Parasyte: The Grey actress Lee Jung-hyun had to perform with a 5kg rifle 3 months after giving birth
The South Korean actress also shared how the timeline for this project coincidentally worked out with her pregnancy.
While most might be on bed rest, sleep-deprived, and tending to the whims of an infant, South Korean actress Lee Jung-hyun was on her feet in an action-packed drama wielding a 5kg rifle.
Lee, 44, stars in Netflix’s upcoming K-drama Parasyte: The Grey, an adaptation of the Japanese science-fiction horror manga series Parasyte. She plays Jun-kyung, the leader of the anti-parasite task force Team Grey, which was set up after alien parasites invaded Korea and took over human brains.
At the press conference for the event on 26 March, Lee revealed that she went into production three months after giving birth, and that the rifle used for filming was “really heavy”.
Sharing about the preparation process, she said, “First, I needed to have some muscles in my arms in order to hold up the rifle well. So, I would have 3kg dumbbells around me all the time, then I would do some arm exercises first, and then hold the rifle. It made it much easier for me to work with the rifle.”
Lee also practiced a lot with the stunt team to ensure she had the stamina for the action sequences as her character is “swift and speedy”.
Timeline working out was a ‘coincidence’
The actress, who previously worked with director Yeon Sang-ho on Peninsula (the 2020 sequel to Train to Busan), shared that she really wanted this role on Parasyte: The Grey when the latter suggested it.
However, she felt that she couldn’t put off having kids due to her age.
When talking about the timeline of the project, she recalled, “At that time, he (Yeon) was only finished with the initial part of the script and director Yeon would send me texts asking ‘Are you pregnant?’ The minute I found out I was pregnant, he was one of the first people I told…
“Director Yeon actually got back to me saying, ‘All right, so I’ll work out the rest of the script.’’
Lee felt “very thankful” as to how the timeline worked out, but Yeon “brushed it off” and said it was just a coincidence.
When she asked Yeon during the press conference if it was indeed a coincidence, he replied, “Really, it was coincidental… You know, your child is the most important thing.”
Parasyte: The Grey premieres on Netflix on 5 April.
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