Actor Koo Kyo-hwan opened up about his 10+ year public relationship and creative partnership with director Lee Ok-seop. Calling each other their most exciting collaborators, Koo described Lee as "the one who captures me most intriguingly," revealing the deep trust they've built on and off set.
On the web variety show Yojung Table, released on the 14th, Koo shared behind-the-scenes stories about working with Lee. When Jung Jae-hyung brought up the 2019 film Maggie and asked, "Isn't it hard to work with your partner? How do you communicate as director-to-director or director-to-actor?", Koo replied, "When someone pushes a strong opinion, I believe there's always a reason. It makes me take a second look."
As for when their views clash, he said, "We just go, 'Let's shoot yours and mine.'" He added, "Then even the cinematographer joins in so we can keep every angle each of us wants." He laughed as he recalled, "During editing, Director Ok-seop asked, 'Is this it? Are we good?' and in the end, her cut was chosen. In that moment, I already knew I'd lost the momentum."
Koo expressed unwavering trust in Lee, calling her "one of the people who portrays me most compellingly." Speaking about their recent co-directed project My Country: The New Age, he said, "It had been a while since we worked together, and it was really fun." Asked about what they share in common, Koo answered, "What we like can be different, but the things we both feel aren't it are almost the same," earning nods of agreement.
On the secret to their relationship, he emphasized sharing over competing. "Rather than feeling like we 'achieved' something, it's more like splitting stress and pain evenly among us," he said. "It's okay to monopolize happiness. Relationships last when you can lean on each other." Jung Jae-hyung nodded, saying, "That's the real key point."
Meanwhile, Koo has been publicly dating Lee since 2013. The two also co-run the production company 2x9HD as creative partners. Koo will greet audiences with the film Our Secret Alliance, slated for release on the 31st.