Avid followers of Lee Min Ho are thrilled about his imminent come back to the small screens. The South Korean actor has been teasing his fans on his forthcoming Apple TV+ K-drama titled Pachinko.
Though Lee Min Ho already completed shooting the said drama, the online streaming service has not yet released the film. Fortunately, Min Ho, alongside Youn Yuh Jung, Kim Min Ha, Jin Ha, series creator Soo Hugh, director Kogonada, and executive producers Theresa Kang-Lowe and Michael Ellenberg, held an online press conference on Friday, March 18.
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During the virtual event, Lee Min Ho shared his thoughts about Pachinko, including his experience when filming the drama and how it got good reviews. Keep on reading to know more details.
Lee Min Ho Talks About Working On Pachinko
For starters, Lee Min Ho plays Koh Han Su in Pachinko. Han Su is the love interest of Youn Yuh Jung's Kim Sun Ja, who was born and raised in Busan, South Korea when the country was under Japanese rule.
Sun Ja fell in love with Lee Min Ho's character. However, she was heartbroken after learning that Han Su married another woman while she was carrying their first child together.
While she was devastated by her situation, Sun Ja meets a church priest named Bae Isak (Noh Sang Hyun), whom she tied the knot with afterward. Sun Ja and Bae Isak then move to Japan, where the former gives birth to her child.
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Talking about his character in Pachinko, Lee Min Ho shared:
“It’s strange to greet people in Los Angeles. Hansu uses clothes to protect himself and also to express himself. I tried on a lot of different clothes. Through his clothes, Hansu changes his feelings and hides his identity.”
Lee Min Ho also discussed how the upcoming K-drama series got good reviews from critics. He stated:
“I’m proud that we got such good review from critics. But now we have the most important feedback of all, the reaction of the public. I think that good reviews means that we’re acknowledged as a good production. It has nothing to do with becoming a hit, but it gives me a sense of pride.”
Lee Min Ho furthered:
“It’s a story that you can relate to regardless of nationality or language. I hope it will become a drama that moves the hearts of many.”
Lee Min Ho Talks About Auditioning For Pachinko
Meanwhile, Lee Min Ho also opened up about auditioning for a role for the first time in 13 years. The ex-boyfriend of Suzy Bae admitted she had difficulty in filming the imminent Apple TV+ series since there were three languages used -- Korean, English, and Japanese.
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Lee Min Ho explained:
"There were a lot of difficulties when it came to language. I realized it's not easy to express emotions through a script that is written in another language. And I felt I should put forth more effort."
The Pachinko actor went on:
"Everyone communicated in English, so it was a new experience for me to communicate with those who speak English and those who speak Japanese."
Lee Min Ho, who already starred in several K-dramas and movies before, also underwent an audition process to get his role in Pachinko. He explained:
"It's been 13 years since I auditioned so I almost forgot the process. Auditioning isn't just a process to show your acting skills but it's a process to see if your ideology and characteristics match up with the character and how deeply you've thought about the character. So I was able to think again about the meaning of auditioning."
He furthered:
"I think this system is reasonable and it is a good system. I personally liked that this process was not a way to match my existing image just because I was someone famous. I was satisfied because this was a process that reminded me of my old self."
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Lee Min Ho also talked about the values of the Pachinko project, saying:
"This was a project that really let known a new start. Of course, this was a project that I approached with a completely new process, such as the audition. I think this was also a project in which I had much freedom. I tried my best to concentrate on the meaning that this project has. Therefore, I think I felt a bit freer from the weight that I would have to carry by myself. I think this project let me know a new start to the next ten years of my acting career."
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Pachinko is set to premiere on Friday, March 25, on Apple TV+ worldwide. It would air one episode every Friday until 29.
Aside from Lee Min Ho, Pachinko also stars Youn Yun Jung, Jin Ha as Baek Solomon, Kim Min Ha as the young Kim Sun Ja, Soji Arai as Baek Mozasu, Noh Sang Hyun as Baek Isak, Jung Eun Chae as Choi Kyung Hee, Han Joo Woo as Baek Yoseb and Kaho Minami as Etsuko Nagatomi. Anna Sawai, Mari Yamamoto and Kung Joong In are also part of the cast.
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Stay tuned to EpicStream for the latest news and updates about Lee Min Ho!