Squid Gains
Newsweek US|July 12 - 19, 2024 (Double Issue)
Lee Jung-jae on moving from the cult Netflix hit to his first Englishspeaking role in Star Wars: The Acolyte
SOO KIM
Squid Gains

SQUID GAME STAR LEE JUNG-JAE FOUND HIMself tongue-tied-and tongue-tired-in the lead role for the new Disney+ series Star Wars: The Acolyte.

Speaking to Newsweek in June from Seoul, the capital of his native South Korea, the veteran actor spoke about the challenges of acting in English for the first time as Jedi Master Sol in his first Hollywood project, which even left him unable to eat at one point.

"Practicing the English lines all day all the time, my tongue kept touching the inner part of my teeth and became worn down, and I couldn't eat.

"Obviously, the way the tongue moves when speaking English is very different from the way it moves when speaking Korean, so my tongue kept rubbing up against my teeth," the Screen Actors Guild and Emmy awards winner and Golden Globe nominee recalled.

Acting in English was not an easy task but that was to be expected, the Squid Game actor said, "with so much to note, from the pronunciation and accent to getting used to the spaces between words when reading the lines, all of which was challenging.

"I had two dialogue coaches who were very rigorous with their teaching and played a huge role in helping me perfect my lines," he added.

Though established for decades as a movie star in South Korea, Lee shot to international fame following his breakout Squid Game role as Seong Gi-hun. He will be reprising the part in the highly anticipated second season-which he is currently shooting later this year.

His stardom in the Netflix hit show put him on the radar of The Acolyte creator Leslye Headland, who cast him as Sol.

The series, set at the end of the High Republic era before the events in the main Star Wars movies, unravels “an investigation into a shocking crime spree" that pits Sol against "a dangerous warrior from his past," who is played by The Hunger Games star Amandla Stenberg, according to the show's Disney+ synopsis.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 12 - 19, 2024 (Double Issue) من Newsweek US.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

هذه القصة مأخوذة من طبعة July 12 - 19, 2024 (Double Issue) من Newsweek US.

ابدأ النسخة التجريبية المجانية من Magzter GOLD لمدة 7 أيام للوصول إلى آلاف القصص المتميزة المنسقة وأكثر من 9,000 مجلة وصحيفة.

المزيد من القصص من NEWSWEEK US مشاهدة الكل
Julia Stiles
Newsweek US

Julia Stiles

“What’s funny is that I did everything as a director that I swore I would never do to my actors.”

time-read
2 mins  |
January 24, 2025
AMERICA'S BEST - REGIONAL BANKS & CREDIT UNIONS 2025
Newsweek US

AMERICA'S BEST - REGIONAL BANKS & CREDIT UNIONS 2025

REGIONAL BANKS AND CREDIT UNIONS ARE the financial backbone of communities nationwide.

time-read
4 mins  |
January 24, 2025
How the Other Half Live
Newsweek US

How the Other Half Live

Patricia Arquette returns for season 2 of Severance. Free from the corporation, she reveals her character's struggle with her newfound independence

time-read
5 mins  |
January 24, 2025
Marianne Jean-Baptiste
Newsweek US

Marianne Jean-Baptiste

\"I'm not too worried about her not being likable.\"

time-read
2 mins  |
January 24, 2025
'These Were Courageous Leaders'
Newsweek US

'These Were Courageous Leaders'

Martin Luther King Jr.'s daughter Bernice tells Newsweek how her family aligned with the Carters in the fight for civil rights

time-read
6 mins  |
January 24, 2025
'A Clarion Call to Service'
Newsweek US

'A Clarion Call to Service'

Former ambassador to China heralds Jimmy Carter's 'exceptional dedication to humanity and world peace'

time-read
3 mins  |
January 24, 2025
An Iron Dome for America
Newsweek US

An Iron Dome for America

Donald Trump has promised to build a missile defense system to protect the continental U.S. from a nuclear strike. A new report lays out how it might look

time-read
10 mins  |
January 24, 2025
THE GOLDEN AGE OF GENETIC SEQUENCING
Newsweek US

THE GOLDEN AGE OF GENETIC SEQUENCING

HOW GENES ARE MAPPING THE WAY TO CANCER CURES

time-read
10+ mins  |
January 24, 2025
Mystery of Ginger Cat Is out of the Bag
Newsweek US

Mystery of Ginger Cat Is out of the Bag

The genetics behind the vibrant orange color in feline coats is finally confirmed after 112 years

time-read
3 mins  |
January 03-17, 2025 (Double Issue)
Paris Hilton & Nicole Richie
Newsweek US

Paris Hilton & Nicole Richie

PARIS HILTON AND NICOLE RICHIE ARE READY TO BRING A LITTLE “SANASA” to the world with Peacock's Paris & Nicole: The Encore, their first project together since their reality show The Simple Life ended in 2007. What's “sanasa”? It's a song and phrase the longtime friends created as kids and popularized on The Simple Life. The show, a cultural phenomenon in the early days of reality TV, followed them over a series of blue-collar jobs. Now they're bringing it back as an opera. “I know this is just going to make people laugh, have fun, be nostalgic and just celebrate our friendship,” Hilton said. While Richie acknowledged “you can't do Simple Life again,” she said now “felt like the right time.” The famous pair also revisit some old jobs in Arkansas, like fast-food chain Sonic, where they now have drinks named for them. “I think that there is a part of our friend- ship that the show ended up showing that people connect to,” Richie said. As for this new special, Hilton is glad to do something positive for their fans. “It's been such a crazy past couple years, and I just feel like the world needs more joy.”

time-read
2 mins  |
January 03-17, 2025 (Double Issue)