TV / Film
Lee Jong-suk Opens Up About Bird Role in 'The Remarried Empress'
Actor Lee Jong-suk says playing a prince who can transform into a bird came with some unexpected worries. He spoke about it at a press event for the new Disney+ original series "The Remarried Empress" (Jaehon Hwanghu), held on the morning of Nov. 3 at Conrad Seoul in Yeongdeungpo district, Seoul.
Director Cho Soo-won attended along with the show's four leads: Shin Min-a, Ju Ji-hoon, Lee Jong-suk and Lee Se-young.
The series is a sweeping romance fantasy. Navier (played by Shin Min-a) is the flawless empress of the Eastern Empire. Her husband, Emperor Sovieshu (Ju Ji-hoon), falls for Rashta (Lee Se-young), a runaway slave, and tells Navier he wants a divorce. Navier agrees, but on one condition. She wants approval to remarry Heinley (Lee Jong-suk), a prince of the Western Kingdom.
Director Cho Soo-won attended along with the show's four leads: Shin Min-a, Ju Ji-hoon, Lee Jong-suk and Lee Se-young.
The series is a sweeping romance fantasy. Navier (played by Shin Min-a) is the flawless empress of the Eastern Empire. Her husband, Emperor Sovieshu (Ju Ji-hoon), falls for Rashta (Lee Se-young), a runaway slave, and tells Navier he wants a divorce. Navier agrees, but on one condition. She wants approval to remarry Heinley (Lee Jong-suk), a prince of the Western Kingdom.
Heinley comes from a family with the ability to transform into birds. The bird in the show, named Queen, was created based on research into real birds' movements to make its animation look as lifelike as possible. Its feathers and eye color were designed to match Heinley's human appearance.
Host Park Kyung-lim described it as Korea's first bird performance. Lee Jong-suk was quick to clarify.
"I didn't actually play the bird myself," he said. "But I had no idea how it would turn out until I saw the final result, so I was nervous."
When someone pointed out that the bird in the highlight video looks a bit like him, he played along. "Thank you for noticing," he said. "I do kind of have a bird face." In Korean, he used the word "saesang," a joke built on "sae," the word for bird.
He said the design team leaned on him for reference. "I know they worked hard on the bird's design, using a lot of my features and the way I move," he said.
The harder part, he said, came when Heinley changes back into a human. "What weighed on me personally was that he's naked when he turns from a bird into a person," he said. "That was a lot of pressure. I even asked them to give me just one more month."
"The Remarried Empress" premiered worldwide on Disney+ on the afternoon of Nov. 3. For a story that hinges on a prince who is part bird, Queen may turn out to be one of the show's most talked-about characters.
Host Park Kyung-lim described it as Korea's first bird performance. Lee Jong-suk was quick to clarify.
"I didn't actually play the bird myself," he said. "But I had no idea how it would turn out until I saw the final result, so I was nervous."
When someone pointed out that the bird in the highlight video looks a bit like him, he played along. "Thank you for noticing," he said. "I do kind of have a bird face." In Korean, he used the word "saesang," a joke built on "sae," the word for bird.
He said the design team leaned on him for reference. "I know they worked hard on the bird's design, using a lot of my features and the way I move," he said.
The harder part, he said, came when Heinley changes back into a human. "What weighed on me personally was that he's naked when he turns from a bird into a person," he said. "That was a lot of pressure. I even asked them to give me just one more month."
"The Remarried Empress" premiered worldwide on Disney+ on the afternoon of Nov. 3. For a story that hinges on a prince who is part bird, Queen may turn out to be one of the show's most talked-about characters.
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