” ended.
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A
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I feel empty and hollow. Nowadays, except when I exercise, I
stay home lying down all day. I just don’t feel like doing anything else.
The amount of time it takes me to come out of character varies
with each work, but I think it will take me some time to get out of ‘Bong
Sang-pil’ I played this time. I think particularly more so because I brought
a lot of enthusiasm in playing this character.
We (the cast and crew) even joked about how we wished there
would be season 2.
I hope the vitality that ‘Bong Sang-pil’ has lasts longer. I
want to live his life a bit longer.
I also think this is the kind of character that is not easy to
meet in the future.
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Q
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What was it like to perform alongside actors with so much
charisma like Choi Min-soo and Lee Hye-young on this project?
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A
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Before the filming began, I felt such enormous pressure and
fear that I could not even sleep but kept having dreams.
In the drama, I was supposed to face off against Choi Min-soo
and Lee Hye-young seonbae-nim, and
even end up winning against them, so I thought long and hard about how to
make it look convincing.
You know, they give off tremendous amounts of energy. In the
end, thankfully, these seonbae-nim
offered to play along at my own tempo. Choi Min-soo, particularly, proposed
lots of ideas. He looks at things from such a broad perspective that he was
even called ‘Director Choi’ on set.
I feel even more attached to my character ‘Bong Sang-pil’
because it was created not just by me, but also by these seonbae-nim I worked with. So it was a very happy and thrilling
process.
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Q
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In every interview you did, you said you were thinking a lot about
how to establish your relationship with the public.
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A
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I constantly think long and hard about it for each project I
do. I guess, I should choose my project in a different way than I have done
so far in order to communicate with the public, right? Because I have done a
lot of esoteric works thus far.
“Lawless Lawyer” earned good ratings because it had great
entertainment value.
But when I read comments on news articles, I got responses
like, “I haven’t seen Lee Joon-gi in ages, is he back?” Seeing responses like
that, I thought, ‘I really haven’t made a strong connection with the public.’
Despite the fact that I work each year, without a break, the
public still does not know that very well.
I wonder if I should tone down my enthusiastic desire to show a
lot of things in terms of acting, but instead try a new genre where I take
things easy.
If I show a little more cheerful and comfortable performance,
it will probably make it easier for me to draw the public in.
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Q
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I have not seen you in movies in a long time.
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A
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That’s right. I want to show a natural, everyday performance or
a relaxed performance in movies.
But the genres in which I get offers are very limited.
I’ve been told that film industry insiders think, ‘Will Lee Joon-gi take on such a
comfortable performance?’
So, I keep thinking hard about it.
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Q
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You often get singled out as a ‘hard-working’ actor doing at
least one project each year.
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A
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Some people ask me why I don’t do more than one project.
Because, even though I do one project each year, it does not necessarily
produce successful results.
Each time my drama has aired, I always check the ratings and comments
next day. And I monitor (those results) with and consult the production
staff.
I think more about ‘What
should we do to make better results?’ than about ‘We worked hard, so we will get good results no matter what.’
It’s the sense of responsibility and obligation you feel as a lead
actor.
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Q
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Are you a pacifist?
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A
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Completely. It (me preferring peace) tends to frustrate people
around me.
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Q
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Next year marks 15 years since your acting debut.
Isn’t it time for you to insist on acting the way you want to?
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A
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I just cannot do that; it’s my personality.
Instead of taking the lead and leading people just because I am
a lead actor, I’d rather play mediator between people when there is any
disagreement.
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Q
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Is that why you fell completely in love with jiu jitsu, a
relatively less aggressive sport?
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A
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Ah, you do attacks in jiu jitsu, too. Of course, (in jiu jitsu)
the chances of hurting your opponent are lower than in striking martial arts,
and when you sense danger, you send signals to each other.
Since it is a grappling martial art, not a striking martial
art, you can feel shifts in power, keep pace, and share techniques with your
opponent as you and your opponent engage in body contact.
Jiu jitsu is such an attractive sport. Because you can cultivate
your body and mind while training at the same time.
Doing jiu jitsu, I realized why I love martial arts, and why I
am a very patient person.
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Q
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When do you feel that you are a very patient person?
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A
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For example, I just stay put and wait even though I have to
wait for, like 10 hours, before the shoot begins.
I might complain a little, but I just think ‘There must be a reason.’
When I feel angry, I just laugh it away or get more playful.
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Q
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I think you get a lot of energy on set.
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A
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I feel lethargic when I am not working. On set, I don’t even
notice the time passing.
On this project, I worked once again with the action director
I’ve been friends with for 10 years, and he said, “I like it when you are so
crazy (about something).”
(When I am crazy about something) That is the only thing I see
at the moment. No matter what anybody tells me, I cannot see anything else.
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Q
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Isn’t it like when you are in love, too?
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A
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That’s right. But I think I become more foolish when working
than when I am in love.
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Q
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You are also a star with a great fandom. You still communicate
directly with your fans through fan meetings.
I think you become particularly childlike and
innocent.
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A
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That’s right. Even the way I talk becomes very young. The fans
who love me have different tastes.
Some fans want to see me as a serious actor, while some fans
love the way I am being sunny and cheerful like a child.
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Q
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Watching the drama, I thought, ‘Actor Lee Joon-gi never seems to
age.’
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A
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In fact, I was really surprised yesterday. I talked to one of
the people I learn jiu jitsu with (yesterday) and I assumed he was older than
me. So I called him “Hyeongnim (*older brother)” but as we kept on talking,
he told me he’d been born in 1985 and was younger than me.
When learning how old I was, the people around me were all so
surprised that the atmosphere suddenly cooled.
Then I realized, once again, I am 37 years old. Because,
normally, I forget my age. Hahaha.
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Q
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What is actor Lee Joon-gi’s ‘Sohwakhaeng’
(* “small but certain happiness”)?
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A
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Doing jiu jitsu, sweating buckets, taking a shower, and
drinking a glass of beer while picturing the technique I’ve learned today in
my head.
And watching the videos of my favorite athletes…. Phew! I am
really happy and have so much fun when I am doing those things nowadays.
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Q
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You are quite a prolific actor, so I think you’ve already decided
on your next project, although you’ve just finished your drama.
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A
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I am taking a good, hard look at the scripts (synopses) I’ve
been offered. I cannot look at any of these while I am in the middle of my
(current) project. I cannot concentrate, anyway.
So, after I finished the project (Lawless Lawyer), I started
looking at these, one by one. Some fans want me to ‘work like a cow’ (*work
hard and incessantly), but what good would it do?
(No matter how hard I work) It should have good results.
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Q
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At the rate you’re going, you will probably become really like a
cow.
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A
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Hahaha. Probably. Ah, but I think I should become clever like a
fox instead of a cow….!
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