In the final scene of episode three of Strangers From Hell (also known as Hell Is Other People), Lee Dong Wook, who plays the supposedly charming dentist Seo Moon Jo, takes out a lunch box filled with blood-red meat. "Try this. It's to die for," he tells a hesitant Yoon Jong Woo (played by Im Si Wan), who awkwardly expresses displeasure at him after one bite.
“I guess this part is not for you. There are other parts. Do you want something?” Moon Jo replies, the gaze piercing his. As Jong Woo nervously tries to end the night, his host takes two slimy slices, eats them, knowingly saying, “That's weird. This is good meat.
Except what was offered on the lace table path in Eden Goshiwon's dingy communal pantry area was human flesh. “I remember the character Yoo Ki Hyuk's murder scene in this episode,” says Lee, recalling some of his favorite scenes in the haunting 10-episode horror-thriller drama. “That was the scene that most clearly showed Seo Moon Jo’s true personality, which turned how viewers thought he really was.”
A stalker, cannibalistic, homicidal psychopath who kills for sport and is hell-bent on creating more of his perverted kind, that is. The drama, based on Naver's webtoon series of the same name, delves into the darkest parts of the human psyche: the abyss that manifests in Moon Jo trapping Jong Woo, who is mentally challenged, in "hell" (ironically named Eden), and finally convincing an assassin of him.
“Many people still remember this drama,” adds Lee. “Strangers From Hell covers a lot of social issues, but more importantly, it raises a burning issue about what kind of people we are to each other.”
Seo Moon Jo's mysteriously manic character is, however, a completely new one introduced in the drama. Created to be an intriguing persona who builds up the strange and unsettling tension between the other key characters, and also to send chills down the spine of viewers, Lee's take on the character was mostly instinctual. Putting himself in the shoes of the brooding Seo Moon Jo and reacting like he would, he wanted to say. "I followed the script closely and talked to the director a lot," he says. "Personally, I am pleased to play the villain and how I played this new character."
No one would have thought that a smile on the 40-year-old heartthrob, famous for his alabaster skin, naturally rosy lips and deep-set eyes, would one day be considered "creepy." Strangers From Hell is a genre of drama Lee has never dabbled in before, in which he plays not just a one-dimensional bad guy, but one with an aura of dim and precise creepiness. “Since this should never happen in reality, I tried to thoroughly distinguish between acting and reality,” he says. "I always checked myself so I wasn't absorbed in character outside of work."
The series was Lee's next big series after The Lonely and Great God: Goblin ended in 2017. In the latter, he portrayed the cynically humorous Grim Reaper in a deadpan comedic style; the role quickly re-established his foothold in the Hallyu scene as an actor not only to watch but also to remember. For months, the period-changing supernatural series (also starring Gong Yoo and Kim Go Eun) was on the lips of even the most casual K-drama viewers, earning it the highest viewership ratings in the channel's history. South Korean television. tvN (second after Crash Landing On You broke their record in 2020).
The premise of the drama is simple. Lee Yeon, the nine-tailed fox in love, is searching for the reincarnation of his first love Ah Eum (played by Jo Bo Ah). However, longed-for love is never easily won, and the story arc reaches its climax when, even after finding love, the relationship struggles to flourish amidst arduous obstacles. An enchanting blend of Korean folklore with a romantic prophecy waiting to be fulfilled, Lee embodies the essence of compelling gumiho: all faithful devotion wrapped in auburn hair and shimmering gold irises.
“Both plays [Goblin and Tale Of The Nine-Tailed] were based on excellent screenwriters, so I had no problem acting,” he shares, drawing attention to wanting to portray even more facets of Korean culture to an international audience. “I think viewers enjoyed Grim Reaper and gumiho because they are familiar characters that all Koreans know.”
After that, Lee jumped to Bad and Crazy in 2021, playing the competent but fickle police officer Ryu Soo Yeol of the South Korean Anti-Corruption Investigation Division. Soo Yeol lacks morals, turns a blind eye to certain offenses for promotions, and is basically an A-grade bootlicker. One day, he crosses paths with K (played by Wi Ha Joon), a man dressed in a leather jumpsuit and helmet. motorcycle that seems to hit the protagonist every time they pass each other (yes, even when he is wrapped in a towel). in a sauna).
