Lee Min Ho's interview for Vogue Girl (Part 1)
Source: Daum TVzone
Translation By: KPculture
Vogue Girl met with Lee Min Ho for an interview along with a photo shoot in London, England.
Vogue Girl (VG): Your blood type is A. (Type As) abide well by social norms, have a timid side, and are perfectionists. Is your personality similar to that? Is it not?
Lee Min Ho (LMH): My personality is not like a type A. First of all, I can’t become a perfectionist, I’m not shy, and I don’t maintain social norms well either (laughter). Neither am I that precise.
VG: Are you a morning person or an owl-like night person ?
LMH: I’m like an owl. To the extent that the oriental medicine doctor said that my physical constitution doesn’t allow me to use energy in the daytime. Although due to my schedule, there have been occasions recently that make me a morning person.
VG: What does the owl Lee Min Ho usually do at night?
LMH: It’s not possible now, but before I’d go out with friends to eat good food or play [computer] games at home.
VG: If some time frees up in the middle of the afternoon, do you do outdoor activities like basketball or soccer or play games indoors?
LMH: It depends on [my] condition. I like sports so if [my] condition’s good I guess I’d play basketball or soccer but if it seems bothersome, I play games or watch movies. If I were to choose now…, I like activities I can do at home.
VG: Which acting style would you like to adopt – Choi Min Sik’s way of melting into heartbreaking, wretched characters or Song Kang Ho’s way of making the character his own to the point that it’s provoking/detestable.
LMH: I think it’d be half-half? If [i] put in effort to melt into the character, wouldn’t it become my own? Even if I think I’m wholly true to the character, I think my [own] image would still appear. Because I’m human.
VG: If you were to choose a movie to dissolve stress, which would you watch between a blockbuster action movie, mystery crime thriller, and a slapstick comedy?
LMH: Mysteries or suspense are what I like but if it was to relieve stress, it’d likely be a blockbuster movie.
VG: Then what’s the most recent film you’ve seen?
LMH: It’s been too long since I’ve been to a movie theatre. Since A Frozen Flower was the last film I saw. I watched with my manager and stylist. The audience consisted only of us three. I was origally going to go with just my manager, but if it had been so, it would have caused big trouble from the embarrassment.
VG: What if an offer for a character like Zo In Sung’s in A Frozen Flower came in?
LMH: I think it would be a bit difficult right now. Although I think I could consider it after some time goes by and I gain experience.
VG: Which is the movie you’ve thought of seeing out between the recent topics of conversation – director Park Chan Wook’s Thirst or Bong Joon Ho’s Mother.
LMH: If I were to choose just one out of the two people, will I…, be ok (laughter)? I think I’m on the side of Thirst.
VG: They say gatherings between close friends are divided by two types (of people) – those who liven up the atmosphere by being loud and making people laugh and in contrast, those who see the appropriate, opportune responses and laugh. Which side are you on?
LMH: It varies widely depending on the circumstance. With my friends from middle school or high school, I’m the former, but as I began acting and entered [that] social life, I’ve realized that there are times when it’s necessary to be the latter. Now I’m almost closer to the latter.
VG: Is the type of opposite sex that catches your eye like Gianna Jun or Song Hye Kyo? Or like Kim Tae Hee?
LMH: I’ve said a few times before, but Song Hye Kyo’s style.
VG: If a girl who is your ideal type appears in front of your eyes, do you just look ahead and make a move or do you send telepathy while staying away and make her approach (you).
LMH: I think I’d send telepathy first. It’s good to have be cautious in love.
VG: Where would you proceed to – a gathering with close friends that you haven’t seen in a long while or an urgent (sudden) summons from your girlfriend?
LMH: Barring if you have a girlfriend that you can’t live without seeing even for one day, wouldn’t you usually go to a friends gathering where you can see many people at once? When I’m busy like I am these days, I particularly need to and miss meeting up with friends.
VG: Would you prefer Tokyo, Japan or Paris, France if you were to leave on a trip alone?
LMH: Paris, France, since I’ve never been.
VG: Is the weather you like rainy or sunny?
LMH: It’s the cloudy weather preceding rainfall. I can’t stand when it’s hot because of the bright sun, and I don’t like rainy days because it’s damp. That’s why I also like the cool season of autumn.
VG: Is your head clearer at 2pm or 2am?
LMH: I’m like an owl, so 2am.
VG: Which musical artist are you most curious about nowadays, between Girls’ Generation (SNSD) and Kiha & the Faces (장기하와 얼글들)?
LMH: Kiha & the Faces. They’re really fascinating. There was a time I watched a video clip [of them] and they really caught my eye.
VG: Do you tend to listen to a song you like continually for several months or do you diligently check for new song updates?
