Lee Min-ho has attempted a unique transformation.

In the tvN drama ‘Ask the Stars’, co-starring Gong Hyo-jin, he has shed the upright and smart image he has shown so far and has taken on an image transformation by taking on the role of a character living day to day for survival.

He plays the role of an obstetrician and gynecologist dinosaur in the drama that tells the story of an astronaut (Gong Hyo-jin) working in a zero-gravity space station and an uninvited guest (Lee Min-ho) who goes into space with a secret mission.

Starting with the first episode on the 4th, Lee Min-ho has caught people‘s attention by expressing various characters, from a young man with an unfortunate family history to a space tourist who goes back and forth between life and death.

He does all kinds of part-time jobs and odd jobs to pay off the debt he incurred during his school days, and even becomes the attending physician for the daughter of a wealthy family who suffers from infertility, but he also experiences endless hardships. In the process, he left a strong impression by performing a shocking bed scene with the daughter of a conglomerate (Kim Ji-eun).

In this way, he flexibly acted out Lee Min-ho’s eventful life and the process of going into space with a secret mission given by the chairman of a conglomerate, thereby increasing the sense of immersion.

As Director Park Shin-woo, who directed the drama, mentioned at the previous production presentation, “Lee Min-ho‘s usual relaxed and slouched appearance” came to life as it was.

Lee Min-ho said, “It’s been a while since I‘ve greeted you, so I got to show a character different from my existing image,” and “I was interested in the character who wants to escape from the harsh life of reality, and I hope the viewers will enjoy it.”

Meanwhile, the viewership ratings for the first episode were not as high as expected at 3.3% (Nielsen Korea), but Lee Min-ho’s acting, which is close to a “one-man show,” raised expectations.


Reporter Lee Jeong-yeon annjoy@donga.com