Lee Jung-jae has been in the entertainment business as a South Korean actor since the 1990s. Considered one of his country’s most successful actors, he stunned everyone with his incredible performance as Seong Gi-hun (Player 456) in the global hit Netflix series Squid Game, which catapulted his international stardom. Now, he takes his great acting abilities to Hollywood, leading the new Star Wars series, The Acolyte. However, this shift is not easy for Jung-jae, as he reveals his extensive preparation to become a Jedi Master.
In an interview with RadioTimes, Jung-jae admitted that being part of a big franchise such as Star Wars was beyond his wildest dreams. So, to play his role perfectly, he started researching and studying all the Jedi from the past to build his character as Sol. However, his biggest preparation was convincing himself that he was a Jedi Master.
“The biggest preparation I had to do for Master Sol might have been hypnotizing myself, telling myself, ‘I am a Jedi Master. I am a Jedi Master,’” he said.
Having an expert from Lucasfilm was also of great help to the actor. Aside from explaining the franchise’s history, they were also advised to create original ideas to interpret their characters and performances and express the emotions they wanted, considering the show was set in a completely different timeline. However, he still wanted his character to have some connection to the past Jedi Masters.
“I would say it's about 50/50, one showing that originality because of the alternate timeline, but also paying homage to the great actors who had acted as Jedi Masters and making sure that my character was cohesive within the branch of this Star Wars universe,” he continued.
Lee Jung-jae’s Challenge to Learn English for Star Wars: The Acolyte
Jung-jae has been an actor for decades, but The Acolyte is his first English-speaking role. So, aside from preparing himself to be a Jedi, another big challenge he has to face is learning English for the Disney+ series.
“Learning English was definitely a huge challenge in preparing for this role,” he revealed.
Jung-jae has his dialogue coaches to thank. His instructors help him every step of the way, from the very small details to teaching him how to speak. After spending so much time together, they have formed such a great connection that they joke around and laugh on the set.
“It still remains a really great memory for me,” he continued.
In a different interview with Sung Si-kyung (translated by AllKpop), the 51-year-old star revealed he started filming two months earlier to practice martial arts and hone his English. They worked on his diction, pronunciation, and flow, which made his tongue “worn out” to the point that he had difficulty eating.
“Even if I was sleeping, I had to mutter when I opened my eyes,” he added.
After Si-kyung praised Jung-jae’s English, the latter still felt embarrassed, revealing that he’s still not good at it. And though the series’ staff and director liked his performance, he still believed that the audience’s reaction was the most important.
Truly, Jung-jae has shown his dedication to the craft with his great efforts to play his role in The Acolyte. Hence, he deserves the praise he receives from early critic reviews, lauding his performance as the new Jedi Master, Sol.
The first two episodes of The Acolyte are available on Disney+, while new episodes are slated to release every Tuesday.
