Following the hit movie ’The Outlaws 3’, and the hit drama ‘My Perfect Secretary(hereafter referred to as Na Wan-bi)’, actor Lee Joon-hyuk now has the title of ‘A trustworthy actor’.

Lee Joon-hyuk recently had an interview to commemorate the end of the SBS Friday-Saturday drama ‘My Perfect Secretary’ at a cafe in Jongno-gu, Seoul.

That day, Lee Joon-hyuk said ‘The Outlaws 3’ Joo Sung-chul and ‘Na Wan-bi’ Yoo Eun-ho are completely different characters, but when asked if he felt anything about each, he replied, “There are similarities in the story structure of introduction, development, climax, and conclusion. In ‘The Outlaws 3’, a person is killed in the introduction, development, climax, and Na Wan-bi’, and a person kisses in the introduction, development, climax, and conclusion. I felt, ‘The story structure is the same’, so it was actually comfortable. The only difference is that in ‘The Outlaws 3’, senior Ma Dong-seok makes death threats up close. When I open my eyes in Crime City, I see Senior Ma, and when I open my eyes in Na Wan-bi, I see Jimin. Isn‘t that the difference?“ he said with a laugh.

The company in the play, ‘Peoples’, is a headhunting company that recommends people. What kind of person does Lee Joon-hyuk think he should recommend? He said, “I have to recommend the person I want to hire, so I want the person I want to work with to be a bit clearer. I don’t know about other areas, but when it comes to what I do, I like being clear. If you have a lot of experience, you‘ll gain clarity in the process. I like people who speak clearly.”

So, does Lee Joon-hyuk think he’s the kind of person he wants to hire? He said, “This is because of the special nature of the job of an actor, but in some areas on set, I‘m clear. However, when I have to take on a new and challenging path, there are many times when I’m a bit unclear or have to listen to others, and there are many times when I have to build up experience again. “I think things like what I‘ve already experienced or things like communication with the director outside of acting on set are becoming clearer,” he said.


When asked which of his works was his favorite, Lee Joon-hyuk answered, “I don’t want to talk about Dong-jae,” making everyone laugh.

He continued, “At the time, Dong-jae in Secret Forest 1 was my taste. At that time, I saw DiCaprio in ‘The Wolf of Wall Street’ and ‘Django’ and thought a lot about wanting to play that kind of character. I didn‘t find characters who reflected while crying fun, but Dong-jae broke the cliché and was good. ‘Everyone’s Lie’ was also really good. Since I spend a lot, I like things that I don‘t have now. In fact, Na Wan-bi is the same way. He added, ”There have been a lot of stimulating works lately, so I missed the feeling of Na Wan-bi.“

Lee Joon-hyuk, who perfectly played the role of corrupt prosecutor Seo Dong-jae in ”Secret Forest“ and even earned the nickname ”Neugeu Dong-jae.“ After that, he transformed into the villain Joo Sung-chul in ”The Outlaws 3“ and established himself as a ”trustworthy actor“ by attracting 10 million viewers. Doesn’t he feel burdened by the titles of trustworthy actor and slow-permeating actor? He said, ”I think I just have to keep doing my best.“

He continued, ”I can‘t predict whether I’ll be a hit or a role that the public will love, but I think I can be a good colleague on set. I think doing well on set is the most important thing. Then I think good acting can come out, and the next thing is luck. As for the slowly-permeating actor, I hope that even if my juniors don‘t consider me a role model, those somewhere in the middle can see me and gain some hope. Of course, there are many people who don’t want to be like me. I also hated waiting around when I was young,“ he answered honestly.

When asked how he had controlled his mind over the years, Lee Jun-hyuk said, ”Actually, the reason I approached this industry in the first place was because I achieved my goal of ‘doing well’ when I debuted. For almost two years in acting school, I watched someone on screen and thought, ‘How great would it be if they could do that?’ Whether it was one scene or two. I thought, ‘How great must that person be to be there?’ a lot, and I achieved what I had thought was my dream since my debut.“

He said, ”Ever since I was young, this job felt like a magic show. I was really curious, ‘How on earth do they make it?’ For almost 10 years, I was really curious, ‘What is this place? Why does that senior know all this just by reading the script?’ As I continued to approach various places like that, I thought, ‘What kind of place is a movie? What kind of role is this?’ and came here thinking things like that. In fact, I approached it very innocently until I turned 40. There were quite a few roles that didn‘t pay at all. Now, I think I need to earn money to prepare for old age,“ he said with a laugh.


On the other hand, when asked if there was anything new that he had free time for, Lee Jun-hyuk said, ”Actually, I don’t have much free time these days, but I‘m working on a new song. I’m planning and producing it. It sounds great, but it doesn‘t cost that much. I’m working with a composer friend I met on the drama ‘I Am Legend.’ It‘s embarrassing, but this time it’s a song that adults can listen to. But it‘s not like I’m an adult at all. When I say it like that, it sounds like a lot, but it‘s not a huge amount of money. It’s just a hobby between us,“ he said, surprising the set.

Lee Joon-hyuk, who has shown his multi-talented charm by developing games for companion dogs and publishing children‘s books, answered the question of whether he was interested in producing or directing dramas, saying, ”I’ve always been interested. I‘d like to do it if the conditions allow. Directing is actually burdensome. Of course, it would be fun if I could, but I have to be on set more than the actors and there’s a lot of work. I‘m joking, I think it’s difficult.“

Lee Joon-hyuk, who rose to stardom with ”My Perfect Secretary,“ announced news of his next project by confirming his appearance in the new Netflix mystery drama ”Lady Doa.“

Lee Joon-hyuk said, ”I‘m secretly proud that Hye-sun has become so successful, and I’m glad to meet her. She‘s also put in a lot of effort, and I can see that she’s been ‘working hard.’“ ”I feel that way, and it‘s good,“ he said about working with actress Shin Hye-sun, who appeared in ‘Secret Forest 1’, for the first time in eight years.

Netflix’s new mystery drama ‘Lady Doa’, starring Lee Joon-hyuk, tells the story of Sara Kim (Shin Hye-sun), a woman who wants to become a luxury item even if it‘s fake, and Moo-kyung (Lee Joon-hyuk) who pursues her desire. Lee Joon-hyuk will lead the development of the drama as ‘Moo-kyung’, a violent crimes detective who persistently digs into cases with a sharp eye.

Kim Seung-hyun, Donga.com reporter tmdgus@donga.com
Photos | Ace Factory, Studio S, EO Contents Group

This article is automatically translated using Google AI. If you notice any inaccuracies, please let us know at allkstar@donga.com.