South Korean actor Lee Min-ho has established himself as the fantasy hero type on the small screen with K-dramas like Boys Over Flowers (2009), The Heirs (2013) and The King: Eternal Monarch (2020).
But, the Seoul native – who turns 35 in June this year – is more than ready to change that solidified image of his.
He recently said that he would like to shed his “knight in shining armour” persona after Eternal Monarch.
“It’s not that I have a concrete plan right now on what type of characters I would like to play and when, but I am in my 30s now,” he explained to StarLifestyle through a translator, during an online interview with a group of international journalists.
“And as I gain more experience in the business, I think I have come to appreciate the power of stories – stories that can really send a message to the audience, like Pachinko.
“Pachinko has a very powerful story. And when it’s such a strong story, I am willing to take on any type of roles, even if it is a villain”
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Lee is one of the cast members in the American-produced series Pachinko, which is based on The New York Times bestselling novel of the same name by Korean American author Min Jin Lee.
The main plot is set during the Japanese colonial rule in Korea (1910 to 1945), focusing on Koreans who’ve left their homeland to Japan with hopes of a better life.
However, in Japan, they face even more hardships and prejudices.
It also features the talents of Oscar-winning South Korean actress Youn Yuh-jung, Korean American actor Jin Ha, Japanese–New Zealander actress Anna Sawai and newcomer Kim Min-ha.
With dialogues in Korean, Japanese and English, the eight-part series unfolds through the eyes of female character Sunja, who is born into a poor family in Busan in the 1900s and later – as a young woman – migrates to Osaka, where she continues to live into her 70s, in the 1980s.
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According to Lee, his participation in Pachinko means a lot as it explores a part of Korean history that he feels all Koreans should be aware of.
In the series’ production notes, the actor admitted that he didn’t know much about this part of Korean history before embarking on Pachinko. Thus he wanted to remedy his lack of knowledge by being part of the show.
He did this by doing his own research before filming started. “I tried to find old images, and read up on events that aren’t in history books.
“I also watched documentaries of people going through hardships, facing insurmountable challenges and triumphantly overcoming them for inspiration,” Lee stated in the interview.
Since Pachinko is a story “about people who’ve endured and overcome hard times”, it made him reflect on the sacrifices that were made by the older generations and what he could do for the next generation of his family.
“Nowadays, we put our own happiness as a top priority, but Pachinko made me think about the reason I get to live the life I do now,” said the Korean heartthrob, who has 29 million followers on Instagram.
In Pachinko, Lee plays the enigmatic Hansu, a Korean merchant who’s assimilated to the Japanese way of life and finds great success by making cold calculated moves.
His relationship with Sunja is the starting point of this saga that journeys between Korea, Japan and the United States, through multiple generations.
“All of the characters in Pachinko, including Hansu are just trying to survive. And each of them has their own unique survival method. I found these strong characters who have endured so much, very inspiring,” said Lee.
“Playing Hansu was a rewarding experience for me as an actor, because you are trying to understand and express emotions that are unfamiliar to us presently.”
Describing his character as an opportunist who adheres only to his own desires, the actor added that Hansu is not totally bad even if he acts harshly most of the time.
“If you look at Hansu, you would see him as a villain. However, if you try to understand him a little deeper, there is a reason behind his language and his demeanour.
“He’s much more multi-layered than just simply a villain. And I tried really hard to express this aspect with my portrayal.”
Lee was so intrigued by Hansu that he was willing to audition for the role, something that this global superstar didn’t need to do for more than a decade in South Korea.
Apparently, Hansu was a role that was coveted by several big names in the industry.
But with Pachinko’s showrunner, creator and executive producer Soo Hugh (The Killing) insisting that the casting process for every role in the series go through an audition process, Lee took up the challenge and worked hard at his audition tape.
In a magazine article, Lee recalled feeling proud when he finally received the Pachinko script after making it through three rounds of audition.
During our interview, Lee elaborated what made this character particularly special to him: “Hansu is a much more grounded character compared to some of the characters I have played before. My previous characters are more polished and fantasy-like. With Hansu, I focused on being more authentic.
“This experience of playing Hansu was a very freeing emotion for me. And in the process, it provided me with an opportunity to learn a lot.”
Lee’s hardworking nature is something that showrunner Hugh attested to as well.
She mentioned in the production notes: “He is so detail-oriented and so dedicated to working towards the whole story.
“He worked so hard, went so far beyond his comfort zone and was one of the hardest workers on this show.
“But also, what makes him a star is something so innate.
“He has this natural gift of knowing how to look at the camera without any vanity. He can emote on-screen in a way I haven’t experienced before.”
Besides diversifying his acting roles, Lee – who stands tall at 1.87m – has also taken on the task of curating content for his YouTube channel (leeminho film).
As he told a Korean outlet, he finds the creative process extremely enjoyable.
“I sincerely think that I might have a talent for it (laughs),” he’s quoted.
The channel, which boasts 866,000 subscribers, has visually aesthetic “movielogs”.
Reportedly, Lee is responsible for almost 80% of the editing. Filming and further editing are done by his team of two or three.
It’s said that this venture was initiated because Lee wanted to find a hobby that’s related to his job, and one that he could also benefit from.
This platform also lets him share his daily life with his fans.
As seen in the videos, he shows fans a number of personal things – for example he goes for walks after midnight and he’s bashful when reminiscing about certain memories.
He reasoned: “I have never made any big mistakes, or caused any problems, which is something I am proud of about myself. That is why I am not afraid to reveal private things about me.”
Pachinko is available on Apple TV+.
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