Lee Honey laughs off 'AI' quip, spotlights 'Aema' and family's steady support

In an Aug. 29 Korea Ilbo interview, Lee Honey opened with a playful "too AI" aside before steering into a frank conversation about her new series and artistic convictions, positioning the project as a contemporary reexamination of a storied 1980s franchise grounded in courage and solidarity. She stressed that the drama reframes the legacy of 1980s erotic cinema through the intertwined journeys of star Hee-ran and newcomer Joo-ae, illuminating both the spotlight and the shadows of the industry. She emphasized that the work treats sexuality with a casual, healthy frankness and keeps agency at the forefront, an outlook that guided her performance with clarity and purpose. Lee Honey underscored that framing and perspective decide whether bodies are consumed or characters are respected, praising the production's agency-first approach to intimate scenes. She noted that this creative stance enabled performances that felt free yet intentional, maintaining character integrity while acknowledging period-specific tensions and power dynamics. She also offered heartfelt thanks to her husband for being understanding about shooting intimate scenes, saying such support allowed bolder yet thoughtful choices without compromising her principles. To inhabit Hee-ran, she delved into late-70s and 80s interviews and performances, fine-tuning cadence, diction, and poise to reflect the era's texture. She highlighted meticulous collaboration across hair, makeup, wardrobe, and dialogue coaching to avoid anachronism, drawing inspiration from enduring icons whose elegance resonates as contemporary rather than retro pastiche. The goal, she said, was to honor women who fought for space and respect in a more constrained industry while showing how their presence still echoes. Reuniting with collaborators including Jin Sun-kyu and sharing the screen with Bang Hyo-rin and Jo Hyun-chul, she recalled set moments that drew spontaneous applause for intensity and craft. Lee Honey credited her husband with steady, understanding support that respects an actor's realities, reinforcing a resolve to choose roles worthy of time away from home and to approach each project with total effort and clear intent. She added that becoming a mother deepened her selectivity, pushing her to invest fully in stories that justify every hour spent away from her children.