LMH: I listen to a song I like on repeat but I get sick of it quickly. I listen to it until I get sick of it. Just like how I listened to SNSD’s “Gee” too much until a bit ago, which is why my answer to the previous question was Kiha & the Faces.
VG: Are the shoes you enjoy wearing white-as-new hightops or faded sneakers?
LMH: Faded sneakers, although fans and the people around me think that I’d wear white hightops a lot.
VG: In your closet, are there more black jeans or blue jeans?
LMH: Black jeans. Not only jeans but I mostly wear only the colours black, white, and grey.
VG: When you think of the words, “cool guy”, does George Clooney wearing a fitted suit come to mind or Johnny Depp in vintage jeans and a hat come to mind?
LMH: Men are [for] suits. Therefore, George Clooney.
VG: After trying it out directly, which did you feel “that suits me surprisingly well” about between Gu Jun Pyo’s curly hair and the dark, smoky eye make-up in the beer CF?
LMH: Not so much that it suited me well but I’ve recently gained an interest in new styles such as smoky eye make-up. And it was a fun experience to film with that appearance.
VG: Tonight, if you could just see one production, what would you choose between a musical or a play?
LMH: I think I’d see a play. I haven’t been able to go often since the beginning of Boys Over Flowers. The last [theatrical] production I saw was From the Bottom starring Kim Su Ro sunbae (senior) in the middle of filming [BOF].
VG: Is the sport you like to watch, soccer or baseball?
LMH: Soccer. I played when I was young, you see. For some reason, if there’s a sport that men like, I think they dislike the [sport] matches that oppose it.
VG: Which event are you confident in between the 100 metre dash and a long distance race.
LMH: 100m dash. I can’t run with perseverance.
VG: Does your sense of humour lean towards real variety show Infinity Challenge or comedy show Gag Concert?
LMH: Real variety. In the past, I had fun watching the show Survivor, where the last person that remains on a remoted island wins.
VG: In your opinion, is the best harmony between ‘beer and chicken’ or ’soju and pork belly’?
LMH: [This is] difficult…(laughter). Alcohol-wise, I like beer but I like pork belly way better so [my answer] would be soju and pork belly. I’m not good at drinking alcohol. Four shots of soju is my limit.
VG: Do you prefer the playing of an electronic guitar or an acoustic guitar?
LMH: Acoustic guitar.
VG: Which animal would you like to raise as a pet – a dog or a cat?
LMH: I prefer dogs but these days I don’t have time to take care of one so I think it might be ok to raise a cat that doesn’t feel loneliness.
VG: If you come across a baby or an animal on the street, do you tend to say something or touch it, or do you just pass by?
LMH: It depends on the situation. In general if I see a baby, I tend to affectionately touch its cheek or foot.
VG: When shopping, do you make comparisons multiple times or purchase immediately if it appeals to you?
LMH: I tend to buy as soon as soon as it catches my eye.
VG: When sleeping, do you sleep lying on your side or on your stomach?
LMH: I sleep lying on my side or my stomach. I sleep most often on my side, but don’t sleep lying properly on my back.
VG: Which do you remember better – your friends’ phone numbers or movie leading actors’ names?
LMH: Movie leads’ names.
VG: Do you like white rice or do you like mixed rice?
LMH: White rice. The reason being that it just tastes better. Meat side dishes suit it best.
VG: Do you like to be seated in a corner far from the entrance of a cafe or by a window?
LMH: A corner seat in a quiet space. That was comfortable from a while ago.
VG: Do you drink quietly while sitting at a club or do you enjoy dancing on the floor?
LMH: As I drink a little bit of alcohol, I dance timidly (laughter).
VG: If there’s something like a missing button, loose thread, or small stain does it consume your nerves the entire day or do you forget about it?
LMH: It completely consumes my nerves.
VG: On a day when the forecast calls for rain, do you make sure to take an umbrella when you leave or do you just go out?
LMH: I don’t take an umbrella.
VG: Do you write a journal or diary?
LMH: No.
VG: Do you suppress your tears if possible or do you cry when you feel like it?
LMH: I suppress [them].
VG: Is your outlook on life one that sets plans (for the future) to abide by or is it happily living a full life in the present?
LMH: I’m devoted to today. I don’t really think about tomorrow and I tend to leave things to flow [naturally]. That’s why I need people around me that set up long-run plans and guide me all the more. Everything tends to be impromptu. Even with trips I like to leave by suddenly deciding, “Let’s go!”, rather than scheduling [ahead of time].
VG: If possible, would you want to stay in your twenties, or do you think it’d be nice to quickly go into your thirties?
LMH: I want to remain in my twenties. Forever. Continually.
