The actor gets candid about his feelings on the role and why he eventually went for it anyway
Now that “Alchemy of Souls Part 2” has finished, its lead actor Lee Jae Wook is getting candid about his role. Among other things, he opens up about initially saying no to reprising his role, and what ultimately led him back.
As a romance fantasy drama, “Alchemy of Souls” is set in a fictional place called Daeho. People there end up with twisted fates given swapped souls through inexplicable magic. The second part picks up the story a whole three years where part one left off. When it concluded earlier in January 2023, it got 9.7% – the highest viewership ratings throughout both parts.
READ: Netflix Releases Korean Drama Offerings For 2023
Good Conclusion
In an interview with Xsportsnews, Lee Jae Wook makes it clear that he was glad with how things turned out. “I feel we concluded our one-year project well,” he shares, “so I’m happy.”
The struggle for him was largely due to how dense the historical fantasy drama was despite being entirely fictional. There was no actual background or history to research or cross-reference; it was all made up, and it was all just…there.
“I was flustered … it was an incredibly difficult set-up and the situations were novel,” Lee Jae Wook says, “so it was hard to imagine … a script with new spaces and settings.”
Jang Wook, Lee Jae Wook’s character, gained a following after Part 1 largely because of how cheerful and bright he is.
For Part 2, the transformation of his soul and persona is quite extreme-he becomes a monster. “I thought that the gap between the character of Wook in Parts 1 and 2 was [major]. When I did a reading [with the writers], they [shared hopes] I’d think of and [play Jang Wook from Parts 1 and 2] as two different characters,” he explains.
He went so far as to speak stiff and concisely in his everyday life aside from removing the “voice tone” of the character that everyone was used to.
Challenge Accepted
“I turned it down at first,” Lee Jae Wook openly states in the interview, still talking about his character.
He goes on to say that he really found it difficult and he was unsure if he could actually pull the project off. The turning point for him was when he took the role as a personal challenge. Ultimately, it paid off for him.
“From the actor’s perspective, I’m incredibly satisfied with the results,” he ends.
Banner Image Paulo Correa
