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| Actor and singer Lee Seung-gi poses after an interview with The Korea Times in Seoul, July 3. Courtesy of Netflix |
By Kwak Yeon-soo
Lee Seung-gi, a singer and actor who has maintained steady popularity for his various roles in hit TV dramas and reality shows, has returned to the small screen with travel-reality show "Twogether," starring alongside Taiwanese actor Jasper Liu.
In Netflix's eight-episode series, the Lee-Liu pair travel to six Asian cities ― Yogyakarta and Bali in Indonesia, Bangkok and Chiang Mai in Thailand and Pokhara and Kathmandu in Nepal ― to meet their local fans.
The star duo complete various missions to collect clues that help them find their fans' homes under tight time constraints.
Although Lee and Liu come from different cultural backgrounds and their languages are different, Lee said they had no problem communicating.
"I think the language and cultural barriers have made us display more playful and energetic sides of our personalities. I mingled about 10 Chinese and 100 English words and phrases to communicate with Jasper, accompanied by a lot of gestures and body language. I realized that empathy is the most important skill for communicating," Lee said during a recent interview with The Korea Times.
While Lee is an expert in variety shows ― having starred in several hits like "1 Night 2 Days," "Running Man," "Sisters over Flowers" and "New Journey to the West" ― he recalled that having to lead the series with Liu was a big challenge for him.
"I have a lot of experience in variety shows, but all of them featured five to six members. As for Twogether, there were only two of us to carry the entire show. I initially worried that we might end up with a lack of content or empty audio," he said.
"Despite my concerns, things have worked out way better than I had expected. Jasper and I both have outgoing and positive personalities, so we had amazing synergy. Exploring places and going through challenging missions, we became close friends."
Lee also lauded Liu for being a great travel buddy, saying that he was impressed by Liu's eagerness to actively communicate with the production team despite him being the only foreigner.
"It could have been a bit frustrating for Jasper because the entire production team consisted of Koreans only. However, he was very open-minded and friendly to all," he said. "I cannot think of a better travel companion than Jasper."
Meeting his fans was Lee's favorite part of the series.
"While I get to meet fans at various events like fan meetings or concerts, visiting my fans in their homes is a special experience. I'm no longer a star, but a natural traveler," the 33-year-old actor said. "When I saw a fan's room decorated with my photos, I got so overwhelmed I almost shed tears."
Lee revealed that his personal travel style is quite different from what is shown in the series. Rather than engaging in outdoor activities and exploring hidden gems, Lee prefers to wander big-city centers, go shopping and dine in popular restaurants.
He also expressed hope that "Twogether" will satisfy viewers who cannot travel abroad due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Although it's impossible to travel these days due to COVID-19, I hope the audiences can vicariously experience the joys of travel through our program," he said. "I hope to reunite with Liu for a second season of Twogether."
Lee is set to star in tvN's new drama series "Mouse," which will air in January next year. All episodes of "Twogether" are available on Netflix.
