Lee Sung-min Dominates Fall Cinema with Back-to-Back Releases: 'Driving My Life' and 'Boss'

Actor Lee Sung-min is set to captivate audiences by taking over the silver screen this Chuseok holiday season.

Following the release of his film 'Driving My Life' (Korean title: 어쩔수가없다) on September 24th, Lee Sung-min will star in another highly anticipated movie, 'Boss' (Korean title: 보스), premiering on October 3rd. His agency, HB Entertainment, has further amplified the excitement by releasing unreleased stills from both films in time for the Chuseok holiday.

In 'Driving My Life,' Lee Sung-min portrays Gu Beom-mo, a veteran worker at a paper company for over 20 years who struggles to find re-employment after being laid off. He has been praised for his realistic portrayal of a middle-aged man marginalized by societal changes, embodying an 'analog man' who adheres to old ways and is out of sync with the times. The film captures the harsh realities and social absurdities faced by a helpless patriarch through black comedy satire, as Beom-mo drifts further from his family after losing his job.

Lee Sung-min delivers a nuanced yet raw performance, depicting explosive emotions stemming from suppressed anger. Particularly in the sequence dubbed the 'Grasshopper Scene,' his collaboration with actors Lee Byung-hun and Yeom Hye-ran generated unpredictable tension, masterfully blending laughter, tragedy, satire, and reality. This scene garnered thunderous applause from the audience during its screening at the Venice Film Festival, solidifying his strong presence on the international stage.

He will showcase a different facet of his acting prowess in 'Boss,' premiering October 3rd, where he transforms into Dae-soo, the boss of a crime family. Dae-soo is depicted as simple-minded but fiercely loyal to his underlings, promising to deliver laughter to audiences with his comically exaggerated speech and mannerisms. After portraying a despairing patriarch in 'Driving My Life,' Lee Sung-min is expected to inject vitality into the cinema with his completely different role as a cheerful boss.

Beyond the big screen this fall, Lee Sung-min is expanding his reach to television with the Netflix series 'The Beating' (Korean title: 참교육) and the JTBC drama 'Divinity's Bead' (Korean title: 신의 구슬), slated for broadcast next year. Proving his versatile spectrum by oscillating between black comedy and comedic acting, he is demonstrating the caliber of a veteran through his ever-changing transformations. Anticipation is high for the continued success of Lee Sung-min, an actor trusted to deliver both quality works and box office hits.

Korean netizens are reacting enthusiastically, with comments like 'Perfect Chuseok holiday to binge-watch Lee Sung-min's movies!', 'His acting in 'Driving My Life' was so impressive, looking forward to 'Boss' too,' and 'The actor conquering both screen and TV, he's the best!' showing strong support for his performances and prolific career.