Many people know Lee Jung-jae as Squid Game's Seong Gi-hun, or perhaps by his number, Player 456, or given how synonymous his lead role was with the show's success, maybe even just as 'the Squid Game guy'. While it's true that Squid Game was a breakout role for Lee in the West, to reduce him to a single role diminishes what has been a stellar and consistently successful career in South Korea.

When I sat down with him and his translator to discuss Star Wars: The Acolyte, this direction fascinated me. He had already endured three decades worth of ups and downs, yet Squid Game brought him to a new audience. Was joining Star Wars, the most recognisable media franchise in the West, a deliberate goal he had set himself to build on this platform, or just a chance opportunity that needed to be seized?

Lee learned English for his role in The Acolyte, but felt more comfortable conversing in Korean with a translator.

"Being a part of Star Wars was something I couldn't even really imagine," Lee tells me. "I think even now, having wrapped shooting and doing promotion for it, it's still very hard for me to believe. I asked myself 'is this reality?'. Star Wars, of course, is a franchise that is so iconic and important within film history and has such an expansive universe that continues to grow. So there's still a part of me that finds it hard to believe that I'm part of it."

This star-struck amazement might cut both ways - Lee is a big star, back on top of the world after Squid Game, with the second season coming soon. He could be a big draw for international audiences, and adds a fresh approach to the franchise thanks to his background away from Western media. This influx of new voices and approaches is continued through fellow South Korean-born guest director Kogonada. The Acolyte also makes Lee the first major Squid Game star to make another move in the Western spotlight, with HoYeon Jung's A24 movie The Governesses still in post-production.

With showrunner Leslye Headland telling fans The Acolyte pulls from every Star Wars era, Lee adds that his own favourite era is the '70s, the decade he spent time watching it as he grew up. This answer touches on a common thread throughout Star Wars - growing up with the series.

Every cast member I interviewed mentioned it in some way or other, and that's especially resonant in The Acolyte as the series touches on what it means to grow up. Lee Jung-jae plays Sol, a father figure at the centre of the childhood trauma that propels the show forwards, and he feels his very human narrative will be highly relatable.

"There is a story element within The Acolyte that is a conflict between generations," Lee says. "And I think this is a struggle that people all over the world, regardless of age, deal with. I think it's important for us to close the gap between these growing differences between generations, and to be able to understand others better. Of course, this is a story that's melted into the themes of The Acolyte. People might think because it's Star Wars, it might be a story very far from reality. However, I think fans know that Star Wars has always told stories about family, stories about us. So I think that the audience will really be able to empathise with these storylines that have to do with bridging the gap between generations."

The Acolyte, streaming exclusively on Disney Plus from June 5

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Star Wars: The Acolyte

TV-14 Drama Action-Adventure Crime/Mystery Release Date June 4, 2024 Showrunner Leslye Headland Directors Leslye Headland, Kogonada, Alex Garcia Lopez Franchise(s) Star Wars

Cast

  • Amandla Stenberg
  • Lee Jung-jae
  • Manny Jacinto
  • Dafne Keen

The Acolyte is a series set in the wider Star Wars universe, in which a Padawan and her former Jedi Master come together to investigate a series of Jedi murders.

Streaming Service(s) Disney+ Powered by Expand Collapse