Lee Jun-hyuk: "I Have Never Made Money Off My Face; The Public Knows This Too… If Trends Change, My Looks May Not Be So Great Anymore" [Interview ②]

*This content was translated by AI.View Original

Actor Lee Jun-hyuk shared his thoughts on being praised as a "pretty boy."

Lee conducted an interview with StarNews at a cafe in Samcheong-dong, Jongno-gu, Seoul, on the afternoon of the 13th. He recently appeared before viewers through the OTT Tving original and tvN Monday-Tuesday drama "Even the Lottery Winner Goes to Work" (hereinafter referred to as "Lottery Winner"), and the conversation turned to topics related to the series.

"Lottery Winner" is a K-office drama about team leader Gong Eun-tae (played by Lee Jun-hyuk), who had been enduring day after day while being squeezed from both above and below, but after winning the first prize in the lottery, he goes to work with a different mindset, keeping the 1.3 billion won prize money instead of submitting his resignation letter.

In the drama, Lee delivered a passionate performance as Gong Eun-tae, the team leader of Sales Team 5, who did his best at his assigned tasks and was promoted rapidly but was enduring a boring daily routine. From his position as the youngest team leader, who had been squeezed from both above and below, Gong Eun-tae encounters a precious opportunity to change his perspective on life thanks to the unexpected luck of winning the lottery. Ultimately, Lee allowed viewers to see Gong Eun-tae as he truly is at the end of the "Lottery Winner" story, regardless of whether he won the lottery or not, depicting a more mature aspect and providing a healing drama for office workers.

However, unlike his realistic and empathetic acting that stood out for its detail, Lee drew viewers' pointed(?) comments that his unrealistic "handsomeness" "breaks the immersion." Moreover, with his dashing suit fit visuals, Lee even infused an unexpected fantasy element into "Lottery Winner."

When mentioned about such reactions, Lee said, "Since I have been working for a long time, I think people are saying things like 'this actor is still alive and doing well.' Anyway, I am grateful for such compliments," while giving a shy smile.

He continued, "Appearance is a trend that comes and goes with the times, so I do not think there is a fixed standard of beauty. I believe that if trends pass, people may say my looks are not great. But since you are looking at me favorably right now, I tried to use that point to stimulate the fantasy of Eun-tae's character coming across as somewhat clean-cut. So I suggested removing the scene where Eun-tae smokes, and I tried to wear suits in a style that makes people in their 20s look young."

Lee then revealed his struggles, saying, "I paid attention to weight management for the suit fit. Since I was born as a 'gifted child,' I tend to gain weight even if I eat a little. So I eat one meal a day, consisting of protein powder and a slice of bread. Then my life becomes generally depressed. It all feels useless, and I think it is good on days when I can enjoy eating a delicious hamburger," which drew laughter.

In particular, Lee emphasized, "The public will know that I have not made money off my face. Now I am getting attention for my appearance, but in the early days of my debut, I never received such interest. There was no time when I hit it big like winning the lottery with my looks."

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*This content was translated by AI.View Original