INTERVIEW Lee Jae-wook builds new repertoire with fantasy series 'Alchemy of Souls'

Actor Lee Jae-wook plays the role of Jang Uk in the tvN series “Alchemy of Souls.” Courtesy of tvN

Actor enjoys sense of accomplishment after taking challenge

By Lee Gyu-lee

For actor Lee Jae-wook, it was both challenging and satisfying to take the lead role in the year-long, two-season tvN fantasy romance series “Alchemy of Souls.”

“I was worried if I could carry out such a long project well … but in the end, as an actor, I'm pleased with the series so I'm grateful (to have been in it),” the actor said during an interview with The Korea Times in southern Seoul, Jan. 5.

Actor Lee Jae-wook / Courtesy of C-JeS Entertainment

The romance series, set in a fictional period and country called Daeho, revolves around Jang Uk (Lee), a man from a prestigious family who is seeking to change his destiny with the help of Mu-deok (Jung So-min), a blind woman who is possessed by a powerful sorceress called Nak-su.

The series wrapped its second season, Sunday, ending its 30-part run since June last year. The new season picked up three years after Uk recovers from a near-death experience, which leads his lover, Mu-deok, to die. While devastated by her death, Uk comes across a mysterious woman, Jin Bu-yeon (Go Youn-jung), and falls in love, only to find out that she is actually Nak-su.

It was directed by Park Joon-hwa who previously directed the hit 2018 series “What's Wrong with Secretary Kim” and was written by Hong Jeong-eun and Hong Mi-ran, who scripted the 2019 romance series “Hotel del Luna.”

Lee said that he was hesitant to take the role at first due to its complex fictional setting and the character, but eventually came around to the idea of taking on the challenge of a fantasy series.

“'Alchemy of Souls' is a fantasy, romance, action genre series which is not common in Korea. It was very difficult and I wasn't sure if I could pull this series off,” he said. “And because Uk is a multi-layered character, I got scared. But then I thought 'when can I ever see a piece like this again?' and decided to take the challenge.”

A scene from the series “Alchemy of Souls” / Courtesy of tvN

Uk shows a playful romantic side with Mu-deok in the first season, but after going through a tragedy, he shuts himself off and becomes gloomy. The actor said that he tried to see his character as two different people in seasons 1 and 2.

“I felt there's a huge gap in the character from parts 1 and 2. During the table reading, the writers told me that they want me to build the character as if he's a different person (in season 2),” he said. “So to create a completely different character, I tried to find a new tone and read the lines in a more concise, strained manner.”

The series gained popularity overseas, streaming via Netflix. The first season landed on the fifth spot and the second season ranked sixth on the platform's top 10 charts for non-English series during the week of the two respective season premieres.

Lee said that he could see the series' overseas popularity during his recent trip to Malaysia.

“As K-content is getting more popular, I think the audiences abroad have also come across our series. I went to Malaysia recently and I was overwhelmed with emotion to see how people welcomed me at the airport,” he said.

The actor, who debuted with a supporting role in the 2018 fantasy romance series “Memories of the Alhambra,” shared that he enjoys challenging himself with new acting projects.

“I always have high standards (of myself) so when a series gets a disappointing result, it's hard on me. It may sound contradictory but I like and enjoy this hardship. I don't let it get to me and reflect on why it didn't work out or how I could have done better,” he said. “I'm not the type of person who easily falls into mannerisms. I like the sense of accomplishment that comes after a challenge.”

Lee played the lead role in the MBC series “Extraordinary You” in 2019. Courtesy of MBC

Birth, academic career

Lee Jae-wook was born on May 10, 1998, in Seoul. He is 187 centimeters tall. He majors in theater at Chung-Ang University but is currently taking a leave of absence.

Debut

Lee debuted in 2018 with tvN series “Memories of the Alhambra,” in which he played the role of Marco Han, a Korean studying in Spain. Marco, claiming to have developed an augmented reality game, tries to sell it to Korean entrepreneurs including Yoo Jin-woo, played by top star Hyun Bin.

Filmography

After the debut series, he starred in the 2019 romance series “Search: WWW.” But it was MBC's 2019 teen rom-com series “Extraordinary You” which made him rise to stardom through a lead role. He made his silver screen debut with the 2019 war film “Battle of Jangsari,” and has starred in series like “When the Weather Is Fine” (2020), “Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol” (2020), “Move to Heaven” (2021) and “Alchemy of Souls” (2022).

Awards

Lee won the Best New Actor at the MBC Drama Awards in 2019 for “Extraordinary You,” and the Excellence Award at the KBS Drama Awards in 2020 for “Do Do Sol Sol La La Sol.”

Social media channels

His Instagram account is @jxxvvxxk.

Agency

He is represented by C-JeS Entertainment, which also manages actors like Seol Kyung-gu and Kim Jae-joong.