Lee Joon-gi’s journey: From cutting carbs for roles to investing in tofu stocks

On the 30th, in the broadcast of tvN’s “Yoo Quiz On The Block,” there was a special feature titled “Last Chance.” Actor Lee Joon-gi appeared and revealed that he has been avoiding carbohydrates and investing in tofu stocks.

Lee Joon-gi shared stories about the movie “The King and the Clown,” which attracted 10 million viewers. Yoo Jae-suk recalled, “You appeared like a comet.” Lee Joon-gi mentioned, “It was a time when there weren’t many multiplex cinemas.”

Yoo Jae-suk said, “‘The King and the Clown’ is said to be the origin of multiple viewings.” Lee Joon-gi added, “I think it’s a movie where you could think deeply about life and its meaning.” He mentioned that he competed against a ratio of 3000 to 1 to get the role of Gong-gil.

Lee Joon-gi remarked, “As a rookie, I wouldn’t have had an opportunity greater than this. If I had to sell my soul, I would have sold my soul. It’s a work that changed my life.” He continued, “I heard that it was finalized within two or three people.”

Regarding his role, Lee Joon-gi said, “The character was so important that no matter what I did on stage, he didn’t smile. Senior actor Kam Woo-sung really scrutinized it.” He mentioned that physical acting was crucial. He added, “I practiced tumbling, acrobatics, and object manipulation since my school days.” He also shared, “I had an idea and did a scene where my legs were split apart. When I showed it, everyone burst out laughing. At that moment, I felt like it was going to work.”

Yoo Jae-suk asked, “Did you do everything without a stunt double?” Lee Joon-gi replied, “The director told me not to leave the room in the dormitory. I reduced both my words and actions. I lived like that for about a month.”

Yoo Jae-suk commented, “The legendary pomegranate drink CF was born.” Lee Joon-gi responded, “When I saw the script, I thought beautiful women would surround and come out stylishly. But I didn’t expect it to be this comedic.” He revealed, “It was a CF I agreed to do before ‘The King and the Clown.'”

Lee Joon-gi also talked about a song. He said, “The song was originally plain and flat. But when I added humor and sang it, they said it was funny. So I recorded two versions, a normal version and an exciting version. Even now, it comes out when I press a button.”

He also mentioned his contract extension, saying, “It was originally a short-term contract, but it kept getting extended. When it was extended, I asked for a slightly different concept. But I ended up doing a country bumpkin coming to Seoul.”

On this day, Lee Joon-gi attracted attention by mentioning that he cut out rice and flour from his diet to better handle action scenes. He said, “I heard that consuming a lot of flour causes inflammation in the body. It was difficult for the first year or two, but now my body feels lighter and more comfortable.”

Source