Actor Lee Dong-wook (age: 27) returns to the small screen after a 2-year hiatus.
He will star in "Bitter Sweet Life", a special MBC weekend TV drama that is set to premiere on May 3, 2008 in the leading role. His co-star will be actress Oh Yeon-soo (age: 37). The show is a romance about how Joon-soo, the character that Lee Dong-wook will play, falls in love with a married woman whom he met by coincidence during a trip to Japan.
It would seem to be another TV drama about a scandalous affair but Lee Dong-wook offers a different take on the drama by emphasizing that "it's not story about a typical romance or extramarital affair". Yet, he didn't go into any details to elaborate on the differences. "If I reveal any aspect of the plot, it would be a major spoiler so I don't know what I can or cannot say about the show" he said. But he did drop a hint that the tagline in the "Sweet Life" synopsis that says, "There's a devil inside me", reveals something about his character.
While filming a scene on location at Hokkaido, Japan, Director Kim Jin-min-I told Lee Dong-wook to "try to bring out the devil inside of you"'. Instead of describing the character that he plays, Lee said, "You might think that my character is the villain. But you'll learn later on why he became like that. When I read the script, I knew that I had to play the role because of the uncharacteristic elements that you'll see in him. Many actors and actresses crave to play characters that spiral downward into a pit of misery because it gives them a chance to display the raw emotions of a downtrodden figure.
With a wry smile, Lee said, "It's easy to approach a role in a romantic comedy or a drama about a scandalous affair but this drama is totally different. That's why I wanted the role so much. It's more challenging than other roles but I believe that after I complete this project, I'll become a better actor than before'".
When asked about the playing the love interest of actress Oh Yeon-soo in "Bitter Sweet Life", Lee said, "It was awkward at first to play opposite Oh Yeon-soo because not only is it my first time to co-star with her but she's also 10 years older than me. I'm basically a shy guy. It wasn't easy to act as her romantic partner. But since I spent 22 days shooting scenes with just her in Japan, I was able to get to know her well".
Asked about any interesting incidents during his shoots, Lee Dong-wook marveled that, "The minute I landed in Japan, my days were filled with uncommon events that would never happen in Korea". "It snowed 22 consecutive days in Japan. Don't you think that's crazy? I had a difficult time because of the snow and cold weather", he recalled with a shiver. In one scene, he treads through the snow in a rage and that was one of his hard scenes to shoot. But Lee didn't go any further as he stopped himself from unraveling the mystery surrounding his character. Known as the pretty boy of romantic comedies, he transforms into a villain in his new TV drama according to the vague hints that he dropped about his character. Viewers will have to wait until the TV drama premieres to find out more about his role.
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