If you did not see enough of Lee Jong Suk in “I Hear Your Voice,” no need to worry. The talented young actor and star of “School 2013” is in two upcoming movies, “No Breathing” with Seo in Guk and “Boiling Youth” with Girls Generation singer Kwon Yuri. But if you get impatient waiting for those movies to finish filming, you can catch him next month in the film “The Face Reader.”
Physiognomy or face reading is an ancient art in which someone’s personality can be analyzed by looking at facial features such as the length of a nose, the curve of eyebrows or eye color.
“The Face Reader” is set in the Joseon era when face-reading skills were used to identify the best mates, reliable employees and even criminals. It stars Song Kang Ho as Nae Kyung, a face reader whose talents bring him to the royal court. He is asked for his advice in a murder case and successfully identifies the murderer. The king asks him to remain at court and to help identify potential traitors.
Unfortunately, he becomes part of a power struggle between Prince Suyang, played by Lee Jung Jae, and General Kim Jongseo, played by Yeon Hong. The prince kills someone who stands in his way of becoming king and Nae Kyung decides to side with the general.
Lee Jong Suk plays Nae Kyung’s son. At a recent press conference, he talked about his first role in a historical film and joked about having to grow his hair. He did not think the topknot worn by men in such historical dramas added anything to his looks.
“I realized how important hair can be,” he said with a laugh. “My looking good seems to depend very much on my hairstyle.”
It was also his first experience wearing the traditional outfit known as a hanbok.
“It was as comfortable as a school uniform,” he said. “I tried different hanboks and it was a good experience.”
Also appearing in the film are Kim Hye Soo playing a top gisaeng and Jo Jung Suk playing Song Kang Ho’s assistant.
In one of the teaser trailers for the film, the voiceover relates a tongue-in-cheek description of Lee Jong Suk’s features. The description has more to do with the actor’s career than his character.
Lee Jong Suk’s personality was jokingly analyzed as someone women and children would follow and someone with such good hearing that he can hear things other people might miss.
The film premieres on September 11.
