Lee Jung-Jae reveals the extreme lengths he went to for his new role in the Disney+ series ‘Star Wars: The Acolyte.’
Lee plays Master Sol, a Jedi in the show. He said ‘The Acolyte’ is his first time acting in an English-language series, and he began training four months before filming started. This training was so intense that both sides of his tongue became worn out:
“There were four dialogue coaches, and we took turns practicing (together) every day. They don’t talk much about emotions. They talk a lot about diction (pronunciation), and when it comes to emotions, they say, ‘You are an actor, so talk to the director about whether that emotion is right or not.’ As I continued to correct my pronunciation, read in pauses, and flow (with coaches), both sides of my tongue were worn out, so I had a hard time eating. Even if I was sleeping, I had to mutter when I opened my eyes.”
Lee also spent two months learning martial arts for his role. Filming the eight episodes took eight months, and he admits it was a long and demanding process.
You can watch his full interview below.
He Was Inspired By Liam Neeson
Speaking to Entertainment Weekly in another interview, Lee said he found inspiration for his character by watching Liam Neeson’s performance as Jedi Master Qui-Gon Jinn in ‘The Phantom Menace.’ His character Master Sol has no direct connection to Qui-Gon Jinn, but Lee says he tried to find similarities between them:
“I definitely was inspired by a lot of the past Jedi Masters and the wonderful actors that played them. And one of my favorite characters was Qui-Gon Jinn, played by Liam Neeson. I really kind of tried to find the connective tissue between him and my character, Master Sol.”
He watched the movie and studied Neeson’s portrayal to bring depth to his own character.
Besides Lee Jung-jae, ‘The Acolyte’ stars Dafne Keen, Manny Jacinto, and Rebecca Henderson. The first two episodes are now available on Disney+.
