Korean actor Lee Jin-wook goes 'beast-mode' in new K-drama 'Sweet Home'

Actor Lee Jin-wook is excited for fans to see him looking completely different in 'Sweet Home'. Photo: Netflix

K-drama actor Lee Jin-wook, a heartthrob in series like Nine – 9 Times Time Travel and Voice 2 – is hardly recognisable in the new show Sweet Home.

Out on Netflix on Dec 18, Sweet Home is a 10-episode series based on a popular webtoon. It is set at an old apartment building where the occupants are suddenly faced with an unusual phenomenon that turns humans into monsters.

One of the occupants trying to survive and fight against the monsters is Pyeon Sang-wook (Lee), a mysterious man who has scars on his face and has a demenour (and fashion sense) of a gangster.

The 39-year-old actor was immediately keen on being part of the show after hearing the news that Sweet Home would be made into a series.

During a video interview, he told StarLifestyle: “I read the webtoon and absolutely loved it. I thought I could do a very good job of portraying a character from the webtoon. And so, you know, after making multiple calls, telling them that I want to be a part of the project, I was lucky enough to get the role."

Lee said he thoroughly enjoyed changing his good look into something else for the show.

He said: “Director Lee Eung-Bok (Goblin and Mr Sunhine) gave me a lot of guidance on how to create my character, complete with empty eyes.

“He told me that he wants me to feel completely different from my previous roles in the very first scene. So, I had a visual makeover.

He added: "I look so different, that people won’t even notice that it is me at first glance.”