Lee Eun-ju (b. Dec. 22, 1980) studied piano for much of her youth, without giving much thought to becoming an actress. After finding work as a model, however, she began to be offered roles in various TV dramas, including Start and KAIST. Her film debut came in 1999, when she played the younger sister in Park Chong-wan’s award-winning feature Rainbow Trout. Her first lead role came as the title character in acclaimed director Hong Sang-soo’s Virgin Stripped Bare by her Bachelors (2000), where she gave one of the most memorable performances in all of Hong’s films. Following this, she teamed with actor Lee Byung-heon (JSA) in the 2001 hit film Bungee Jumping of Their Own, and also scored a hit opposite Cha Tae-hyun in the melodrama Lovers’ Concerto.
Lee’s later career was marked by several turns in films that failed at the box-office, plus a key role in the record-breaking Korean War film Taegukgi. In late 2004 she starred in her last feature, Daniel H. Byun’s The Scarlet Letter which screened as the Closing Film at the 2004 Pusan International Film Festival.
Tragically, Lee committed suicide on February 22, 2005 after suffering from depression for over a year. The news of her death prompted a massive outpouring of grief from fellow actors and filmmakers. Lee will be remembered for her talent, intelligence and passion that made her stand out among the actresses of her generation.
Interview Excerpts:
“I’m called a new generation star, but I don’t want to be the kind of person who achieves instant fame and then is quickly forgotten. I want to learn step-by-step how to become a good actress, and gradually work my way up. A star achieves brilliance, but is soon forgotten; to become an actress takes more time.” [Kino, #60, February 2000]
Bibliography :
Lee Eun-ju (b. Dec. 22, 1980) studied piano for much of her youth, without giving much thought to becoming an actress. After finding work as a model, however, she began to be offered roles in various TV dramas, including Start and KAIST. Her film debut came in 1999, when she played the younger sister in Park Chong-wan’s award-winning feature Rainbow Trout. Her first lead role came as the title character in acclaimed director Hong Sang-soo’s Virgin Stripped Bare by her Bachelors (2000), where she gave one of the most memorable performances in all of Hong’s films. Following this, she teamed with actor Lee Byung-heon (JSA) in the 2001 hit film Bungee Jumping of Their Own, and also scored a hit opposite Cha Tae-hyun in the melodrama Lovers’ Concerto.
Lee’s later career was marked by several turns in films that failed at the box-office, plus a key role in the record-breaking Korean War film Taegukgi. In late 2004 she starred in her last feature, Daniel H. Byun’s The Scarlet Letter which screened as the Closing Film at the 2004 Pusan International Film Festival.
Tragically, Lee committed suicide on February 22, 2005 after suffering from depression for over a year. The news of her death prompted a massive outpouring of grief from fellow actors and filmmakers. Lee will be remembered for her talent, intelligence and passion that made her stand out among the actresses of her generation.
Interview Excerpts:
“I’m called a new generation star, but I don’t want to be the kind of person who achieves instant fame and then is quickly forgotten. I want to learn step-by-step how to become a good actress, and gradually work my way up. A star achieves brilliance, but is soon forgotten; to become an actress takes more time.” [Kino, #60, February 2000]
- Death
On the night of February 22, 2005, only a few days after her graduation from Dankook University, Lee committed suicide at her apartment in Bundang, Seongnam. She was 24 years old. She attempted to slit her wrists and hanged herself. The family blamed the suicide on severe bouts of depression and mental illness, and said she had been suffering from insomnia due to the nude scenes she had done in The Scarlet Letter.
She left a suicide note scrawled in blood, in which she wrote, “Mom, I am sorry and I love you.” A separate note said, “I wanted to do too much. Even though I live, I’m not really alive. I don’t want anyone to be disappointed. It’s nice having money… I wanted to make money.”
Lee Eun-ju was cremated and enshrined in a crypt at Goyang. Hundreds of her fellow actors and entertainers attended her funeral. Vocalist Bada sang “You Were Born to be Loved” and her friends spoke in her memory.
Her friends and colleagues have held memorials for Lee every year since her passing. The 2007 event was marked by a music CD released in her name, featuring remastered versions of her cover performance of The Corrs’ “Only When I Sleep” from The Scarlet Letter, as well as tribute performances by her friends in the entertainment industry.
Tetsuya
