Lee Jin-wook recalls past romances for role in breakup-themed film

연합뉴스 / 2025-09-23 16:05:32

▲ Actor Lee Jin-wook speaks during a press conference for the BIFF competition "Seven O’Clock Breakfast Club for the Brokenhearted" at the Busan Cinema Center in the city’s Haeundae District on Sept. 23, 2025. (Yonhap)

BUSAN, Sept. 23 (Yonhap) — Actor Lee Jin-wook said Monday he drew on his own past relationships to play the lead in director Lim Sun-ae’s new film Seven O’Clock Breakfast Club for the Brokenhearted, which premiered at the Busan International Film Festival (BIFF).

“Everyone will probably have moments where they lose focus while watching this film, because it makes you recall your own past loves,” Lee told reporters at a press conference held at the Busan Cinema Center. “Even during filming, I often worked by bringing back old memories of relationships and applying them to the character.”

Based on novelist Baek Young-ok’s book of the same name, the competition entry follows a man and a woman — played by Lee and singer-actress Suzy — who meet at a support group for the brokenhearted and gradually learn to let go of their past. Lee plays Ji-hoon, who separates from his longtime girlfriend for practical reasons but shows little outward grief.

“Many men, myself included, tend to be foolish in love,” Lee said with a laugh. “The film shows that kind of pattern before the character matures at the end. I also realized how important it is to let your partner go well and spend that time wisely.”

▲ Actor Lee Jin-wook (L), director Lim Sun-ae (C) and producer Lee Sung-jin pose during a press conference for the BIFF competition "Seven O’Clock Breakfast Club for the Brokenhearted" at the Busan Cinema Center in the city’s Haeundae District on Sept. 23, 2025. (Yonhap)

Director Lim, whose previous works An Old Lady (2020) and Love at the End of the Century (2024) were also invited to BIFF, said she was “thrilled” to have her third feature compete at the festival. She described the project as the final part of a self-styled “love trilogy,” adding: “If audiences see their own breakups reflected in the film, that would be the greatest success.”

Suzy did not attend the screening in person, but Lim said the actress kept in touch until the premiere, sharing her nervous excitement with the team.