Lee Jae-wook has a lot going on. The Alchemy of Souls’ actor is going to be seen in the Disney+ revenge thriller The Impossible Heir and, off the screen, he has recently confirmed that he is in a relationship with K-pop group aespa’s lead singer, Karina.
The relationship confirmation came after Korean news agency Dispatch reported that the two have been dating since January 14 after meeting at the Prada showcase in Milan earlier this year. As pictures of the two enjoying time together surfaced on social media, their respective agencies confirmed the news officially.
On the work front, the actor plays Han Tae-ho in the recently released K-drama The Impossible Heir. His character is an ambitiously astute young man who devises a plan to bring his abusive stepfather down.
In an exclusive interview with HELLO! India, the actor spoke about what drew him to the character of Tae-ho, his process to get into his roles and his message to fans in India…
In conversation with Lee Jae-wook
HELLO!:What did you think of the script when you first read it, and what made you decide to star in the series?
Lee Jae-wook: “The script made a strong first impression. I read up to episode four and was left wanting to know more so I knew I had to take the role! Han Tae-ho is a highly ambitious and intense character. He is persistent and once he sets his mind to a task, he pursues it until it’s accomplished.”
H!: The Impossible Heir follows Han Tae-ho from his teenage days till adulthood and throughout the series, we see him constantly evolving. What was your focus when portraying this change?
LJW: “Han Tae-ho is skilled at keeping a poker face, and he never reveals his hand. I made sure to change my style of acting to avoid expressing too many emotions, instead revealing his personality through small and subtle details. The characters‘ growth, lovestory and experiences are something that we’ve all felt or experienced in varying degrees and they’re universally relatable. If you pay attention to these emotions, you’ll see how similar these characters are to people you’ll meet in real life.”
H!:What was it like working with Lee Jun-young and Hong Soo-ju?
LJW: “Great! We had so many conversations together discussing our character dynamics. The series has so many twists and turns that we had to constantly chat to make sure we were all portraying our characters to the best of our abilities.”
H!: The Impossible Heir features powerful characters, unpredictable story developments, and impactful dailogues. Do you have a favourite scene or line from the series?
LJW: “My favourite line is: ‘If you want attention, steal something bigger. Don’t waste your time on such petty trash.’ I think this line serves as a trigger for my character’s ambition.”
H!:In this series, you got to reunite with some of your old colleagues like Choi Jin-ho from Extraordinary You. What was it like working together on the set of The Impossible Heir?
LJW: “I met Choi Jinho at the table-read, and he said ‘I’m so happy to see that you’re doing well, son. I’ll continue to do my best too. It’s great to work with you again.’ It might not have been a long time since we last worked together, but hearing him say that made me aware of the passage of time and how much we’ve both grown as actors since our last shoot.”
H!:Do you have a message for your fans in India?
LJW: “I can’t wait for you to see the series and all the tension and excitement featured throughout!”
The Impossible Heir is now streaming on Disney+ Hotstar.
