Lee Minho is basking in the love that the second season of his Apple TV's web series Pachinko , has been receiving. While he may be known to fans as the Prince Charming of K-dramas , the South Korean actor plays the ruthless yet charming Koh Hansu in the series — a role that he feels has set the tone for the next decade of his career. “I think there comes a time [in everyone’s career] when it is important to introspect about the direction they want to take.
Looking back at the path I was seeking, this [serious] character seemed like a step in the right direction. It gave me confidence and nudged me into maturing as an actor,” says Lee who shot to fame with the teen romance Boys Over Flowers in 2009. Pachinko, based on Min Jin Lee’s 2017 novel of the same name, follows the arduous journey of a Korean immigrant family in Japan.
Lee’s character — a fish broker-turned-gangster — is a departure from his usual roles. Season 1 concluded with a glimpse into the tragic backstory of Hansu’s life, which many felt had almost humanized him. Lee Min Ho says it helped him add dimensions to the anti-hero status that is merited to his screen character.
How did he prepare for it? “For me, Hansu is neither good nor bad. I studied him in the context of a man who is desperate to survive and protect. I wanted to portray him as someone who won’t stop at anything until he gets what he wants,” he shares.
Talking more about getting into the skin of his characters, Lee reveals that he often internalises their psyche to better understand them. “Though Hansu and I are very different, there were aspects I could relate to. I began my career at a very young age and had to struggle and learn to survive.
That’s why I understood his need to sustain himself,” he tells us. As the current season unfolds Sunja’s family is faced with the calamity of surviving the world war, picking the pieces and rebuilding their life after. Hansu, a looming figure in their struggle, dons the mantle of the benefactor, as seeks to protect the woman he desires, and his son from the union.
The actor excels in getting the beats of his character and divulges that his character is way more evolved than the previous season., and his human instincts are stronger, but he is a man who wants to be in control. “For me, the most important aspect of his personality and objective is to exercise authority in every situation.
He wants to take charge of Sunja and his son Noa. Though on the surface it appears as being very sweet and caring, it all stems from the desire to keep both of them within his boundary. I wanted to portray him as a man who won’t stop at anything until he gets what he wants.
” Interestingly, while the 37-year-old has played diverse characters across genres, this was the first time he played a father. “I have never played a father on screen, nor have I experienced [parenthood, but] I think being a dad is the purest version of love a human can ever feel,” he says..
