Backstage 5 With...
Don Lee By Allie Volpe
Few actors can say their Hollywood debut was leading a Marvel film, but Don Lee is one of them. In “Eternals”— directed by Academy Award winner Chloé Zhao—Lee plays the superstrong Gilgamesh, one of the heroes tasked with protecting humans from the Deviants. A veteran of South Korean cinema, Lee appeared in 2016’s “Train to Busan” and 2017’s “The Outlaws.” Here, he reflects on the scale of “Eternals” and discusses his A-list costars.
ILLUSTRATION: NATHAN ARIZONA/PHOTO: COURTESY DON LEE
What has playing Gilgamesh added to your acting skills? This character, Gilgamesh, was not an Asian character in the comics; but it was changed [for] the movie, which I’m very honored to represent as an Asian. During this film, I was doing not only action, but drama and comedy. It was a very new experience, being able to accomplish different dimensions. Chloé had seen my acting in my past films, and she made me [feel] very comfortable. For the action scenes, I do have a background of 30 years in boxing, and this one was actually a different experience, as I was fighting the Deviants. Gilgamesh, overall, is a very brave and powerful character with his onepunch strength, but he also stands up for what he believes, and that’s something that really stood out to me.
What was the most surprising aspect of working on “Eternals”? What was very surprising was that it was a different kind of scale. I was just astonished by the diverse cast. One of the most surprising things was that it was not on the green screen when we went to the island [where we shot]—it was the physical location that we went to. What was your first day on the “Eternals” set like? A month before [shooting began], when I went to the set, there was nothing prepared there. But then a month later, there was a whole forest with real trees. Every day with the cast was very memorable to me.
What was the audition process like? Five years ago, in Hollywood, [I was given] a lot of offers to be in a lot of films; but at that point, I was producing and acting in multiple movies [in South Korea]. It wasn’t the right time. But [then], Sarah Finn, the casting director for Marvel, reached out to me with this character of Gilgamesh. After hearing her and talking to Chloé and Nate [Moore, one of the producers] through a video call, I was honored to become a part of [“Eternals”]. And the timing was perfect for what was going on personally for me.
What performance should every actor see and why? Angelina Jolie playing the role of Thena in [“Eternals”] was very outstanding to me, in showing her humanism. Her acting in this role is something I would want everybody to be able to look at and experience.
“Always be prepared—physically, mentally, everything.”
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11.04.21 BACKSTAGE
