Interview: Lee Young-ae on how antihero 'Hedda' brought her back to stage after 30 years
'We all carry a little bit of Hedda within us,' Lee says
In a theatrical coincidence that has stirred anticipation among theatergoers, two major Korean productions of "Hedda Gabler" have been going head to head this spring.
Just a day before the National Theater Company of Korea's production at the Myeongdong Theater in central Seoul opened on May 8, the LG Arts Center Seoul's version of Henrik Ibsen's famous psychological drama premiered May 7 with Lee Young-ae in titular role. Directed by Jun In-chul and based on Richard Eyre's contemporary adaptation, the LG Arts Center production transposes Hedda Gabler into the present day.
It takes "a lighter, more psychologically accessible approach" to a story of a beautiful upper-class woman disillusioned after an impulsive marriage to an ordinary middle-class man, who returns from her honeymoon only to take her own life within two days.
'I didn't want to play someone just like me -- there's no thrill in that. There's more joy when I step into something different,' Lee said in an interview Tuesday, reflecting on her decision to take on the role of the manipulative, enigmatic antihero.
"I read a review where a therapist said many of her clients reminded her of Hedda. That made me think -- even if we seem normal on the outside, maybe we all carry a little bit of Hedda within us. This production is my way of exploring that on stage."
Her goal, Lee explained, was not to make Hedda overly tragic or aggressive.
'She's sensitive, but soft, too -- like someone who could live in any house, in any neighborhood,' she said. The show's promotional poster shows the actor smiling sweetly, but Lee said that Hedda's shadows lie just beneath the surface of innocence.
Best known for her roles in Park Chan-wook's 'Lady Vengeance' and the globally beloved drama 'Jewel in the Palace,' she last performed in theater in 1993 in a small production at Seoul Arts Center. Lee said her return to the stage after three decades came with the right role at the right time.
Lee credited her decision to return to live performance to her mentor, professor Kim Mi-hye, a renowned Ibsen scholar and her doctoral adviser at Hanyang University's Department of Theater and Film.
'Professor Kim had introduced me to many plays over the years and once said, 'If you ever return to theater, Hedda might suit you.''
The idea took root. After watching Jeon Do-yeon in Simon Stone's hit Korean production of "The Cherry Orchard" last year, Lee felt the pull of the stage more strongly than ever.
'I was approached for a different production (at the LG Arts Center). I guess I also had this desire to take the role of Hedda,' Lee said. 'Now that I'm in my 50s, having gone through childbirth and parenting, I feel I've gained the emotional depth that this character demands.'
She admitted that 'the desire came with a heavier burden on the shoulders' than she expected -- but added that she has enjoyed every moment of it.
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