Actor Lee Dong-jun, 68, revisited the story behind "Clementine," a film he produced more than two decades ago that has since become notorious as one of the worst movies in Korean cinema history.
Lee appeared Tuesday on SBS's "Dongsang Idae 2 - Neo Neun Nae Unmyeong," a TV relationship variety show, alongside his nephew, actor Song Jin-woo, where the two discussed the ill-fated production.
Lee conceived, produced and starred in "Clementine," which opened in May 2004. The film follows a father racing to rescue his kidnapped daughter and generated considerable buzz at the time for casting Hollywood action star Steven Seagal.
When Song mentioned that his own parents had appeared in the film — his mother as a woman brought to a police station and his father as a police officer — Lee quipped that the box-office failure was their fault. "If your mom and dad hadn't been in it, it wouldn't have flopped," he joked. "The real reason it failed was that I tried to cut costs and didn't hire proper actors."
Song played along, saying Lee had poured all the money into Seagal, leaving little for everyone else. Seagal appeared on screen for less than five minutes yet reportedly received 1.2 billion won for his role.
Song also revealed that Lee had sold his Gangnam apartment to help finance the project, with total production costs reaching 5.2 billion won. Show host and broadcaster Kim Gu-ra added that Lee had taken on odd performance gigs in Busan to pay off the resulting debt.
The film was savaged by critics upon release. Reviewers cited a sloppy, clichéd story and a directing style reminiscent of the 1980s and '90s. It ultimately drew only 60,000 admissions and earned 200 million won at the box office — a dismal return on a 5.2 billion won investment. Lee reportedly lost his entire fortune and was left 900 million won in debt.
Song tried to find a silver lining, noting that while Lee had been financially wiped out, the film had at least made him a household name. "Your Naver rating is in the 9s," he said.
Lee acknowledged the film's shortcomings. "Even I look at it now and think, what a strange way to make a movie," he said. Still, he said he had no regrets. "When people hear 'Lee Dong-jun,' they think 'Clementine' — and taekwondo. The film may have bombed, but my name definitely got out there."
Despite the critical drubbing, "Clementine" found a second life online, where its perceived ineptitude turned it into a meme and gradually raised its profile — much like singer Rain's song "Gang," which was widely mocked before staging a viral comeback. The film has since been reappraised in some corners as the greatest meme movie in Korean cinema history.
paq@heraldcorp.com