The plot twist comes quickly in episode two: Soo Yeol has dissociative identity disorder. K, her alter ego, manifests as the hero of justice who confronts any shred of immorality by throwing punches. Another first for Lee, being in a not-so-classic police drama: It is finally revealed that a traumatic childhood has caused the police officer to develop a "bolster" to protect himself from others “Ryu Soo Yeol is a heartbroken person. I think he tries to hide this by living longer and being more successful,” Lee says of the character. “I made an effort to express his progress of maturation and confrontation with his painful past. Especially the ending scene, when Ryu Soo Yeol ended the injustice by himself, not by K's intention, he showed real growth.”
Now, for an actor who very bravely took on four meaty roles in a span of six years from 2016, that's almost one hit drama a year, perhaps the bigger question is, does Lee Dong Wook ever run out of steam? What keeps it going? How does he do it all?
Well, going full steam ahead with an almost ever-changing repertoire, Lee sums up decades of hard work in a single sentence: "It's the spirit of defiance."
"I don't think I should just play characters that I do easily and do well, but I think that [trying] to constantly challenge new things increases my value," he says, noting that the responsibility of an actor is to open his heart. he was in a character. “Exhaustion is natural. The good thing is the feeling of accomplishment when I finish the challenge well. That helps me grow."
After 23 years in show business, with 17 years of continuous work since his breakout role in the romantic comedy drama My Girl in 2005, that hunger for growth still burns. “A lot of things happened from then until now, there were times when he was happy, other times he was frustrated,” he says. "But to be able to move forward steadily and remain consistent is real growth."
He never regretted any of the roles he took on, even those that may not have translated into "successful" works. “All the characters I have played have helped me in my acting life. I never neglected to play any part and did my best,” says Lee. “If the work is successful, it is a successful experience. If it fails, it is a failed experience. All of them are valuable experiences for me just as they are.”
It is a feeling that reflects a person who is clearly comfortable with himself. To the point of exuding an unbridled, unassuming, almost contagious energy. Any of his vlogs on the South Korean streaming platform V Live will demonstrate exactly that: Lee laughs heartily, while making heartfelt jokes and sarcastic comments. "Chocolate Mint Ice Cream Flavored Mealworms, or Mealworm Chocolate Mint Ice Cream Flavored?" his production team asks, referring to his role as gumiho in Tale Of The Nine-Tailed. “Do they taste salty? Did you eat it before? Did you eat mealworms when you were seven? Lee exclaims, truly completely shocked by a commentator on this particular live session. Mealworm flavored mint chocolate ice cream was his answer, by the way, because "isn't it better to eat ice cream than mint chocolate flavored bugs?"
He's so effortlessly funny,” was how one netizen described Lee. “This man is never afraid to show what he really is in real life,” reads another comment.
Why else would he host his own talk show, Wook Talk? It was on November 2, 2019, four days before the actor's 37th birthday, that the announcement was made. The American-style talk show, set in front of a live audience, also marked Lee's 20th anniversary in show business. “I was proud to host my own talk show and I think it's a wonderful thing,” he says, reflecting on the 12-episode reality series, where he mingled with other celebrities like Gong Yoo and Kim Seo Hyung, South Korean assemblyman Park Jie Won and professional boxer Choi Hyun Mi. “I participated more directly than when I was acting. I remember the work of organizing questions and analyzing the guests through many talks and meetings with the production team.”
On how he does what he does, the actor is candid. He doesn't live by any kind of life mantra, he doesn't believe in superstition and he doesn't follow a religion. "I believe in myself," he says. "I have the mentality that good things will come if I work hard and face life with sincerity."
“I am happy that I was able to do what I loved for 23 years in a row, and I will do my best to make that happiness last,” he adds, already hard at work filming his new romantic comedy movie, Singles In Seoul. "This is a love story that can happen to anyone," he hints, about the movie likely to be released this year. When that's over, Lee will return to his favorite activity: staying home, alone, perhaps having a latte mocha, to fully rest and recharge, before returning to a new job. Rinse and repeat, no problem. What is it like to live as Lee Dong Wook? He laughs. "Well, is not bad".
Reporter: CHELSEA TANG Cinematography: Kim Yeong Jun Styling: Nam Joo Hee Fashion Editor: Jenine Oh Hair: Lee Hye Young Makeup: Lee Young Executive producer: Lee Kyung Kim / BL Creative House
Translation: LatIn Fan Community
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