By Erin Chew
In another installment to the Star Wars franchise, The Acolyte tells the story of an investigation into a shocking crime spree which pits a respected Jedi Master against a dangerous warrior from his past. As more clues emerge, the path in revealing evil forces becomes dark, sinister and dangerous.
In this series, veteran South Korean super star Lee Jung-jae (Squid Game, Hunt), portrays Sol– a respected Jedi master who investigates the aforementioned crimes. As he continues his investigation, the lines between good and evil, light and dark, become more and more blurred. In a recent interview with AsAmNews, Lee discussed his process to take on this role, and what it felt like to be able to join such an iconic franchise.
“It has been such an experience for me to be involved with The Acolyte. I am usually used to working on Korean productions, so working on a Western production was a major learning curve for me – especially something as iconic as Star Wars. I remember when I was young watching the original films and wishing I could be part of it one day, and yes that day did come”, Lee mentioned.
To play this role, Lee had to get his English-speaking skills refined. Despite having learned English slowly over the past few years, being cast in The Acolyte pushed him to practice more and get it to a level where he felt comfortable playing his character in the series.
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“You know, I have always been kind of learning English over the years little by little. However this was by no means enough to act in English till I got this role. I definitely dedicated myself more to getting it all right and ready to play Sol, and I hope I did do the series and my character justice. I even felt like I was practicing dialogue in my sleep, because it was all about continuous practice. Of course I need to thank my dialect coaches in the UK, who really bought my English to a higher level.
For Lee, working on this project was also about refining his craft of acting. As someone who already has a huge fan based back home in South Korea as well as around the world, accolades and recognition wasn’t something he was looking for when branching out and working on a Western production like The Acolyte. Lee reflects deeper on what he hoped to achieve with his performance and it was more on the level of showcasing his skills and also challenging himself to be better and be able to do more.
“I have had a long career in acting, but in every project I take on, I try to see it as my first so that I can always put on my best performance no matter what. The Acolyte, being a Western production allowed me to challenge myself to act and do things I have not really done so in the past. I want it to be the start of me on the journey of continuous improvement in my acting and open up my acting repertoire to more interesting projects”, Lee reflected upon.
Finally, a question about the success of the South Korean film and entertainment industry was put to Lee. As someone who has been in the game in South Korea for many years, he has witnessed changes from the industry being more popular domestically, to now having films and series gaining popularity worldwide.
“The Korean film and television industry has been developing for a while now, but I do think in recent years it has been more popular overseas as well. With the introduction of streaming platforms, it has given the opportunity for South Korea to get their content out. Of course, I can say series like Squid Game which I was in became a global sensation, and I hope this trend continues. I have seen South Korean content over the years improve in its quality and authenticity with unique storylines. This question is something I ponder about a lot and I hope the industry grows long into the future”.
The cast of the Acolyte also includes Amandla Stenberg (The Hunger Games, Rio 2) as Osha and Mae, Manny Jacinto (The Good Place, Haileys On It!) as Qimir, Dafne Keen ( The Refugees, Logan) as Jacki Lon, among others starring alongside Lee.
The Acolyte will premiere on Disney + on June 4, 2024.
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