[Interview②] Esom: "Director Ahn Jae-hong's Work, I Agreed to Appear Without Even Reading the Script"

[Asia Economy Reporter Lee Iseul] Actress Lee Som revealed, "I appeared in a film directed by actor Ahn Jae-hong without even looking at the script."

On the afternoon of the 15th, Lee Som shared various stories about the film during an interview held at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, ahead of the release of the movie Samjin Group's English TOEIC Class (directed by Lee Jong-pil).

Samjin Group's English TOEIC Class is a film about three friends who have been working for eight years since joining the company in 1995. Although they are veterans in their work abilities, they remain at the bottom of the hierarchy. Together, they uncover corruption committed by their company while attending the company’s TOEIC class.

Production Management Department 2's Ja-young (played by Go Ah-sung), Marketing Department's Yuna (played by Lee Som), and Accounting Department's Boram (played by Park Hye-su), all eight-year junior employees, accidentally witness the company’s wastewater discharge site and bravely confront the massive barrier that is their company.

Lee Som said, "Yuna is full of ideas, smart, and loves her work. Yet, because she is not in a high position and is a newcomer to society, even if she has good ideas, she does not get recognition. Being in that situation back then, I came to understand the feelings of those who go through such hardships. It made me want to support them."

Surprised by the setting where they all wear purple uniforms, Lee Som recalled, "The props and art teams worked hard to prepare. The atmosphere of that time was vividly recreated, which surprised me. Especially, I was surprised by the fact that we wore uniforms."

It is expected that approaching the company’s corruption would bring hardships. So why does Yuna join forces with Ja-young and Boram to become whistleblowers? Lee Som said, "I think the character wants to be recognized by the company. When junior colleagues and coworkers in the same secretarial office suffered, she might have been the first to speak up. In the end, I think she stepped forward actively because of friendship."

In reality, Lee Som values human trust. She supported the film Throbbing Heart, directed by actor Ahn Jae-hong, with whom she formed a connection through Microhabitat. The movie tells the story of a man from Ulleungdo and a woman from the mainland who are in a long-distance relationship. Ahn Jae-hong took on the triple roles of director, screenwriter, and lead actor. Lee Som participated as the lead actress, supporting Ahn Jae-hong as a director.

"Ahn Jae-hong was already an actor I really liked, and I had a good impression working with him. I like him as a person too. When I heard he was doing the script, directing, and starring all by himself, I just said I would appear without even looking at the script. I knew he was good at acting, but I was surprised to see he was also good at directing."

Samjin Group's English TOEIC Class will be released on October 21.

Photo = Lotte Entertainment

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.